Chapter 6 








 Jeremiah was so stunned by his own actions that he could only stand there for a moment, silent, trying to pull himself together. Bailey was staring at him, his question hanging in the air between them. "Jeremiah?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
 
OF COURSE he wasn't 'okay'! He hadn't been okay since the day that this impertinent lawyer had walked into his library and turned his entire life upside down!  He ran a hand over his forehead, feeling dizzy with exhaustion and the draining away of the heavy, black anger that had caused him to assault Bailey in the first place. "I am...not myself at the moment," he began hoarsely.

 A hand touched his arm. "I can see that. You look exhausted. Are you not sleeping?"

"Not very well at the moment," he conceded wearily.

"Listen, you're dead on your feet. Why don't you close the library early, and go home and get some rest?"

"I can't do that," he began to protest automatically.

 "Sure you can. Even you have your off days. Tell everybody you’re sick. 
Listen, I’ll drive you home. You really do look like you might fall down at any moment."

 His solicitousness touched a part of Jeremiah deep inside. He found himself nodding. "Very well," he said. 

Bailey steered him along to the front counter, and hew told his assistant that they were closing early and began to lock up the library. Bailey stayed by his side, helping him, and Jeremiah chose to ignore the fact that he rather liked having him there. He was simply too tired and out of it to deal with that kiss or its aftermath right now; later would be time enough to answer Bailey's question and sort out how he felt about all of this. 



He locked the door of the library behind him, and made his way slowly down the steps toward Bailey’s car. The lawyer walked beside him, keeping a close eye on him, ready to catch him if he stumbled and began to fall. Jeremiah's brain was so fogged by now that he was barely aware of his surroundings. Somehow he managed to get into the passenger seat of the car all on his won, and Bailey darted around to get behind the wheel. "Good thing I know where you live," he remarked cheerfully as he started the engine. 




They drove in silence to the librarian's house, Jeremiah because he was already at the edge of sleep and Bailey because he sensed that Jeremiah was incapable of having a coherent conversation at the moment. He pulled up in front of Jeremiah's house and turned off the engine. "You'll have to get inside on your own steam; you’re a bit too heavy for me to support you," he told Jeremiah unhappily.

 The librarian nodded. He pulled off his seat belt with fumbling fingers, then opened the door and somehow heaved himself out of the car. His head was whirling, his eyes were losing focus, and he tottered determinedly along the front path to his door with Bailey anxiously at his side every step of the way. The lawyer’s hand rested on his elbow, and Jeremiah didn't try to shake it off. He fumbled for his house key in his pocket, and it seemed to take an interminable amount of time to find it and pull it out. He was surprised that he managed to keep a hold of it, and that he also managed to get it in the lock. Turning it, he pushed the door open and stepped into his house. 

"Where's your bedroom?" he heard Bailey ask beside him.

 He staggered away toward the closed door of his bedroom, the lawyer keeping pace with him. He opened the door, revealing his neatly-made bed. "This isn't how I would have liked to have first seen your bedroom," Bailey teased, steering him toward the bed. "Come on now; get into bed, and sleep for as long as you want."

 At any other time, being spoken to as though he were a child would have infuriated Jeremiah. But right now he was simply too tired and out-of-it to care. He reached down to pull back the covers on the bed, but he hesitated before climbing in. "I can't..." he began slowly. "I should...take off...my clothes..."

 "I doubt that you're coordinated enough to do that right now," Bailey remarked in faint amusement. "Fortunately for you, you have me," he added impishly. "I'll be happy to undress you, you sexy thing."

 Jeremiah might have protested vigorously, but his mind simply wouldn't cooperate.  He stood there, swaying, while slender fingers began to remove his tie and pull off his jacket. "Best nurse maiding I've ever gotten to do," Bailey said gleefully as he began to unbutton Jeremiah’s white shirt. "I'll do this for you anytime, Jeremiah."

He frowned slightly, but his synapses weren't firing fast enough for him to come up with a sarcastic, cutting reply. The shirt was eased off his shoulders, then his pants were undone and pulled down his legs. Bailey made appreciative noises the entire time. "There we go," he said happily,  standing up again. "I'd take off the underwear, too, but I think you'd get mad at me later on. Well, maybe you'll let me take them off some other time soon," he went on with a chuckle. "Anyway, get into bed, sleepyhead." 

He helped Jeremiad crawl into the bed, and the librarian promptly fell into a very deep slumber the moment his head touched the pillow. He didn't even feel the soft kiss on his mouth, or the covers being drawn up over him. And the gentle: "Sleep well, baby," he was completely lost as he descended into the sleep that he so desperately needed.





  He slept for an indeterminate amount of time. When he finally woke up, he lay staring at the far wall as his brain tried to restart. What was going on? Hadn't he been at work? Then he slowly started to remember - his anger at Bailey, the devastating kiss, and the lawyer bringing him home after he'd closed the library early.  Jeremiah groan and rolled over, sitting up slowly. While his head still felt clogged with seep, he also felt much better. His head was clear for the first time in days. He ran a hand over his face, blinking away the fog of sleep from his eyes.

