Healing (KTH, featuring KNJ)

Chapter 48

By the time Taehyung had returned home Clara was doing better. The new medication seemed to be keeping the worst of her nausea at bay, but in exchange she was sleeping a lot. The big challenge seemed to be keeping up with eating and drinking. Between an overall aversion to food and her constant desire to fall asleep, she was struggling to eat meals. But at least she seemed well out of the danger zone.

Taehyung arrived home excited to see Clara and hold her close. He wanted to comfort her and remind her that he was with her every step of the way. He also needed to reassure himself that she was doing well. He was increasingly despising every moment he spent away from her.

He also knew that he needed to talk to Clara about two important issues while he was home. One his mother raised with him, and the other he had heard from Namjoon. But first he wanted nothing more than to hold her close, assure her of his love, and cover her with kisses. He knew she was still at the dorm so he headed there first. Seeing her sleeping in his bed brought a smile to his lips. But when he looked closer and saw her snuggled up in his clothes, his heart leapt. Even if he wasn't at home she sought comfort from things that reminded her of him.

Wasting no time, he slipped off the clothes he had traveled in and crawled in next to her, pulling her as close as possible. He expected her to wake up. After all, Jimin told him that she'd been sleeping for several hours already. But she nuzzled into his chest instead, taking a deep breath to assure herself with the smell of his cologne.

He simply held her for the next hour. Unwilling to leave her side. Eventually he felt her begin to stir and he responded by running his finger through her hair, gently humming her favorite songs to help ease her into awareness. Shifting a bit she started to open her eyes and immediately lit up seeing Taehyung snuggled close next to her. He was finally home.

"Hey baby girl, I'm here now. I'm so sorry I wasn't here when you were sick but I'm proud of you for calling Namjoon so he could help you. You did the right thing." Kissing her forehead they both relaxed into the comfort of being together again. Right where they belonged.

When Clara was finally fully awake Taehyung encouraged her to get up and have something to eat and drink. He had heard from Namjoon how important this was and how difficult Clara was finding it to regain the energy and motivation to stay on top of her nutrition.

Taehyung didn't want to be any further from her than necessary. This started with him carrying her to the kitchen, then after quickly heating her meal he repositioned her back to his lap at the table. Feeding her one bite at a time, he interspersed each spoonful of soup and rice with a kiss to her cheek, praises for how well she was eating, and reminders of how much he loved her. As she became full she was leaning more heavily into his chest, beginning to fade back to sleep. But with Taehyung's encouragement she was willing to continue to eat one nibble at a time until her portion was totally gone.

Clara felt better after eating the whole meal, but also exhausted as her body began to refocus its efforts on digestion. And the warmth and comfort she received from Taehyung was further encouraging her to fall back to sleep. She wanted to simply collapse into him and never move again.

Carrying her back to the bedroom Taehyung told Clara that he would help her with her shower and then they could spend the rest of the night wrapped tight under covers. Clara whined a bit, ready to just fall back onto the soft mattress, but Taehyung just chuckled a bit at her pouting, insisting they'd try to be quick.

Clara sat on the bathroom counter while Taehyung warmed up the water. When he was satisfied he quickly removed his clothes and then went to Clara to carefully remove hers. When she was undressed he picked her up, carrying her into the shower. Ensuring she was balanced when he put her back on her feet, he began to wash her hair, massaging her scalp while she leaned against him for balance. After finishing her hair he lathered his hands with soap and began to gently rub down her arms, around her back, over her chest, and down her legs. He worked carefully to avoid tickling her, knowing she became particularly sensitive when she was exhausted. After he ensured she was rinsed he couldn't help but be drawn to her lips, lovingly caressing them with his own while he held her tight against him.

He could feel her slightly responding to him, but clearly too tired for much else. So after one last brush of her lips, he turned off the water and grabbed a warm fluffy towel for her. He carefully dried off each part of her, then wrapped her up in the towel to carry her back out to the room and help her redress in warm pajamas. But when set her on the bed he was surprised to hear her say that she didn't need any clothes. She wanted to sleep skin to skin because she had missed him. Happy to agree with her request he pulled the covers back for her. And after quickly making sure her hair was dry enough and neatly brushed, he slid in next to her ready to hold her close.

Taehyung hated to admit it, but he loved feeling like her hero at that moment. She was fully responsive to him, trusting and following his lead. And he was able to truly take care of her and shower her with all of the love he wanted. If only the circumstances leading to this weren't so difficult, he'd hope that she'd allow him to truly care for her in the future in the same way.

Taehyung gently rubbed his hand across her belly, looking forward to seeing her show signs of the beautiful baby they had created. After Taehyung offered one last peck of her temple and a nuzzle into her face, Clara adjusted to snuggle into his chest and drift off to sleep.

Taehyung knew they had a lot to talk about, but he'd have to hope she was up for it in the morning.