My thanks to my beta reader, Barbara Davies
A Handful of Heaven
Part 9
By Midgit
It was Sunday, the day of the match. As usual the English weather had turned completely around, and the south of the country had just experienced a bout of violent and heavy thunderstorms.
In parts of the country there had been some flooding, but in Bath the thunderstorms were welcome, cooling the air, and watering the parched ground.
Tori drove carefully down the steep and winding lane to the rugby ground where Eden’s first semi-serious game was to be played.
She pulled into a space beside Annie’s car, and peered through the windscreen at the approaching clouds. “Looks like we’re due another storm,” she said, as she pushed the door open. She didn’t get out immediately though, and turned her head towards her passenger. “Nervous?”
Eden blew out a long breath. “A little.” She opened the car door, and stepped out into the chilly breeze. Tori followed her and went to the boot of the car, where they pulled out Eden’s bag.
Just as they walked across to greet the rest of the team, a mini-bus pulled up.
“Looks like the opposition,” Tori said, as the back door opened and a number of rather tall women jumped out of the back. Two more cars followed, each with some more members of the opposing team.
Eden’s eyes widened as she took in the women who unfolded themselves from the car and bus. Most were as tall as Tori, a couple even taller. “Good grief,” she muttered under her breath, before turning quickly and following her teammates into the changing room.
Tori didn’t join her, instead she walked back to the Shogun and turned on the radio, tuning in to Classic FM and leaning her head back against the headrest. “Don’t say I didn’t tell ya so,” she muttered under her breath, feeling a little afraid for Eden even as she said it. The last thing she wanted was to be proved right and for Eden to be hurt, but seeing the size of the opposition she knew she’d be treating some scrapes and bruises come the end of the game. She watched as the first spots of rain marked her windscreen, and closed her eyes, letting the music lull her into a gentle sleep.
The sound of someone tapping on her window woke her with a start, and she peered through the rain-slicked glass at her lover, who wore a peculiar look on her face.
“We’ll be starting in a while. Are you going to watch?” Eden fiddled with the bandage that was wrapped around her head, padded well at the ears to protect them. She was wearing a black rugby shirt, with one horizontal gold stripe across the chest. The shorts were black, as were the socks with a gold turnover. On her back, a white number nine bore witness to her important position in the team, the scrum half.
Tori reached into the back seat for her waterproof jacket and then stepped out into the rain. “Nice weather,” she said, opening the back door of the Shogun and pulling out a black umbrella.
“You can watch from the stands,” Eden said. “At least you’ll be out of the rain.” She looked towards her teammates, who were gathering on the pitch. “I have to go.” Eden stood on tiptoe and kissed her lover. “Thanks for coming.”
Tori gave her a gentle punch on the shoulder, pleased to feel the body protection she had bought for the blonde beneath the rugby shirt. “Just be careful, ok?”
“Of course,” Eden said with a smile before running onto the soggy grass.
Tori made her way to the covered stand, which was, in fact, nothing more than half a shed with a corrugated iron roof. But it kept the rain off, and was crowded with the small crowd of friends and families that had gathered to watch the match. She’d watched enough rugby in the past to know the basics, and saw that the team from Cheltenham were going to kick off.
The ball sailed into the home side’s half of the field, and was gathered by one of the backs. It was then passed onto the fly half, the play maker.
Tori watched Eden, as the ball went to ground and a ruck formed. It was Eden’s job to take the ball when it came back out of the melee of bodies and pass it on to the backs, who would then try to run it up-field. She watched her lover pick the ball up, and pass it quickly, then follow the faster members of the side as they were then tackled and another ruck formed.
A shrill whistle blew, and all the players turned to the referee. A free kick was awarded to the Cheltenham side, and the home side retreated waiting to see what the visitors would do. They could either kick for goal, or for position, by kicking it off the pitch. Or they could do what the Cheltenham’s fly half decided to do. She kicked it to her own hands and made a darting run into the heart of the home team’s defence.
It took them by surprise, and Tori winced as Eden threw herself into the path of the marauding woman, getting a hold on her shirt and hauling her to the ground. The rest of the Cheltenham forwards piled into the melee, and Eden disappeared beneath a mass of bodies and mud.
Tori watched as the ball was moved on and one by one the players rose and chased on as the game moved down field. All except one. Eden didn’t move and Tori watched as two members of the training staff rushed onto the pitch to help the downed scrum half. The referee looked towards them and then blew the whistle to stop the game.
Eden’s teammates gathered around and Annie knelt beside the small woman, now covered in mud. The two trainers helped the blonde to her feet, and after she tried to put a foot on the ground picked her up, each putting a hand under her knee. She was carried off the pitch and straight towards the changing rooms.
