Tom glanced up from his desk when Marlena entered his office. He closed the file he was looking over, and placed it to the side. Smiling at her, he said, "Marlena, thank you for meeting with me."
"I'm fairly certain, I already know what this is about," she replied, taking a seat across from him. Her hands twined together, and she felt her stomach roll uncomfortably, "Roman stopped by this afternoon, and he insinuated that he had spoken with you."
"He did, and as you know, once questions are raised about certain things...I have to investigate," Tom sighed softly, and said reluctantly. "I don't mean to inquire into matters of such a private nature, but I have too."
"I understand," she said. "As you know, I was staying at your cabin for a few days. I'm not sure what Alice may have told you, but Roman and I argued. He hit me, and Eric saw it happen."
"I didn't want to pry," Tom said, acknowledging the bruise on her face, but it was obvious as soon as she entered that something was amiss.
"Roman somehow found out that John had gone out to Smith Island the night of the storm," she said.
"Roman's concern, when he came to me, was that John was a patient of yours, and that you were—"
"—sleeping with a patient? Roman's motive was to hurt me. The quickest and harshest way for him to do that, is to target my career. I know that, Tom. You know that as well," she said with simmering anger.
Tom sighed, "I still have to know, Marlena."
"John was never a patient. I was helping a friend, but seeing him was never official. He was never logged in the hospital records as a patient of mine. I didn't trust myself...to spend that much time with him. I didn't have faith that I..." she said softly, her voice trailing off while she studied her clenched hands. Finally glancing up at Tom, she said, "I loved John too much, to be that stupid. I knew—I knew there was a chance for things to go badly, so he was never logged as an official patient."
"It still looks...unprofessional," he said slowly. "Even questionable, Marlena."
"I know. I know. I know," she whispered mostly to herself. More loudly she said, "That's true, and I never believed it would go that far, but always, at the back of my mind, I thought...what if? Everything fell apart, Tom. Everything. One moment, I was committed to Roman, to trying to make our marriage work, but he cheated on me. He got another woman pregnant, and then he—he hit me. I went to the cabin to be alone. To make some decisions. Then John..."
Tom suddenly understood what had happened, "John realized that Isabella's baby wasn't his."
Marlena nodded her head once, and whispered, "We were like two broken, destroyed souls coming together. I don't know how else to explain it. I never stopped loving him, Tom. How could I?"
"You're right, I checked the hospital database. John is not listed as a patient, but he was coming to you for regular appointments," he said. "You've got to know how that looks. If Chelsea were questioned..."
"I made sure that Chelsea knew it was unofficial, Tom. She knew that. He was making appointments, but unofficially," she told him shakily. "Tom...I can't lose my job over this. It's John. It's John...you know what we've been through together."
Tom was silent for a moment, before he said quietly, "Marlena...I don't want you to lose your license. Not over something that most outsiders wouldn't understand, but if you have any files, or records..."
She watched him, as his voice trailed off, and he looked away, refusing to say what he was thinking. Marlena finished for him, "...I should get rid of them."
"That would probably be best," he said, glancing back up at her. "I plan to let this go, Marlena, because I am certain that this was the result of a specific set of circumstances. Circumstances that no one should ever be faced with, but you can't continue to see him in your office."
"I would never compromise myself this way. You know that, Tom. I won't see John in my office anymore. I'm—I'm divorcing Roman," she said. "I've told him today. He's angry. Very angry."
"If he pushes this, as a way to get back at you...well, you need to make sure—"
"—don't say it. I know," she replied, standing up from her chair, and wiping her palms along the sides of her skirt. "Thank you, Tom. Thank you for being such a good friend."
"Alice and I love you, as if you were our own daughter," Tom told her.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Marlena showed up at John's door with a small box in her arms. When he opened the door, and saw her standing there, a huge smile spread across his face. It was his day off, but he wasn't expecting to see her on a Thursday afternoon, "Hey, Doc!"
"Sorry to show up unexpectedly," she said, stepping inside. "I had a meeting with Tom today."
John watched her for a moment, and said softly, "What happened?"
Her reply was simple, "Roman."
"I figured it was him, or Isabella," John said, taking the box from her arms. Gesturing towards the box, he asked, "What's all this?"
"A file I kept on you, and the notes I took, as well as the recordings of your sessions. You weren't officially a patient, but Tom suggested that if certain items existed...they should go away. I wasn't sure what to do with them," she said softly. "They're yours. I didn't want to throw them away. The file...I started the file when I first started hypnosis with you, before Stockholm."
John pulled the file from the box, and opened it, briefly glancing over it. "I have a safe, in the bedroom," he said. "Come on."
