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Please see Page One for Disclaimers.

Fifty-One - Le Jour, Après La Nuit Passée

The dim light that came to newly-opened eyes struggled past drawn curtains, lending a golden glow to Piersen's bedroom. Piersen shifted slowly awake, aware of the weight of an arm - Kai's, she knew without even asking - across her waist, her lover's legs twined with her own. Was it morning or evening?

It's the morning after.

The thought brought a smile to her face, and with it a ripple of giddiness that skitted across the glowing pool of lassitude that enclosed her. Her eyes sought Kai's face, half-obscured by their shared pillow. What on earth is a woman like Kai doing in my bed? Piersen thought, losing herself for a moment in the dark length of Kai's eyelashes and the sharp lines of her profile. The tunnel of her awareness widened as her senses aligned within her, bringing into forefront how sensitised her skin had become to the subtle hypnosis in Kai's respiration.

As she took in a slow, sympathetic breath, an unmistakable scent tickled her nostrils, triggering rememberances of last night - its vividness burning across her like an intense blush.

In an instant she re-experienced that desperate need to physically absorb Kai through her skin, manifest as random flashes of herself making love to Kai with a ferocity that now embarrassed her. A part of her felt a little foolish - clumsy in her unfamiliar need, wordless in voicing her desires. What control she tried to maintain fell away with Kai's clothing, exposing parts of her body that compelled her touch. Somewhere along the way she managed to bring Kai to climax - oh goodness, how could she ever forget - the feel of Kai's molten heat gripping her fingers as she came, and the gasp that came with her surrender, one she swallowed quickly with her kiss...

Whoa. Lost your train of thought there? Piersen shook herself. Get a grip, Piers.

Yes, somehow she managed to bring Kai to climax, but given the clarity of retrospect Piersen could not help but concern herself over her... mechanical shortcomings. She had no idea how it all came together, spectacular as it was - and quite frankly, what if it was all an incredible fluke?

That last thought brought her back to earth, leaving her somewhat annoyed at herself. They never mentioned problems with fingernails. The blonde grumbled, bringing her hand up for scrutiny.

All I know is that she made me feel - incredible. And I want to her to feel the same way when she's with me.

She shifted gently, her breath catching as a previously unknown muscle protested keenly.  Oww - Ohhh. Another ghost of a memory flitted by before Piersen swallowed against it, instead concentrating on the stiffness of her limbs and trying to stretch them out.

"Morning." A blue eye regarded her warmly, framed by a slight crinkle that hinted at an unseen smile.

How is it that with one look all her fears now seem irrelevant? "Hi. Sorry I woke you."

"I'm not." The hand of Piersen's waist trailed up without any particular purpose, just enjoying the smoothness of the skin beneath. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I don't want to move."

"Oh, but you might." Kai's hand now moved higher to Piersen's jaw, a subtle tug beckoning her closer. The blonde smiled as she shifted, leaning in and over Kai to kiss her when -

Ring ring -

Piersen halted her progress, cursing quietly. "Yours?"

Kai blew out a sigh. "Yours, I think. Mine should be in my bag."

Flopping onto her back with a groan, the curator reached for the ringing phone on her bedside table. "Piersen here."

"Piers? Your phone's off the hook and you're dangerously close to standing us up for breakfast. Are we still on?"

James! In a panic, her eyes shot to the bedside clock, via a carelessly knocked-over telephone handset. 10.45. Damn! "Oh, I'm so sorry - I've slept in..."

"I know, sweetheart. Shall we re-schedule?"

Their eyes met - Kai shook her head, silently encouraging her to keep her date. "Um - I just need to jump into the shower. Is it too late if I came by in a little while?"

"Why don't you come with me. I'm sure they won't mind - James likes you."

Kai left the engine of her car running as she regarded Piersen's hopeful gaze, then out the window behind her with James' terrace squarely in view. Despite being freshly showered, she still felt somewhat conspicuous in yesterday's clothes - and more so, at the prospect of visiting someone in them.

"I really think I should get to hospital - "

"You've already done a phone round with Lauren. Is anyone else expecting you?" The inviting smile that followed was nearly Kai's undoing.

"No, but - " Kai began, feeling her excuses rapidly fading.

From within the house, Adam heard the car's approach and peeked through the front window, anticipating his visitor - but discovering something else.

Well well. The restauranteur's eyebrow shot up high on his forehead as he spied the person in the driver's seat. He shouted towards the general vicinity of the kitchen. "Looks like our girl had an early morning appointment with the doctor."

"What was that?" James ran to the window, then saw that Adam saw. "Oh my. Oh, my."

"Piersen's brought an excellent excuse for sleeping in."

James blanked for a minute, then shook his head. "No - that's jumping to conclusions. Maybe she ran into her on the way."

"Is that on the way from her bed to 'I just need to jump in the shower', or between the shower and coming here?"

"She may have slept over, not in." James searched for a stronger rebuttal, then lapsed into quiet panic as the doorbell rang. "Oh no - I need another table setting..."

Adam laughed at his partner's reaction, patting reassuringly on his retreating shoulder before moving to greet his guest at the door. "Piersen. Good to see you." He lightly kissed her on the cheek, then trained his attention to the doctor about to pull out from the kerbside. "Hello Doc. Aren't you coming in?"

Piersen turned in time to see the frozen look on Kai's face, triggering a mild internal giggle. She shrugged, adding her two cents' worth. "Yeah. Aren't you?"

"Uh - " Kai stared at her hands, preternaturally glued at that moment to the steering wheel.

"There's enough food here to feed an army. At least, enough when you're pitting Piersen against James' appetite. Come on. Stay a while."

At that moment, James arrived at the doorway enfolding Piersen in a big hug before waving hello to Kai. "Took you guys long enough! Get your asses in here before I wither away to nothing."

That seemed to shake Kai from her stupor. Her hands found the ignition and switched off the car. "Sure. I just need to make a call. I'll be right with you."

Piersen beamed, her smile beckoning her lover from over her shoulder. "Don't be long now."

James and Adam's sun-drenched conservatory watched over their newly-turfed garden, a convincing English transplant were it not for the Japanese maple still taking pride of place on the lawn.