Tori ran around the pitch, not bothering with the umbrella. She pushed the door of the changing rooms open to see her lover, barely recognisable beneath the mud, sitting on a table. One of the men was removing her rugby boots and socks.
Eden’s face was screwed up against the pain, as her knee was stretched and manipulated. She looked up as the tall woman entered. “How long was I on the pitch?” she asked between gasps of pain.
Tori winced as she saw Eden almost rocket off the table when her knee was moved in a particularly painful way. “Seven minutes, Sweetheart.”
“Bloody hell,” said Eden, and lay back on the table, putting both muddy hands to her muddy face. “It bloody well dislocated,” she said, her voice muffled.
Tori felt her stomach flip, and watched the man quickly take his hands away from Eden’s knee.
“I felt it go out and then get slammed back in when that bloody freak-sized woman fell on it.” She slammed her hands on the table, causing mud and water to splatter across the room. “I don’t bloody well believe it!”
Tori edged closer to her furious lover. “Sweetheart,” she said quietly, knowing Eden loved it when she called her that. “I want to take you to hospital.”
Eden seethed quietly.
“If it was dislocated,” Tori continued. “You could have done some serious damage.” She patted a wet, mud-covered shoulder. “I’ll get the car, and bring it closer. Then we’ll take a drive out to the RUH and see what they say. Okay?”
Eden peered at her from beneath mud-crusted hair. “Can I change first?”
“I’d rather just get you to hospital first.”
Eden looked down at herself, then at her mud-covered hands and sighed. Reluctantly she nodded. “Okay.”
Tori spotted Eden’s bag and took the large towel out of it. “Wait right there. I’ll be back.”
Half an hour later Tori pulled up outside the Accident and Emergency department of the Royal United Hospital. She left Eden sitting in the passenger seat on the towel that she’d draped across it to protect the leather from the mud that still clung to the blonde’s body. Hurrying into the hospital, she spotted a porter and asked if there was a wheelchair she could borrow. He pointed her in the right direction and soon she was wheeling Eden into the waiting room and to the desk behind which a woman sat.
It wasn’t a long wait before they were directed to a small cubicle and Eden was helped up onto a bed. Tori eased herself into the chair that sat beside the bed. “How does it feel?” Tori asked quietly, worried by the silence that had befallen them since leaving the rugby ground.
“It hurts,” Eden said. Now that the adrenaline of the match had worn off, the knee was throbbing painfully, making her feel a little sick.
“What have we here, then?” a rather splendid loud voice asked. A huge man walked into the small cubicle, seeming almost to fill it with his frame. He had a bushy red beard and beneath it ruddy cheeks glowed brightly. “What have you been up to, young lady?” he asked, reading the notes that had been placed on the bed at Eden’s feet. “Whacked your knee, I see.” He lifted the leg in question, placing a hand on the knee cap and manipulating it.
Eden hissed when the pain became intense, and the doctor placed the leg back on the bed. “I’m going to have you taken along for some X-rays. See if you haven’t caused some damage in there.” He looked down at Tori. “Your daughter been playing boy’s games, has she?”
“My…?” Tori’s indignant speech was curtailed by Eden’s choking laugh, and she leapt to her feet to smack the blonde on the back until she could breathe again. She looked down at her lover, covered in mud, her hair in a ponytail, and decided she wouldn’t kill the doctor for his mistake.
So it was some time later that Tori pulled up outside their house and walked around the front of the Shogun, bypassing the passenger door at first to open the back door and take out the crutches that were lying on the back seat.
Eden eased out of the car, gingerly putting her weight on her leg.
The X-rays had found no damage to the joint, but the tendons had been badly pulled and the knee would need some weeks of rest before the brace could be removed. She had a lighter one to sleep in, but the one she had to wear through the day was heavy and ugly. She scowled down at it as she walked slowly into the house, using Tori’s arm as a support rather than the crutches that the taller woman held in her other hand.
Eden was beginning to feel uncomfortable now in the muddy rugby kit. “I can’t believe that I got this dirty that quickly.”
“You were at the bottom of a huge pile, Eden,” said Tori, slipping her key into the lock. “I thought for sure that there was no way you’d survive under it.” She smiled down at her muddy lover, who winced again.
“How about a bath?” asked Tori, pushing the door open and propping the crutches up against the wall as she guided Eden towards the stairs. She saw the slump of Eden’s shoulders and knew the blonde was desperately disappointed at the way the game had gone for her. “I’ll get the Jacuzzi up and running and I’ll join you.” That got her a little smile.
“Then I’ll shower first,” said Eden. “You don’t want to be sitting in my mud.”
