Cape Crossed

Chapter Eleven

"You're sure that's everything?" Hannah asked, poking around through Jake's suitcase. Extra pens had been jammed into every available space along with two notebooks and his laptop. How he had room for clothes she'd never know.

Jake pulled her hand away and kissed it. "If you keep that up you'll unfold everything and I'll have to pack all over again," he warned her. It was bad enough he'd had to drag his entire suitcase back to her apartment to grab his laptop and toothbrush. He didn't even have plans to use the laptop but nothing would be more suspicious than if he want to work on an article without it.

"I would never do something so dastardly to keep you around longer," she claimed. A sly smile creeped over her face. "I'd hide your shirts so you had to either stay or walk around shirtless."

"My stars," he gasped and covered his chest. "You'd put me in such a position? A kind gentleman like me?" He lifted her up and shook his head. "A lady would never."

Hannah rolled her eyes and hit him in the back of the knee with her foot so they fell onto the bed. "Who ever said I was a lady?" It took a few minutes for the laughter to subside. She kissed his cheek and rolled off him so he could get up. "How long are you going to be gone?"

"Just four days, babe. Not even a full week for you to cause trouble," Jake told her. "I'll call you every day and send plenty of pictures." Seeing her curled up in a ball on the bed tugged at him. It was taking everything in him not to kick the suitcase to the floor and curl up with her. Some reality show would be on just about then. He loved to see how intently she watched the definitely scripted interactions.

The week they'd spent mostly cooped up in her apartment had been the longest time they'd gone uninterrupted by work. Natalie had been unbelievably lenient about letting him work from home. She'd been particularly thrilled to give the paper a rest from his constant anger towards supers. Apparently people did enjoy seeing something happy from time to time.

Even the hospital had somehow found a way to go on without their most essential nurse. With the way Hannah always insisted she needed to be there, Jake had assumed the very walls depended on her to stay up. Not only had they been able to function without her, they'd encouraged her to take more time to herself.

"But who's going to open the jelly for me?" Hannah kissed his cheek and sighed. "I need my jelly."

"I knew you only kept me around for my spectacular muscles," Jake teased. He pulled himself to his feet with some effort. The suitcase closed with a heavy thunk and he zipped it closed. "I should go, I can't miss my train." He stumbled a little when Hannah jumped onto his back.

"New plan, take me with you," she said. "I can be your personal assistant." She hung on tight, impressed he didn't stagger as he carried both her and his luggage into the living room.

"What about your job?" Jake dropped his things by the door and wiggled his shoulders until she got down. He pulled his coat on and turned to stop her from pulling hers on. The last thing she needed was to catch a cold after getting over the flu.

"I'll just quit," she decided. "It's not like they need me anyway." Something about not being needed to save lives in any capacity made her feel less than competent.

Jake laughed and kissed her forehead. "You don't know how to quit. Now go get yourself back to bed. Claudia will be over soon, right?" Someone cleared their throat behind him and Jake turned to face the dower tattoo artist in question. A pair of thick sunglasses were perched on her head and a large tote hung from her left shoulder.

"I have arrived to watch the invalid," she teased.

Hannah huffed but she couldn't fool either of them into thinking she was anything less than thrilled to spend the four days with Claudia. They'd met not long after Jake and Hannah had first met. Her and Jake were never on the same level of friendship that she and Hannah were but he was willing to travel across the city on her request. If anything, she'd become like a younger sister. With both of them being only children the situation still unsettled them from time to time.