Marlena followed him into his bedroom, and took a deep breath. It smelled so much like him. She'd slept horribly the night before, and her day had been the epitome of stress. She could imagine sinking into his sheets, and breathing deeply of his scent. Curling into him, and sleeping for hours. The night before had been so lonely. Two nights with John, and she was missing him more than she ever had.
John went into his closet, and Marlena watched as he took the items from the box, and placed them inside, locking it when he was finished. Standing up, he touched her face gently, pushing a strand of hair back from her cheek, saying, "How was your talk with Roman...really. I know you called, and told me everything was fine, but Doc, you...you don't look fine."
"I missed you last night," she said softly. "I didn't sleep well."
John noticed she seemed to be lagging, and overwhelmed, "Do you have to go back to work after this?"
"I don't, but Eric and Sami finish school in a couple hours."
John kissed her gently on the lips, and began unbuttoning her jacket, "Take a nap with me."
"John," she sighed, as he spread her jacket open to reveal satin lace edged fabric. Her nipples tightened as his eyes and the cool air glanced over them. "I don't know if I can do that."
His hands traced over her collarbone. "I won't do anything but snuggle," he whispered, kissing her again.
"I'm not worried about you," she moaned, allowing her head to roll to the side, as John kissed her skin. "I'm worried about me. Maybe, I don't want to nap."
Placing her jacket neatly over the footboard on the bed, he reached for the button on the back of her skirt, "I won't let you seduce me, baby. Nap only."
Marlena stepped out of her skirt, and watched John place it over her jacket. Standing in front of him in a white satin teddy, she shivered. His eyes roamed over her, watching her as she stepped out of her shoes with a yawn. She said softly, "I am tired."
"Just climb into the sheets, and let me hold you, Doc."
Marlena watched him pull his t-shirt over his head, and toss it carelessly to the floor. His jeans soon followed with the same treatment. When John's body slid in next to her, she could imagine all of the glorious things he could do to her body, but those thoughts warred with her desire for rest. Staring up at him with wide hazel eyes, she whispered, "I love you."
"I'll set the alarm for an hour and a half," he said, reaching for the clock. Turning to face her, he pulled her into his arms, and moaned softly when her hand slid up his chest to rest at his neck. Nuzzling into her hair, he said, "I slept horribly last night too, baby. It's odd that two nights with you, and my mind can't seem to sleep without you."
John's arm wrapped around her waist pulling her flush with his body, and her thigh slipped over his, while she sighed, "I want to sleep like this forever."
"We're going to, baby. Just a little bit longer," he said. "Go to sleep, Doc."
John's thigh moved higher, and Marlena moaned as her pussy started to throb. Unable to stop herself, she rubbed herself against him. John's arm tightened, and he groaned softly. She did it again, feeling the rough hair of his leg rubbing along the sensitive skin of her inner thighs. John's cock started to lengthen against her hip, and he groaned again.
"Marlena," he said roughly. "We're supposed to nap."
"Please," she whispered, her breath brushing over his ear. "We could do both..."
Pushing her onto her back, he ran his palm up her leg, and said, "I was trying to do something nice for you."
"Oh!" she sighed, when his hand reached her center, squeezing her gently. "Oh! This is nice..."
Slipping the loose fabric of her teddy to the side, John whispered, "Fucking hell, Doc...no panties?"
"They're a hindrance," she panted, pulling his mouth to hers, and kissing him.
John's mouth opened, and his tongue swept alongside hers, tasting coffee, and a flavor that was simply her. His finger slid along her crease, feeling the wetness there, and he said, "Who the fuck needs sleep, baby..."
"I don't. I don't. I just need you," she said. "Make love to me...please..." John pushed his boxers off, and slid them down over his legs, and he started to slide the strap off of Marlena's shoulder, but she said, "No! John, please don't make me wait!"
Her intensity and her desperation drove him forward. Pushing her thighs apart, and pulling the laced edged satin to the side, John buried himself in her heat, crying out, "Fuck!"
Marlena nearly cried in relief, wrapping her arms around his neck, and panting harshly, she pulled his mouth to her, and nearly devoured him. Biting at his lips, and sucking on his tongue. "I can't get enough of you," she said with passion. "I can't explain it..."
"I feel complete with you," he said. "I feel so fucking complete buried deep inside you."
As John's hips started moving, Marlena sighed, "I love you."
"I love you, too...so much." His hips started moving, slowly, deeply, but it wasn't long before he was driving into her, and he whispered darkly in her ear, "Let's see if I can make you see stars again."
Marlena threw her head back and cried out, "Oh, G-d!"