“You’ve got a deal.” Tori helped the blonde into the large en-suite bathroom, and then turned and started the large Jacuzzi filling with water. She eased the brace off Eden’s knee, wincing at the myriad of colours that the joint now sported. She also took a certain pleasure from helping Eden out of her rugby kit, before gently pushing her towards the shower. “Can you manage?” she asked as Eden limped into the cubicle.
“Yeah, I won’t be long.”
Tori dashed downstairs to the kitchen, and opened the fridge. She found what she was looking for, a bottle of sparking sweet wine. It wasn’t a well known vintage, in fact it was their local supermarket’s own brand. But they both liked it, and Tori returned to the bathroom with the bottle and a couple of large wine glasses.
“Oooh, you’re breaking out the good stuff,” said Eden as she eased her way into the large circular tub.
“Of course, no expense spared.” She unscrewed the metal cap on the bottle and poured the fizzy liquid into the wine glass. She handed the glass to Eden who managed to get a grip on it despite her wet hands. Then she poured herself a glass and quickly undressed before sliding into the water alongside her lover.
Eden handed the glass to Tori, and leaned back against one of the towelling pillows they’d purchased exactly for moments like this. “Oh, this is bliss,” said Eden on a sigh.
Tori edged nearer to the smaller woman, and snaked an arm around her pulling her close. “It is,” she agreed. “You okay now?”
Eden slumped against Tori. “You were right,” she said, watching the steam rise off the water. “I was stupid to play.”
“You wanted to try, Eden. And I admire you for that.” She leaned her head down, rubbing her cheek against damp, blonde hair.
“You didn’t want me to.”
Tori sighed. “I know I didn’t. But there are going to be things we don’t agree on. I’d hate for you to blindly do everything I tell you to do.” She smiled when she heard Eden chuckle. “As if that’s going to happen, right?”
“I know I don’t want to fight with you, Tori. But I’m glad you were worried.” She rotated her stiff shoulders. “Dammit, I’m stiff.”
“Come here,” said Tori, and pulled her lover over so that she was sitting on the underwater seat directly between her legs. She soaped her hands up and set to work on Eden’s shoulders. “You have bruises on your bruises,” she muttered to herself more than to Eden. She poured some liquid soap directly onto the smooth back in front of her, smiling as Eden squirmed in pleasure, and pushed back against the taller woman.
Tori pulled Eden closer against her, winding her arms around the warm body, her hands finding highly sensitive breasts.
“Mmmm,” Tori mumbled, and took a damp earlobe between her teeth, drawing it into her mouth before releasing it. She closed her eyes at the amazing sensation of their bodies sliding against each other. She poured more of the soap into her hand and made sure she covered every inch of Eden’s torso, paying extra special attention to that special part of her lover that made her arch her back and reach back, tangling her hand in ebony hair.
“That’s… really nice,” Eden managed, as Tori’s hand ventured lower.
“I’m worried about your knee.”
“My bloody knee’s fine,” Eden squeaked, reaching down with both hands to caress her lover’s thighs. Her head fell back against Tori’s chest, and she closed her eyes, surrendering to the touch that drew her pleasure slowly, the touch she knew so well yet which could still surprise her, could still take her to places she’d never known before.
Her stomach clenched, and her breath was momentarily stolen as her body responded to her lover’s coaxing. And then she was slumping back into Tori’s arms, turning and sliding against the moist body that cradled her. She rested her head on the taller woman’s chest and watched her own hand as it cupped Tori’s breast, her thumb stroking a tightening nipple.
“Shall we take this to the bedroom before one of us drowns?” a deep husky voice asked.
“Does that mean walking?” Eden asked.
“’Fraid so.”
“Okay,” said the blonde, but didn’t move a muscle.
It was late, or was it early? Eden looked at the small gap between the slightly parted curtains and saw that it was very dark out. A dim light shone from the gap between the door and the en-suite, and Eden looked to her left and found the bed empty apart from her.
She remembered the wonderful feeling of Tori’s hands on her in the Jacuzzi, and then the rather passionate hour or so they spent afterwards in the comfort of their bed. It took the pain of her brief foray into the world of rugby away and left her limp and sated. But now those aches and pains and a dull throb from her knee made her squirm in her bed. “Tori?” she called, her voice sounding raspy to her own ears.
“Here,” said the tall woman as she walked back into the bedroom from the en-suite bathroom. She crawled onto the bed, her lithe, lean form momentarily taking Eden’s mind off the pain. “What’s up?” she asked.
“Ow,” was all Eden could manage.
Tori gently pulled the blonde into her arms. “You can’t have another pain killer yet, sweetheart. Not for a couple of hours.” She tucked the fair head against her shoulder. “Maybe we shouldn’t have been so enthusiastic earlier.”