From across the breakfast table, Adam observed Kai's line of gaze while Piersen and James engaged themselves in an animated conversation. "I know what you're thinking. Call me sentimental, but I find it hard to part with it. A willow is on order, though, and once it's in we'll do a swap with the nursery."

"Hard to part with it?" James quipped, butting in from the midst of his exchange with Piersen, "You're just waiting for a weekend where I'm free so I can dig it up while you watch." He tore out a large chunk of bread, dipping it into some Bearnaise sauce puddling neatly on his plate. "Speaking of which, Piers, tell me about your weekend away!"

Piersen laughed. "Speaking of what? That was the biggest leap in logic if I ever saw one."

"Honey, I may be a fantastic conversationalist, but I never said I was subtle. Where did you go?"

Oh you know - just all the way with Kai, after I thought I'd lose her because of Richard... nowhere special... Piersen and Kai exchanged an uncertain glance before replying - it was only a flicker of their eyes meeting, but it was long enough for James's sharp scrutiny.

"Wait - you went together?"

Busted. The curator grimaced. "I didn't tell you?"

"Tut tut - for keeping this a secret you have to tell us everything now. Spill it, girlfriend."

Reading a mildly panicked look in her lover's eyes, Kai smoothly interjected before the silence grew any longer. "My parents own a property near Pokolbin. I invited her there - to show her around."

Piersen felt a mixture of relief and surprise as the doctor launched into a brief recount of their long weekend - saving her from the embarrassment of coming up with something that didn't involve something that was too personal for her, or for Kai. Leaning back in her chair with her glass chilling in her hand, she relaxed as she focused on Kai's words, then her voice, then the ease of her form - feeling something inside her settling perfectly.

Adam nodded sagely, directing a somewhat impish gaze at Piersen who seemed more absorbed in the doctor than their conversation. "Ah. So, Piers, I gather you enjoyed your first taste of an Australian bush?"

Loudly, James' large gulp of orange juice made a sudden, undignified re-appearance. The commotion snapped Piersen out of her reverie, immediately re-focusing her attention on the conversation at hand.

She gave James a few sharp raps on his back for good measure. "Are you alright?"

Adam straightened out his partner's collar, casting a sly look at Kai, who remained mostly unpreturbed save hint of surprise straining behind her eyes. "Take a drink of water. It should help."

He wheezed, a hand clutching at his sternum. "I'm fine. Really. Just went the wrong way."

The green gaze lingered for a moment longer, then turned to their mutual breakfast companion. "You were asking, Adam?"

"Never mind. Glad you had a good time." Nudging his glass of water in James' direction, Adam took another large bite of his omelette.

Kai chuckled to herself as she walked through the lobby of St Vincent's, the memory of the breakfast conversation still strong since she excused herself from their company not an hour ago. Changed into camel trousers and a tailored white shirt, the surgeon made her way to the turned a final corner before the bank of lifts when a riot of fragrances assaulted her from her left.

Without really knowing why, Kai slowed to a stop by a large arrangement of lilies, somewhat surprised when a rather bored florist appeared. "Oh. You're open today."

A wry laugh. "Today and every Sunday for the last 2 years."

"Ah." She set her briefcase by the counter, taking a chance to wander amongst the cavalcade of colours, an idea forming in her mind even as her frontal lobe asked her what exactly she thought she was doing here. "Do you deliver?"

"Yes, if you leave a ward and bed number - "

"Uh, no - I mean, deliver out."

"It's unusual, but I can... try and sort something out for you. Did you want me to help you with an arrangement?"

"I just want some flowers. Roses." She cleared her throat, noting and duly tamping down her embarrassment. "Red. Can I get - two dozen?"

"How would you like them styled?"

Flowers get styled? Kai pursed her lips in thought. "How about you help me get started."

"Two dozen roses is quite a number, and really need to be presented right. What is it that you are trying to say?"

Isn't it obvious? "I'd like it fairly - understated."

"But heartfelt?" A hopeful look.

Kai nodded mutely, acknowledging that she is, in this place, at a complete loss.

The florist perked up almost immediately. "I have just the thing. Just write your note on the card, pop it in the envelope with an address, and we'll get it out for you within the hour."

Finally allowing a brief smile, Kai reached for the proferred pen, feeling something about this make sense after all.

Piersen blew out an exhausted breath, pushing herself away from the table with resignation. "James, I don't know what your idea of brunch is, but if you feed me anymore brunch is going to merge into dinner. And you're going to have to roll me back home."

"Nonsense. You are far too skinny, Piersen. How are we going to fill your dresses with a broomstick? At this rate Adam will have bigger boobs than you do."

"A broomstick?!" Piersen gaped, before throwing a rather ineffectual punch. "I'll have you know this flat-chested broomstick can fight back."

"Never, ever knock a woman's rack, James." Adam laughed, then winked at Piersen. "He needs to start seeing some girls. Learn him some manners."

"Yeah, Piers. Think you can reform me? Let's see you fight back again." James grinned, waggling his eyebrows at his friend in a challenge.

"Yes, well - I may not know how to throw a punch, but at least I know how to do the dishes." She rose to her feet, indicating their plates and shushing any attempts to draw her back into the conversation. "Come on boys, give them up."

Piersen tottled to the kitchen, feeling somewhere on the precipice between satisfaction and nausea from an overstuffed stomach. Setting down a rather sizeable stack of dishes, she donned the gloves and filled the sink, the sound of the rushing water allowing her mind to run free, and wonder about what Kai was doing right now...

She was surprised by James' presence next to her, armed with a dishcloth and a smile. They engaged their tasks in silence, Piersen waiting for the moment when her friend would ask the question.

"So - you're together?"

Even with the expectation, Piersen could not stop the stupid grin that broke across her face. "Yes. We're together." We're together. She tasted those words again her her mind. We're together.

Like the calm before a storm, James remained still for several seconds, the tea-towel unmoving in his hands. Then suddenly Piersen found herself being smothered in a bear hug.

Piersen laughed, unable to help herself. "James, I'm dripping all over your shirt..."

Despite her protestations, he hung on to her for a few more moments before setting her down, his own expression mirroring Piersen's happy one. "This is incredible news!"

