Back at the cottage, a semblance of calmness had been restored. Martha was upstairs sleeping, Simon had gone for a walk, Ben’s father was watching some medical documentary and Jim, well Jim was sat holding Martha’s hand watching her sleep.
She was so beautiful, he thought, her face calm and peaceful, golden hair spread around the pillow. She’d never know, thought Jim, how much he had wanted not to have to fight her off. He put his head in his hands. This was all his fault. He couldn’t be trusted around people, not like this.
“Penny for them?”
Jim looked up. In the doorway was Anna, Ben’s mother. She came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Jim flinched away
“don’t worry” she chuckled, her Russian accent still audible even after all these years in the UK “I am not going to hug you, after all I would not want to become, how would you put it? A crazy person?”
Jim stared at her brow furrowed. She smiled at him, blue eyes twinkling
“You think I am laughing at you yes?” She shook her head, “I am not, I know these hugs they are real”
“H how do you know they are real?” he stammered
“I have seen them before” she said “in my village when I was young girl. We had an old woman who could do the same”
Oh! “Did they ever go wrong” asked Jim
“Once they did yes” she laughed “she hugged an old Babushka who was ill. Ha!she got better chased the young men all over the village” she laughed again “it was so funny, they were so scared”
“so what did you do, you know to make them better?”
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timeasmymeasure
Fill Jimothy's Magic Hugs AU 11c/14
Date: 2011-12-06 02:51 pm (UTC)She was so beautiful, he thought, her face calm and peaceful, golden hair spread around the pillow. She’d never know, thought Jim, how much he had wanted not to have to fight her off. He put his head in his hands. This was all his fault. He couldn’t be trusted around people, not like this.
“Penny for them?”
Jim looked up. In the doorway was Anna, Ben’s mother. She came over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Jim flinched away
“don’t worry” she chuckled, her Russian accent still audible even after all these years in the UK “I am not going to hug you, after all I would not want to become, how would you put it? A crazy person?”
Jim stared at her brow furrowed. She smiled at him, blue eyes twinkling
“You think I am laughing at you yes?” She shook her head, “I am not, I know these hugs they are real”
“H how do you know they are real?” he stammered
“I have seen them before” she said “in my village when I was young girl. We had an old woman who could do the same”
Oh! “Did they ever go wrong” asked Jim
“Once they did yes” she laughed “she hugged an old Babushka who was ill. Ha!she got better chased the young men all over the village” she laughed again “it was so funny, they were so scared”
“so what did you do, you know to make them better?”
“Ah” she said “I will tell you”