Eden found a position that was comfortable and tried to relax against her taller lover. “Oh, wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” she said, gingerly moving her knee, which was secure in its soft brace. “I’ll have to sit down all day tomorrow,” she said sleepily.
“You’re not going anywhere tomorrow, that’s one of the reasons we employ staff. We’re bosses and that means we can take time off when we want. Besides,” said Tori, kissing soft hair and pulling Eden even closer. “We’ve been too bloody busy lately. I feel like I haven’t seen you much for weeks.”
Eden thought a moment about that. “The business is important.”
“Not more important than us.” She looked down at the woman she held. “Nothing is more important than this. If ever the business starts coming between us, I’ll close it down in a heartbeat.
Eden blew away a lock of hair that partly blocked her view of her lover. “Wow, how did this conversation get so intense?”
Tori shrugged. “Just something I’ve been thinking about lately.” She closed her eyes. “Money and business never did my family any good. I don’t want to be like them. I don’t want it to take over my life.” She leaned down and kissed soft lips, which responded in kind. “Especially when my life is so perfect at the moment.”
“You’re lying in bed with a crock, who couldn’t last longer than seven minutes on a rugby field.” Eden chuckled. “How perfect can that be?”
Tori cupped a warm cheek, her thumb tracing Eden’s bottom lip. “I’m lying in bed with the most beautiful person I’ve ever met. Someone who put herself in danger to save me, then came after me when I ran away. If I love you ‘til the day I die, it won’t be enough.”
“Like I said before,” Eden whispered. “How did this get so intense?”
Tori laughed gently. “Just some things I needed to say.”
“Okay.” Eden was quiet a moment, listening to the thundering heart she could hear as she laid her head on Tori’s chest. “Does it still bother you?” she asked suddenly.
“Does what bother me?”
“Damien and all that.” Eden moved her head so she could see Tori’s face.
“I’ll never forget what happened that evening at the cottage. And I’ll never forgive myself for leaving you afterwards.” She looked down, finding her lover’s eyes, but found herself unable to meet the green gaze.
“I wish you would, Tori. I forgave you even before I found you again, and I don’t want it to be between us forever.” Wincing, she eased herself higher, so that her head was level with Tori’s. “I plan on sticking around you for a long time.” She kissed the full lips. “Like forever.” Another kiss. “So get over it,” she said, smiling at the dark-haired woman.
“Sure,” said Tori simply, and pulled her lover close, wrapping her up and claiming her lips once more.
Eden sighed. Having time off work was fine, as long as you had something to do. Tori was busy working on the web page, and Eden was sitting in their lounge finding that, even with over 200 channels, there was still nothing on TV that she wanted to watch.
She eased her leg off the sofa where she’d been reclining. She was wearing the larger, heavier brace on her injured knee, and a pair of grey shorts and a red tee shirt.
“I’m going into the garden,” she shouted, hoping Tori would hear her. “Have you fed the fish lately?”
“Not in a while,” the disembodied voice called back. “I’ll be there in a moment.”
Eden picked her crutches up and used them to make her way out of the patio doors that led to the garden.
It was still wet underfoot from the huge amount of rain that had fallen the night before. She found the rubber piece at the tip of her crutches sank into the grass as she made her cautious way across the lawn.
The pond was large, with a small waterfall from the slight elevation behind it. There were a number of koi in there, and Eden had taken the time to name most of them. She bent over awkwardly to pick up the waterproof box that was hidden beneath one of the bushes beside the pond and took out a couple of handfuls of fish food. She threw the small pellets into the water, laughing when the largest fish actually jumped out of the water in its fervour to get to the food. It didn’t take long for the food to disappear, and Eden started her slow walk back to the house.
Her right crutch got caught, and she was surprised to see a small hole in the grass. She managed to pull the crutch out, and peered down at the hole, pushing the rubber tip at the area surrounding it. The grass seemed to move, and she almost pitched forward as her crutch disappeared again, and the hole got bigger.
“Damn,” she said, leaning forward to see into the hole that had appeared in her garden. But there was nothing to see. She could, however, hear rushing water.
Eden looked towards the house, but there was no sign of Tori. And then she had the strangest sensation. Something like when you’re drunk and the earth tips on its side. But she wasn’t drunk, and the earth was tipping.
She felt a searing pain in her knee as she staggered backwards, but her feet could find no purchase as the grass beneath her feet started to slide into the cavity that was growing below her. She let go of the crutch, and swivelled her body so that she was lying on her stomach, clawing at the grass in a desperate attempt to stop her slide into the unknown. “Tori!” she screamed, though her throat was constricted by fear. And then her last tenuous grasp on the muddy ground failed her, and she slid into the darkness, bouncing off solid rock as she plummeted downward. Something hit the back of her head, and her body became limp as it continued its descent.
To be continued.........
