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"You look tired, thin, but alive. And alive is the only part of that which matters to anyone." She dipped the razor to wet it, then started to shave him.
As she removed his beard, they talked about her life back east, about her roommate, and about which classes she'd be taking once school started in the fall. She told him about parties she'd been to, and talked about her favorite places to hang out and eat. Conversation between them was always easy, and it was important to her that she show him that no matter what happened to him while he'd been held hostage, he was still the same man she knew and loved.
The door to the room opening had them both freezing. She glanced up to see the guard glaring at her. "You're not Jamie."
Faith bit her lip.
"Come on, you know you can't be in here." He gestured her out.
Faith protested. "He's only half shaved. I can't leave him this way." She pointed to Trenton's face.
"He can finish." The guard glared at her.
"He can't. His shoulder is all bandaged on one side, and he's got I.V. tubes in the other hand. Do you want to try to shave with those tubes getting in your way?" She held up the razor. "I'll be done in ten minutes, then you can kick me out."
"Give me the nurses smock at least. She's looking everywhere for it. I won't tell anyone you stole it, but you try to trick me again and I will have you escorted off the property." He shook his head. "I can't believe I fell for it."
She handed him the smock. "Sorry."
"No, you're not." He took it from her and glanced at the badge. "You don't even look like her. Shit, anyone hears about this and I'll lose my job."
Faith made a gesture like she was zipping her mouth shut. "No one will know."
He glared. "Ten minutes, no longer."
"Thanks." She grinned, then went back to work on Trenton's beard.
"You're going to push your luck one of these days," Trenton warned.
"If I do, you guys will rescue me." It was true. The team would do anything for her, a fact she knew and loved, but really tried not to take advantage of too often. "Besides, you needed me to help you. Can you imagine the jokes if Xander saw you growing a beard? He'd start comparing it to his and make all kinds of jokes about your beard stamina or something."
Trenton laughed. "Don't make me laugh. It hurts."
"I'm just glad you are laughing. I didn't know what to expect." She stared at him for a long moment.
"I didn't know either, and honestly, I still don't. There might be a lot of times where I can't laugh right now. It's like I know what happened, know it happened to me, but in a way, it seems like I was watching someone else live through it."
"I did that. My mind would go somewhere else. Katie explains it better than I can, but it's a way we protect ourselves. It's okay to take time to work it all out in your head. When you're angry, punch Xander. When you need hugs, come to me. When you need to work off some energy, go on a run with Kacey and Noam. Just take what you need when you need it and don't let anyone else tell you what is right."
"I hate you're this smart about this subject."
"So do I, but it is what it is." She set the razor down. "Done. Now you look like my Trenton."
"Yours, am I?" He grinned.
"Yep, I claimed you. Besides, you don't want to belong to any of the others. They don't make meatballs like I do."
"Very true." He took the wet towel from her hands and wiped his face. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." She leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Now I'm going to clean up and go before your temperamental guard drags me out."
"I'm surprised your dad hasn't come to hunt you down."
"Oh, he's been texting and calling. I responded that I'd be back soon, and shut off my phone." She stood, taking the tub of water over to the bathroom and dumping it, before rinsing it out.
"Your dad's going to kill me."
"Nah, they all probably know where I am. If they were really worried, they would have sent for Beau to check on me or even asked the guard if I was in here. It's not like they can't walk down the hall to your room. It's not that secure." She wiped her hands off and stepped back out of the bathroom. "Need anything?"