"Yes, well - I'm pretty pleased too."

"She made the first move?"

"Um - " She had to think about that one. "I don't think so. I remember being a bit impatient at her..."

"Attagirl." James was pleased. "Is it because she's... undecided?"

"I don't think so. If one of us is undecided about - that, it would be me." The thought, resonating somewhat unfavourably in her mind, easily slipped into the pit of procrastination. Another more attractive thought took its place. "She's wonderful."

Noting her hesitation, James mentally filed away a note. "Have you made another date?"

"Uh, not yet. We didn't get a chance to..." Piersen trailed off, not wanting to give too much away about their interrupted morning.

"Oh Piers - you should have cancelled."

"No, it was good... good to see you all together."

Piersen reached out, brushing the side of James' earnestly handsome face. Feeling his smile warming her hand, his part in her small but intricate mosaic finally coming into place.

The Department of Neurology was blessedly empty. Only the hum of air conditioning greeted Kai as she stepped out of the lift, the soft thump of her footfalls and the jingling of keys accompanying her down the corridor.

There was little to alert Kai that something was amiss as she entered her office. Adrian's desk was in its usual state of neatness; only the answering machine captured her attention for a fleeting second, the red message light blinking benignly at her.

Pressing 'play', Kai turned up the volume and walked into her office proper. In a long-performed ritual, she absently picked up the neat pile of mail on her desk and began sorting them through when a cheerfully generic voice cut through the silence.

"You have fifty messages."

Kai froze. What?

The mechanical voice gave way to a litany of recorded voices, introducing themselves in various accents from various parts of the world, citing their 'interest' and 'congratulations' and something about 'that fascinating article'...

Feeling a weight settle firmly on her forehead, Kai closed her eyes a moment to gather herself. How could she have forgotten? In the physical and emotional haze of the past week, she had barely absorbed the call from Sanders, last thing on Monday evening - something about him taking the liberty of submitting her case report to his friend, who also happened to be a neurologist, as well as the chief editor of the New England Journal...

Never mind that the paper was only a second draft, written for Taylor's benefit - something to help him get up to speed with the Stamford case. No doubt Taylor would have already began drafting Stamford's case report, relishing the excitement it would generate when published.

I guess I stole his thunder. Or Geoff stole his thunder for me. Her frown deepened at the thought of the gre-haired neurologist. What the hell were you thinking, Geoff?

The surgeon sank into the leather deskchair, feeling the futility of blame twist inside her gut. Even if Geoff should know better, you could have put a stop to it if you had half a brain working last week. They'll be hell to pay at the next departmental meeting, and you only have yourself to blame, stupid.

Reaching for the mouse, Kai opened her web browser and allowed the telephone messages to fade to the back of her mind. Finding the journal website confirmed her suspicions -

Special Article
Novel approach to the therapy of neurosyphilis - a case report.
K. Jamieson and Others

Editorial
Turning back the tide - Is reversibility possible in neurodegenerative diseases?

She blew out a breath, not knowing where to begin. This is beyond a joke.

Against the drone of the answering machine, Kai scrolled through the headers, looking for a familiar name to start with in this most mundane of tasks.

Dr Werner Ting
Prof Paul F Gorecki
Dr Robert Okutolo
Dr Margaret Kerner
Elaine Cunningham
Professor M E F Goldman

Hold on - that was certainly familiar. A double click quickly ensued.

Hi gorgeous. Read your article - good work. No doubt that will keep you busy for a while, which is disappointing indeed. I despair, wondering when I will ever get you here for a holiday. Your department will hardly collapse without your Atlas-like shoulders propping it up. Surely there's someone you can hand your work over to for a little while? Say it with me, darling: d-e-l-e-g-a-t-e.

Keep in touch.

Love, Laine.

Kai quickly typed her reply, then contemplated the remaining email awaiting her attention with inspiration dawning. Sometimes... it actually pays to listen to Laine.

She block-selected the remainder of the Stamford-related mail, opened a reply, then began to type.

Please re-direct all enquiries to Professor Lawrence Taylor - contact details as below.

She grinned mirthlessly as she clicked the send button, already feeling a little better.

It was close to dinnertime when Piersen finally returned home, her leisurely walk relieving some of the discomfort that was the price to pay for gluttony. Comparatively small, for such a deadly sin...

Yeah, that and your first heart attack at the age of thirty, Piers. She snorted, chiding herself as she unlocked her front door, ready to pass out on the couch for a while. The sun behind her was beginning to set, and the dim light nearly caused her to miss it.

"Oh - " There it was: discreetly tucked beneath the shade of the frangipani, a delicate but fulsome arrangement of deep red roses.

Puzzled by the unexpectedness of it all, Piersen transferred the flowers to her hall table and plucked out the card, inhaling deeply the richly sweet scent.

Oh Kai... Her eyes scanned the words again and again, feeling something inside her melt. She made her way into the lounge, grabbing the phone and dialing a series of numbers on the way.

Ring ring. Ring ring.

"Jamieson."

The blonde woman can barely hold back her smile. "The answer is yes."

There was a moment of shocked silence. "Yes?"

"Kai Jamieson asking me out on date - in such a wonderful way - and you think I'd turn her down?" Piersen eyed the card again, the smile on her face growing broader. "I'd love to come."

"Sure. I'll confirm details with you tomorrow."

"Looking forward to it." Piersen hesitated, finally sensing something in Kai's timbre that was a little strained. "Is everything okay?"

"Uh - I'm still at work. I still have a few things to do."

Oh. She rushed on ahead, afraid her courage would give way. "Listen - why don't you come over tonight? When you're finished, I mean - "

"I might be late."

"That's alright. It doesn't matter." It would just be nice to see you.

Another stilted pause. "Alright. I'll see you soon."

Kai hung up, internally cursing the wretchedness of the timing. Slipping the phone back in her bag, she turned back to the man watching her with some expectation.

"I apologise for the interruption. Let me introduce myself again - my name is Kai Jamieson. I was the doctor looking after you before Dr Taylor became your principal physician."

In the sterile air of the hospital room, Kai extended her hand to Richard Stamford.

