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Lita's heart was still racing after she was safely esconced in her house. Cody came over and nuzzled her as Dawn Marie led the way through the house and to the living room.
The redhead was shocked to see that Edge had moved from her bedroom to there, on the couch. He was shirtless, with some fresh bandages adorning his wound, his feet up. He seemed somehow to be in better shape than he'd been since getting this horrible injury.
"How...?"
"He decided he felt well enough to come out here," Dawn explained. "So, I helped him, and here he is."
"She's a good nurse," the blond man said. "Patched me up and everything." He gestured to the cloth dressings.
Lita didn't quite know why, but all of a sudden jealousy surged through her. But that was just plain ridiculous - the brunette had done a great thing for him. She'd helped him so that he was now more comfortable as well as tended to his more pressing matter in changing the bandage.
"On that note, what are you doing home so early?"
The redhead came back to her senses and looked up, meeting the blond man's eyes. She was momentarily taken aback, still so shaken by her experience at work earlier that she was initially confused by his question.
"Oh... Oh, Stephanie sent me home."
Edge met Dawn Marie's dark eyes for a beat before turning his focus back on Lita.
"Well, we know *that*, but why did it happen?" he asked.
She bit her lip, hesitant to answer that question. He would probably think she was crazy. Hell, *she* wondered if she were herself... Nothing like that had ever happened to her before.
"Well, I... I had an anxiety attack," she finally answered with reluctance. "That's why she sent me home.
The brunette's expression instantly grew concerned, and she gently reached for the other woman's arm.
"Honey, are you okay?"
Lita nodded.
"Yeah... I'm fine now. I guess all the stress just got to me." She raised her gaze and shifted it to the green eyes of her new boyfriend. Shivers chased up her spine at the look present in those orbs. His gaze seemed to be almost caressing her with the gentle love she read within.
"How about a little lunch?" Dawn Marie suddenly asked after a moment of intense silence. She'd instantly noticed the exchange between Edge and Lita, and, not for the first time since coming here, felt like an intruder. Quickly, she excused herself and disappeared into the kitchen. Cody followed right at her heels, and the redhead slowly made her way to the couch.
Her voice was concerned as she sat down beside the wounded blond man.
"Are you really feeling all right? I still say you should be in a hospital-"
Edge silenced her with his forefinger, which he gently placed against her lips.
"I'm okay," he assured her. His face was very near hers, and he wanted to press his lips against her mouth and kiss her for all she was worth. "You're so precious... Did you know that?"
Lita gazed into his eyes, which definitely seemed brighter, more alert and alive than earlier. It seemed that Dawn Marie tending to him while she'd been out had done wonders. There was still a small amount of now dried blood visible through his bandage dressing, but it was mild compared to the frightening scene the prior night.
There was a brief, comfortable silence between them for a beat. Edge reached over for her hand and held it, caressing it gently with his thumb and forefinger. Lita could barely catch her breath at the sweet feel of his touch.
"So, you were worried about me," he finally said, his words posed in a statement rather than a question.
The redhead suddenly grew quite bashful. She shifted her position on the couch, though she didn't move her hand from his loving grip.
"Well... Yeah."
He grinned, which, even though he was healing, was still a little difficult due to the pain.
"Well, I think that's adorable."
Deep down inside, a part of Lita wanted to shout, 'No, it's not! You were stabbed - you need medical attention, you need to be in a hospital!' However, for the moment, those thoughts were relegated to the back of her mind. It seemed she could see nothing but the blond man's sunny smile, his incredible green eyes... All the love shining through them.
Somehow, she managed a small smile of her own. And then he kissed her, just as Dawn Marie poked her head out
from the corner of the kitchen doorway.