 He got slowly out of bed, his body feeling a little achy and sore. Pulling on a robe that hung on a peg nearby, he padded barefoot into his bathroom to run water and splash it over his face to help him wake up. He debated taking a shower, but decided to eat first when his growling stomach prodded him over the fact that he hadn't eaten in many hours. He left the bedroom, intending to go into the kitchen and make himself a sandwich before he took a shower. 

He pulled up short when he saw a familiar figure sprawled in one of his armchairs, fast asleep. Bailey's curls were mussed, his face was flushed pink with sleep, and his mouth was slightly open. He looked like an adorable little boy, and a charming little snore only completed the look. 
Jeremiah felt strange twistings in his abdomen as he stood looking down at the sleeping lawyer. He couldn’t help but remember that kiss, and Bailey's question afterward. He sighed, then walked into his kitchen to make some food for two rather than one. He didn't want to have a conversation with Bailey just yet; he wasn't ready.

He pottered around his kitchen, making a salad and sandwiches, and opening a bottle of red wine. He left it on the counter to breathe as he finished the food, then set it, two glasses, and the plates of food on a tray and carried it all out into the living room. He stood over the chair where Bailey was sleeping, and said in a firm, clear voice: “Wake up, Mr. Sheffield."

 A snort, and Bailey's eyes flew open. He sat up, yawning, knuckling at his eyes like a little kid as he peered up at Jeremiah. "Hey, you're awake! Do you feel better?" he asked, his eyes scanning the librarian.

"Much better, thank you," Jeremiah replied politely. "Would you like something to eat?"

 "Would I! I'm starving!" Bailey replied gleefully, sitting bolt upright and eyeing the food on the tray greedily. 

Jeremiah set the tray on the coffee table and sank down on the couch across from the armchair. "Please help yourself," he said, waving at the tray. 

Bailey made a happy sound, grabbed an empty plate, and piled it with salad and three sandwiches. He also poured himself a glass of the wine, and sipped at it appreciatively before he dug into the food. Jeremiah did the same, though more slowly and with better manners. Bailey was gnoshing the food, making happy noises in the back of his throat, and the librarian shook his head silently as he took a bite out of a sandwich. Truly, the lawyer was just like a little kid. He even ate like one!

  There was silence while they ate, then Bailey finally sighed and set his empty plate back on the tray. "Good eats," he remarked, patting his belly. 


"I'm surprised that you managed to taste it," Jeremiah remarked acerbically.


Bailey laughed. "What can I say? I was really hungry. I haven't eaten since lunch, and it's..." he consulted his watch, "Almost one o'clock in the morning now."

 Jeremiah was startled that he'd slept for so long. But then, he'd needed it. He sighed, and set his own plate down on the tray. "Mr. Sheffield," he began.

"I wish you'd call me Bailey," the lawyer said earnestly.

He sighed again. "Very well," he said, as a look of astonishment spread over Bailey’s face. 

"Really?!"

"I supposed I cannot continue to be so formal with you, not after what happened earlier in the library," Jeremiah said.

"Yeah, that kiss! Dammnn, but that was amazing!" Bailey said with a grin.


"Indeed. Clearly, I am very attracted to you after all, Mr. Sh...Bailey. I won't bother to deny it anymore, not after that. I really thought that I wanted to kill you, I was so angry, but then..." he shook his head. 

"Looks like you'd rather do something else to me rather than kill me," Bailey told him with a wink.

He sighed. "Yes, I'd say you're right," he agreed. "For whatever reason, you have had a profound affect on me. I was simply that angry because I was enraged that you chose to give up on me so easily, which tells me that I wanted you to continue to badger me into going out with you. Which is ridiculous and quite insane, but..."

 Bailey laughed. "Jeremiah, darling, I wasn't giving up on you," he said cheerfully, with a wink. "I was just changing tactics. I never intended to give up on you, not until I could convince you that you want me as much as I want you. And it worked, didn't it?" he added gleefully.

Jeremiah stared at him, feeling anger spurt through him again at Bailey's admission. But then it just drained out of him, because he wouldn't have reacted to the whole thing so beautifully if he hadn't been upset that Bailey appeared to be giving up on him. He couldn’t deny it anymore, and he wasn’t going to try. "I see," was all he said.

Bailey smiled at him, leaning forward. "So you ready to go out with me now?” he asked hopefully.
 
Jeremiah took in a long breath. "It seems that I don't have much choice," he said ruefully. "So, yes, Bailey, I will go out with you again."

 "Yippee!" Bailey shouted, jumping to his feet and pumping his arms in the air. Jeremiah shook his head in disgust, watching the lawyer dance around his living room. Just what, he wondered in exasperation, was he getting himself into? 
 




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