"I'm afraid the past few weeks have been quite a blur, doctor." His smile was apologetic, and his eyes were weighed down by an unshakeable tiredness. They fell onto her proferred hand, not too far from his own resting one. "But your face is familiar. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Kai waited.

If the subject of her gaze was unnerved by her intent observation, he did not show it. His gaunt, haggard features were still trained on her hand; whether out of blank weariness or strength of concentration remains to be seem. The deep shadows on his face hinted at a face that could have been handsome were it not for the severe hollows from muscle wasting - consequence of months of tube-feeding and immobility.

He has grey eyes.

In all this time, Kai had only just managed to notice.

A part of her was contemplating the potential extent of improvement in his motor skills - the natural, clinical instinct that diagnosed movement disorders in strangers passing by was the same curiosity that compelled her to analyse Richard now. Last she saw him, he could barely lift his head from the pillow in his rare waking hours - that was almost two weeks ago, two weeks since she performed her last formal functional assessment as his clinician.

Another part of her, however, was not in the least interested in the neurology. This was no place for clinical approaches and detachment, this first meeting with her lover's husband.

Her endless thoughts tangled in a tight ball and went by in a second, broken by the feel of his hand against hers - the movement slow, the firmness in his grip surprising. Their handshake held, then released.

Kai's attention returned to his face, those grey eyes now meeting hers, and nodded. "Your progress has been excellent."

"The physio is quite a taskmaster. She spent an hour with me today - in another few weeks, I might be able to sit up in a recliner."

"That's good news."

"I look forward to the day when I don't need to be turned by nurses every hour like a basting chicken." He pulled a face - another minor miracle - before recovering quickly, pre-empting Kai's reply. "I know why they have to do it. It's just frustrating that I can't even shift my position in bed."

"Nonetheless, what you are now capable of is... quite remarkable."

"Thank you, but I'm no good to anyone like this - constantly tired, like I'm drunk." He laughed softly, his eyes becoming heavy for a moment. "Or more like I was drunk, and now I've woken up in a strange place terribly hung over. Which hospital is this again?"

"This is St Vincent's Hospital."

"Mm. I'm sure someone's told me before, but I keep forgetting." He closed his eyes, a slight frown forming on his forehead as moments passed. "Though I have no idea what business I have in Dublin."

Kai paused, an alarm sounding briefly in her mind. Her face remained unperturbed. "What else do you remember?"

"Well, maybe - I think we have offices here." His speech faltered - then, confusion. "We have offices...?"

"It's not uncommon to have some component of - forgetfulness after the kind of injuries you have sustained." Spotting the chair nearby, Kai pulled it closer to his bed and sat down soundlessly. "You are not in Ireland, Mr Stamford. You are at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney, Australia."

"Australia...? I have even less reason to be in Australia..." The silence was a resonating medium, magnifying the astonishment that trembled in his whisper. Several expressions vied for dominance on his face. "I have no idea what the hell is going on. What am I doing here?"

The disquiet Kai was feeling became more pronounced, wrapping around her chest with an unrelenting pressure. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"I remember - home. I live in London. I have a home in the Docklands - with...."

He trailed off, leaving Kai to take in a silent breath as she weighed her options. He doesn't remember me, and he can't remember the talk we had...

And now that I'm no longer his physician, I hardly have any business counselling him about his illness now...

She began, the evenness in her voice shielding her concern. "It is a complicated situation. It is probably better for Dr Taylor to speak with you about this, but - " it is hardly fair to you to be kept in the dark like this, either...

The doctor pulled herself together and, meeting her patient's worried gaze, carefully detailed the events that day in emergency, and the circumstances that lead to his comatose condition. As she spoke, she watched his expression turn from panic to astonishment - even as she felt something drain away from herself as she heard her own voice tell the story.

"I don't understand. How can a healthy person just fall into a coma after a bang on the head?"

He'd asked this question before. "It was no 'bang on the head', Mr Stamford. You sustained a large bleed around your brain that required evacuation, as well as significant bleeding from gunshot wounds in your abdomen that further compromised the blood flow to your brain. Those two factors alone would have caused quite substantial neural trauma."

"'Those two factors alone'? Was there more?"

Kai quickly debated the wisdom of giving too away too much, too soon - trying to find the route closest to middle ground. "You were comatose for a lot longer than expected for simple acute brain injury - we needed to find the cause of what weakened your brain's defences to trauma. We discovered a chronic infection that was dormant in your body for a long time, but had recently become active again - possibly before you even stepped foot in this country. I suspect it was this second process that extended the duration of your coma from what should have been hours or days, to weeks and months."

The vacant look in his eyes was haunting - one that could not be blinked away, as the man seemed to desperately want to do.

"I know this is a lot of information to take in."

His voice was soft, but held a clear thread of anger. "You have no idea, doctor."

Kai nodded briefly in acknowledgement, allowing the vacuum of silence to stretch between them. Her eyes continued to read the conflicting expressions on Richard's haggard face, trying to divine the unspoken thoughts within his brain.

Then, as Kai resolved to conclude her visit, he spoke.

"My family - do they know I'm here? I have friends, colleagues - " His voice caught, a peculiar expression dawning on his pale face. "Piersen..."

The name, spoken from his lips, was like a spear through her heart.

"She knows you are here. She has been visiting you, and - " Kai swallowed against a surprising wave of emotion, catching her off guard. "Has been very much involved in your care."

He received the news with a sigh, his body seeming to melt into the starched bedsheets. "Thank you for everything you have told me, Doctor. You have been very kind."

His eyes closed with the finality of a dismissal, effectively shutting her from his consciousness. Was it the dim light overhead, or did the lines on his face grow deeper? Studying his features for a moment longer, Kai finally did as she was bade to do and slipped out from the room in silence.

The knock on her door was discreet, but Piersen's heart leapt at the sound.

She rose from her overstuffed lounge, the papers on her lap falling forgotten out of the soft, lone radius of lamplight. Her bare feet brought her swiftly to pale night shrouding the front hallway, opening the door to reveal Kai's figure - her bearing perfect, as always, but her eyes were dark with certain weariness. She looked beautiful.

"Hi," Piersen breathed.

The dark-haired woman gave a brief smile in reply, setting down her attache bag by the door. The weight on her shoulders, however, seemed to remain - rooting her to the spot, leaving a stilted distance between her and her lover.

"Come in," a tiny, shy gesture, beckoning Kai to follow as Piersen moved back into the living room.

Enter, stage right.

And silence.

Kai knew she had to speak sometime. Piersen's presence across the room gently compelled her to break through the malaise that stilled her tongue - but there was so much further to go, so difficult to begin...

She leaned against an armrest, allowing her lover's scrutiny for more long moments before a slender touch broke the glass-like void between them.

"Are you alright?"

Piersen's voice - a caress - was like water in a long, endless desert; and Kai surrendered to it, her head bowing under the weight of her thoughts.

"Long day."

Piersen absorbed her lover's reticence, hearing the meaning within the wordlessness. Gradually, however, they were joined by those urgent whispers that rose from her own insecurities, her uncertain footing in this place which she finds herself.

The contact from Piersen's palm changed, becoming hesitant as a cold thread wound itself around her heart. When she spoke, it was with the glassy stillness that came with betraying the fears of the heart.

"Was it a mistake, asking you to come? I mean, if you don't want to stay - "

Finally, Kai met Piersen with an unwavering gaze, silencing her words. "I want to be here with you."

Large hands found the small of the blonde woman's slender waist, fingers almost meeting as they drew Piersen closer. That final, tantalising distance between them was breached as Kai kissed her with a languid, fragile tenderness, their lips gentle in their meeting growing deeper as each moment of contact seemed to linger on the precipice of ending and beginning. The simple pleasure in their kiss never seemed to fade; when one would drawn back, the other would begin - a slow, sensual courtship that reaquainted and reaffirmed their presence to each other.

Reluctantly, Kai released Piersen's lips, but kept their bodies close. With her figure almost-seated and Piersen standing between her thighs, Kai was just shorter than Piersen - leaving her face open to the intent, green eyes that now bore the hint of a smile.

Wow. "Better?"

"Much." A small nod in agreement, and a firm resolve to turn to happier matters. "How was the rest of breakfast?"

"Good. James sends his love. He thinks you're good for me - that going out with a person with good culinary tastes will help put a bit of meat on my bones." They shared a chuckle. "Everything in control at work?"

Brilliant. You weren't going to make this easy, were you? The innocuous question brought Kai squarely back to One. She hesitated, her hand leaving the intimacy of Piersen's hip to close loosely around her hand. God, I could do with a drink right now.

"I had a talk with Richard today."

The news was met with quiet surprise. "How is he?"

"Fine," The dark-haired woman nodded, the word somewhere between non-commitment and a lie. Her eyes, unfocused, remained on their joined hands. "I wasn't planning to see him, but I had stopped by the ward on my way out, and I was told by the nursing staff that he was awake. I thought I should take the opportunity to see how he was."

"Mmm. He's awake a lot more now - and more talkative, too."

"Mmm." Kai echoed, feeling a simmering, troubled thought boiling to the surface. "Piers, does he recognise you when he sees you?"

"Yes, of course." Curiosity melted to concern as Piersen tried to read Kai's expressionless face. "Is there a problem?"

"No..." Kai let out a breath; a prelude to her inner thoughts. "Yes. He has forgotten quite a lot about himself - even events before the trauma."

"Isn't it normal to be a bit forgetful after any head injury?" Piersen questioned gently.

"Yes, but the amnesia usually improves over days - weeks at most. Long-term memories are usually spared, but... who knows how far back his retrograde amnesia stretches, when he can barely remember where he is from, or his arrival here. Not to mention the anterograde amnesia - it is appearing far too soon, and seems too profound..."

The subtle brush of Piersen's thumb against her hand brought her back to the present. "I'm not understanding you, hon. English, okay?"

The comment earned a quicksilver smile, briefly assuading the tide of gloom that drew over the surgeon. "He has a lot more catching up to do than I thought. The implications of that - on us..."

Piersen allowed the thought to sink in, then dissipate. She rested her forehead on Kai's, her eyes falling shut as she spoke, reaffirming deeply the meaning of her words. "It doesn't change what you are to me."

"I know," Kai replied, certain of Piersen's sincerity, even as lingering doubts about Richard remain.

Fifty-Two

The next morning, Piersen awoke to find the other half of her bed already cold.

A note was laid neatly on the pillow beside her. Didn't want to wake you. If you would do me the honour - 'Four-in-Hand' tonight, seven thirty?

Piersen glanced at the clock - 6:08 - and sighed. There was definitely some bedroom etiquette to be taught.

The sonorous mezzo-soprano rose to the fore of the intricate trio, her soaring melody wishing her lover a safe journey, and that fair winds will bring their hearts desire -

Soave sia il vento / Tranquilla sia l’onda / ed ogni elemento / Benigno risponda / Ai nostri desir...

Lauren stared at the surgeon standing opposite her, her brown eyes made even larger through the lens of the magnifiying glasses perched on her nose.

Oh. My. God. Kai Jamieson is singing?

No, I must be hallucinating. In the last eight months I have never heard her sing. Too many hours on call, Lauren - maybe you need a holiday.

The neurosurgical registrar cleared her mind, resolving to concentrate on the operation at hand. She trained her focus on the other surgeon's hands, which were carefully dissecting delicate blood vessels from a sizeable meningeal tumour.

Think anatomy. Think anatomy. Her mantra was accompanied by the sonar-like beep of the heart rate monitor - resting comfortably at 75 beats per minute - which also served as a somewhat askance metronome for the aria. The intricately interwoven voices echoed in the cathedral-like walls of the operating theatre, resonating in a way that, even to Lauren's untrained ear, was unquestioningly sublime.

And amongst it all was that humming again - surprising rich even in its low tones, muffled by the surgical mask.

"Lauren. Eyes back on the field."

"Sure. Sorry, Prof." She hastily reverted her gaze to their patient, whose brain laid exposed and glistening under the glare of operative lighting. The humming stopped for a moment, giving Lauren the opening to direct a teasing look at the other surgeon, if she dared.

She did. "I think you missed your calling."

The dark eyebrow hooked up in response, Kai finally realising she had been caught out. A small, sheepish smile remained concealed by her mask. "I think this is the closest anyone will ever let me get to singing in a theatre. Artery forceps."

"Feh, opera theatre, operating theatre - close enough. Knife please." Lauren waited until Kai applied both forceps onto the artery, then cut the vessel in the middle.

God, Prof's in a good mood this morning. On any other day, the surgeon would remain stonily silent, save the occasional terse instructions and sporadic grilling when there was a teaching point to be reinforced. Lauren had never thought to disrupt the peace, thinking no day was a good day to annoy the irritable surgeon.

This, however, was certainly unexpected. Who are you and what have you done to the Iron Lady? Tentatively, Lauren continued to explore this new rapport with her boss. "Which opera is this from?"

"Cosi fan tutte. Despite what some people say about Mozart, his operas are really quite masterful. Tie, please." Accepting the fine suture, Kai ligated the cut ends of the artery, her fingers disappearing in a flickering blur as they executed the multiple throws of a surgical knot. "Release. Do you mind it?"

"No! I mean, I don't listen much to opera, but it's nice to listen to something different from time to time. I'm more of a punk rock girl myself." She returned the forceps to the theatre nurse, then peered at the finely vascular membrane covering the brain. "I think that's the plane."

"Yes. Long cottonoids, please. Just fit them gradually in the space - it should lift the meningioma right from the pia." Kai handed the small cotton squares to her registrar, attached to a long thread. "We'll try your music tomorrow."

"Only if you sing along." They shared a short laugh, to Lauren's further astonishment, before their relative idyll was interrupted by the theatre doors bursting open, followed by a loud accusation.

"What were you doing talking to my patient last night?"

Lauren very nearly jumped out of her skin - instead, her eyes darted first to the intruder, then to Kai's face. Those blue eyes remained focused on the surgery at hand, never raising her eyes at the presence she knew to be Laurence Taylor's.

Her voice was sonorous, controlled. "Excuse me?"

"I read nursing entries in progress notes, Kai. They said you were there late last night."

"I just dropped in to say hello. Seeing him awake was still a rarity for me." Kai exchanged a look with with her registrar, meeting her surprise with a mild, smiling crinkle of her eyes. "Seeing as you came all the way into theatre to bring this up, Laurence, I noticed that he has practically no short-term memory, and emotionally he's a bit labile. I'm not sure if its a sign of some ongoing cortical dysfunction or maybe a new development . He'll probably need some sort of serial monitoring, and maybe a trial withdrawal of his steroids - "

"So much for 'just dropping in to say hello'. Will you be using an MRI to enquire about the weather?"

Lauren choked back a laugh, realising that something big was about down, and that she had front row seats. Wordlessly she took over from where Kai had left off, engaging her attention with the tumour even as Kai examined her technique intently.

"Merely an observation, Laurence - you don't need to be a brain surgeon to do that. Take it as you wish."

"Well thank you, Kai. But I'm way ahead of you. I've already got serial EEGs and SPECT scans documenting temporal lobe hypoactivity with normal blood flow."

"Then perhaps you have also realised that he will need constant reinforcement of his identity, his surroundings, and the circumstances that lead him to be here." Instead of wasting departmental money on serial SPECT scans, Lauren could almost hear the surgeon scoff internally, wondering why exactly he was here picking a fight with her.

"I'm not wasting my time cramming memories in a box that won't hold them. And I suggest you stay away from him. Whatever you said to him last night has made him incredibly agitated. I hold you accountable."

Lauren keenly felt Kai's continued scrutiny on her hands even as she traded verbal swipes with the neurologist. The same blue eyes watched as she slowly peeled away the tumour from the brain's surface . "Wouldn't you say that agitation naturally accompanied a sense of disorientation and depersonalisation?"

"That sounded dangerously like a surgeon pretending to be a psychiatrist. Stick to your hammers and chisels, and leave the thinking to physicians. I don't need your input, and I certainly don't need your magnanimous displays of academic charity."

The surgeon let out a brief, scornful laugh even as she lifted the edge of the dura, indicating to Lauren where to direct her blunt dissection. "Courtesy is quite separate from charity. Offensive or not, I would be remiss if I didn't raise my suspicions of certain aspects of his care that might affect Richard Stamford and his recovery."

Taylor's response, if at all, was ignored as Lauren lifted the tumour free. Kai quickly ensured that there was no bleeding, then praised her as the six centimeter lump was deposited into a steel bowl. "Nicely done. Let's get that to pathology - short stitch medial, long stitch rostral."

The unexpected visitor made his displeasure known once again. "In case you forgot, Kai - Stamford is my patient now. Given that you have already conceded your inexperience in this area, how about your stick your unwanted advice where it belongs and butt out?"

The insult was met with a ghost of a smile as Kai finally deigned to look up at him - his slight, balding figure looking somewhat ridiculous in theatre blues, his mask held up hastily to his mouth. Her glacial eyes glittered with disdain.

"As you wish, Laurence. I'd appreciate it if you didn't contaminate my surgical field on your way out."

Phew. Lauren felt a wave of relief as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. That little exchange seemed to set right the order of things in the registrar's mind.

Thank god. And here I thought aliens had abducted Kai Jamieson.

Laurence Taylor's fury was firmly compressed into a tight ball by the time he arrived at his office, his shirt hastily buttoned, his hands roughly straightening the tie that flapped behind him like a frenetic, manic dragon.

Maud, his secretary, noted his arrival with an unruffled look over her bifocals. "Call for you, Dr Taylor."

He didn't stop. "I'll take it in there," he muttered, his entrance to his room preceeded by the tinny ring of the telephone.

"Yes?" He barked.

There was a shocked pause on the other end of the line before the words came in a mild rush, like the desperate clamour of hands before falling. "Professor Taylor. My name is Euan Fraser - we last met at the Osaka symposium in December. You were kind enough to offer an extensive critique on my paper - the one on growth hormone and how it affects cellular oedema in inflammation."

"Euan, of course." The name, and the memory, aided in dissipating some of the heat burning up his skin. "What a pleasant surprise. How's business?"

"It's been slow. Grant money is drying up, even more so than before. Purses are tighter these days."

"That's the problem with you Poms. We have the same troubles - the same people that give universal health cover for all can't give a rat's ass about scientific development. They just want the same mediocrity for everyone." The minor, controlled rant served to draw away his anger somewhat, leaving him comfortable enough to sagely dole out some advice to his unexpected caller. "That's why the money's in the States, Euan. If I've had to make it all over again, I'd be going there. That's my advice to you."

"Funny you should mention that," He paused, slipping easily into his lie. "Partly because things have been so slow I've taken the opportunity to go on an extended study leave."

"Is that right? What do you have planned?"

"I'll cut to the chase, Prof. I have been particularly in the further role of intraventricular somatostatin in coma, and I have heard whispers that you might be putting together a large study on it based on a few preliminary papers you've published over the last few years."

Laurence could hardly help himself but smile - so there's been talk, huh? "Whispers are sometimes misleading."

"But even so - I can't pass up on the opportunity to work with the doyen of the field. True or not, I was hoping for an opportunity to work with you."

"That's very flattering, but let's not beat around the bush. What's on your mind, Euan?"

"I have a few month's sabbatical coming up. I was hoping you would be kind enough to let me observe your team at work; and maybe learn a thing or two... and maybe firm up on those whispers?"

"A man that takes his fate in his own hands. I like that." Laurence laughed, the decision already made. "Your request shouldn't be a problem. I'll let my department know; just forward a letter to my secretary and trial co-ordinator, and let us know when you'll be arriving."

"That is excellent news. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, Prof."

From the outside, Four-in-Hand was a discreet bistro, located off a quiet, suburban street in residential Eastern Sydney. Once inside, however, the noise of lively diners drowned out the ambient music, forcing an inevitable intimacy as friends huddled closer around their tables to engage in conversation.

Kai guffawed, her face alive with delight. "You did what?"

"I know. I was so embarrassed, I tried to clean him off, but considering he was naked and on the floor, it didn't turn out to be such a good idea either..."

"Then what happened?"

"He wiped the paint off himself with some towels, and got up onto his chair ready for the class to begin." Piersen shrugged, still giggling. "Many of the paintings finished up with him looking very Manet-esque - you know, incongruent smudges of colour on his skin."

"Like a male Olympia?"

"Or more like life imitating art." Piersen laughed. "Needless to say, being my first day at the academy, I quickly earned a reputation for making grand entrances. I've been mindful of being in such a hurry ever since. Even if I was late for a plane, much less a class."

"You'd miss a plane?"

"I'd probably end up crashing the car on the way to the airport."

"Mm. True, knowing the way you normally drive, maniac." Kai touched her lover's hand to the table, and made no move to extricate their contact. "Touch wood."

Piersen smiled, linking their hands together. "I might hurry, though, if you were on the plane."

The surgeon's expression mirrored her companion's. "Where would we be going?"

"I don't know... Tahiti, the Caribbean..." Piersen trailed off into giggles, eyes following how Kai's lips touched the rim of the cup as she sipped her coffee. "Really though - I'd love to take you to England. Show you my home, my old stomping grounds."

Kai pursed her lips. "You might get your chance sooner than you thought."

"Oh? Are we going somewhere?"

"Uh - maybe if you came with me." The surgeon's heart sank as the hopeful glimmer in Piersen's eye faded. "I've been asked to chair a few discussions at a conference in London."

"And maybe throw in a few lectures along with the deal, huh?" A blonde brow raised in question playfully, defying the disappointment she felt within. "Weren't you just there a month ago?"

"I know, but with the way things have been with Richard waking up and all, my answering machine has been getting calls round the clock, even after I've redirected them to..." Kai paused, suddenly realising just how little Piersen might be aware of her husband's new-found fame. "Have you spoken with Richard's doctor lately?"

"Not really. It's been about 2 weeks since we last talked, and I was planning to call him to catch up on things later this week. Why?"

"You already know that Richard's recovery has caused quite a stir." Piersen nodded in response, and Kai continued. "The ripples aren't just being made here. Since his case became known, lots of hospitals have wanted me to go over and talk about it."

Piersen flashed a rueful smile. "Go over where?"

"Germany, South Africa, India, The US... England."

"Golly. Who knew - be a doctor, see the world. I should have told Crisp and saved him that fiasco when he tried to join the navy." Breaking their contact, Piersen felt an unspoken fear rise to the surface. Her hands found her cooling cup of tea, fiddling with it with some agitation. "Kai... Richard's quite well known in financial circles. If they find out about his condition, it could hurt my family and the company - "

"No - no. No matter what happens, confidentiality will be kept airtight. His name won't be revealed to anyone, I promise." Kai contemplated the concern clouding Piersen's features, reading a little more to what had actually been said. "Neither will yours, Piers."

Green eyes widened, momentarily shocked at the suggestion. "Oh no, I'm not worried about me. It's just Richard, being the CEO - any kind of talk could be damaging for the company."

Piersen trailed off, her thoughts leaping to another tangent. "Besides, even if you did mention me in your conference - "

" - which I have no reason to - "

"- Right - I doubt there'd be anyone who would be interested enough to gossip about me for long."

"If you asked me, I could write a book."

"Oh?"

"About the way you walk, and whisper, and look."

"Oh." With the realisation came a blushing grin, and a knowing hum of the next line of the tune. "Hm. So next time I get a call from my mother asking why my love life is splashed across the Daily Sun, I'll know who to blame?"

"Your mother doesn't strike me as the type to read tabloids. But I guess that would answer your question."

"What is that?"

"That there's always at least one person who'd be interested in gossip about you." Kai teased. "Don't worry - I won't kiss and tell."

"Oh really? But what about when you're under duress?" Piersen leaned forward, interrogating her lover with a rather limp packet of sugar for emphasis. "What if 'just a kiss' becomes a full-on pash, and then becomes groping, and then becomes something more?"

"I'm a great fan of the scientific method. You're just going to have to test your theories out."

"Mm. Rather rigorously, no doubt, knowing how anal you doctors are."

Kai smiled as their eyes met knowingly across the table. She would take on Piersen's mother, take her on a hundred times over, if Piersen would just look her over like that again.

"Shall we get the bill?"

Kai gasped, her body arching off the bed as Piersen's fingers moved deeper within her. Every touch promised the quenching of her desire, pushed her closer to the asymptotic climax of her pleasure.

Piersen's room was heavy with sound and scent, breath against skin too heated soothing the deeper, unspeakable ache. There was timelessness in this place, stained silver by the voyeuristic moon into a three-dimensional daguerreotype. The unrelenting stream of passing time slowed to a trickle when the two lovers came together, preserving everything in this picture as ongoing instants -

The clothes trailing to the en suite door, discarded with whispered words of seduction -

The blonde released Kai's lips, drawing lingeringly on her lower lip before pulling away. "How was that?"

"Not even close."

"C'mon. Kiss and tell, Kai." Small, fine-boned hands drew around Kai's hips, pulling them flush into her own body. Piersen rose on her toes, barely whispering in Kai's ear.

"Tell me."

The blue eyes held a hint of a smile, meeting Piersen's intent gaze willing her to crumble. Realising their impasse, the curator moved her hands to find the buttons of Kai's shirt, undoing them one by one.

Shirt undone, hands now played with the buckle of Kai's belt. Piersen's eyes found Kai's again.

"Tell me."

Kai crooked an eyebrow, but those playfully defiant eyes fluttered closed as Piersen's hands found her bare skin. Her breath, the barest hint of her lips teased at Kai's flesh as the remainder of her clothes fell away before Piersen stepped back. To the surgeon's increasingly heated gaze, Piersen began the same, slow process on her own clothing, each piece falling to the floor as she inched them both closer to the bathroom.

"Tell me."

Piersen could sense the infinitesimal tremor that coursed through Kai's frame as she spoke, and the slight strain in her otherwise maddeningly even breathing. Finally naked, her hands found Kai's and placed them on her body, feeling the heat of her lover's palms almost melt against her skin as she breached all pretext at personal space.

Her arms wound around Kai's neck, demanding her kiss, her acquiescence. There was but a moment of resistance before Kai surrendered, her smile swallowed by Piersen's mouth as her tongue began the slow exploration of her mouth.

Kai broke away, gasping. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything."

"More - yes, ohh..."

Piersen leaned heavily into Kai as she slowly recovered, her mind still reeling in the shock of her orgasm, and the sudden discovery of where she was.

"Golly. I'm all wet." She swooned, her voice blurry in her giddiness. Kai suspected that Piersen did not really realise what she was saying. "And so are you."

Kai smiled - an honest-to-goodness, full-bodied smile that held back nothing, catching Piersen in mesmerised wonder at her lover's rare beauty.

"You are perfect."

The earnest reverence in Kai's voice nearly broke her heart. Her hand found the angular hollow of Kai's cheek, watching the water run like tears across her lover's face and meld into streams within the webs of her hands.

Piersen's lips were nibbling intently at her earlobe. The slender, lithe body was teetering on tiptoes against her as hands sought and found her breasts, sparking the banked arousal that burned quietly within.

Kai allowed the towel to fall away, gasping at the cool air on her skin, and Piersen's touch. "What are you doing?"

"You need to ask?" A mildly offended look, tempered with a soft kiss.

"It wasn't enough for you before, hm?" The kiss moved to Piersen's neck, then to the firm round of her shoulder.

"I don't see you fighting me." A nudge towards the bed.

"Harlot." Closer.

"Floozy." Closer.

"Strumpet." And then Piersen fell, legs caught on the edge of the bed as Kai loomed above her, a wolfish smile appraising the beautiful nude beneath her.

"Oh, don't you go Shakespearean on me, you bawdy wench."

Kai urged her lover closer, wanting her kiss - only to be denied. Those lips whispered, so close to Kai's rapturous face:

"Come for me."

An exquisite length of neck bared itself to Piersen's gaze as her words rolled through Kai's body in a wave. The blonde's breath came faster, skimming across the sweat-slicked skin before it caught in her throat as Kai's hand slid between their bodies, finding Piersen's heat and entering her.

Oh god -

Piersen lurched forward as the long fingers pressed within her, pushing Kai into an orgasm that swallowed them whole - the sound of her name wrenched from Kai's throat, her hand gripped almost painfully by her lover lost in a heady delirium.

Her own body trembling on the precipice of its own crisis, Piersen was barely aware of where Kai's pleasure ended and hers began - only to realise that perhaps it was theirs, as Kai rolled Piersen on her back and swiftly brought her over.

She was desperately wanting to remember. Every paroxysm that seized her body in a welcome purgatory, before tossing her so high that sensation was no longer bound within her skin. Every thrust of her lover's hands that she loved and absorbed and craved, seeming to reach within, finding her nerves like harpstrings. But of all things that transpired in this room, it was the one thing that inevitably faded.

Piersen collapsed back onto the bed, feeling the last breath escape from her body as Kai's weight melded into her - her death and resurrection. There was only one word to say.

"Whoo."

In the blissful haze Piersen felt Kai's quiet chuckle, and instinctively she reached for her. A mild flinch in Kai's body brought her senses momentarily to full alertness, her eyes focusing on the wet tangle of dark hair, then to a blossoming bite mark on her shoulder. "Oh Kai - I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay," Kai murmured, shifting up to rest beside Piersen. That the blonde could be so... wanton was extremely gratifying. She smiled. "Trollop."

That earned her a soft punch in the ribs, before Piersen finally settled by her side. "Takes one to know one, honey."

"Okay - you win. You've worn me out too much to argue now." An brief smirk. "Though I'm sure that was your plan all along, what with that little display in the shower."

"Let's just say I'm not above sleeping with the opposition."

"Thank goodness for our loose morals." Their lips brushed gently; and with that, they lay in silence, listening to each other's breathing, feeling the lassitude slowly sap the wakefulness from them.

In a last glimmer of clarity, Piersen remembered. "I don't care what time; wake me before you leave, alright?"

Kai nodded, feeling Piersen's breathing ease into the deep, sighing quiet of sleep.

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