All characters portrayed are over the age of eighteen. Conditions of demeanor need not be implied or questioned -- no pregnancy, STD or acts against consent are written about. Please enjoy and, as always, constructive criticism is welcome.
This is a continuation from a previous series -- "He Was Always There." If you've not read it please give the series a try to catch up with the characters and, hopefully, have some more enjoyment.
So, our hero is recovered, mostly, and he's got to get himself helping again. The B.U.S.H. Foundation can't run itself. But what happens when he gets back to work? Or, at least, getting his life back together and the work that entails. Perhaps a couple of friends are willing to help or, mayhap, get in the way for a little while.
It's been a few weeks since Brad collapsed, spent a little time in the hospital, was thanked very interestingly by many woman from all over the town, nursed back to health yet more at his mother's house where the four Sintec women explored him thoroughly -- and he them -- and helped him get back to strength and to work.
Brad Sintec ran the B.U.S.H. Foundation. A philanthropic organization that helped residents of the city get their lives back. The foundation had been running since Brad was fifteen years old but really only gained traction and ability after Brad convinced his now CEO of the foundation, Molly Graness, to fund him his first successful expedition of assistance when he was twenty. Since then, many people have found themselves helped without realizing who their benefactor was.
Finally, Brad was able to leave his mother's house, not that he wasn't having a good time, and get back to his own apartment and get back to work. He had several activities happening in the next month and he really needed to get control of all that was going on. His CEO had managed some of the happenings but now he was back and after a short phone call he took everything over again.
The apartment he didn't have to pay for was still a dusty wreck from his absence but he figured he'd get around to cleaning it soon enough. Of course, all of the food had gone bad both in the fridge and out of it. The bread was trying to grow a brand new organism, the milk seemed to have solidified into some kind curdled sludge and caused the fridge to need a napalm explosion to purify the smell, and everything else was stale and uneatable. Despite the work that needed to be done for the foundation Brad needed to really get his life back together.
Beginning on the removal of spoiled foods was first and while that was easy enough he still needed to go shopping to get everything replaced. He'll figure it out, he thought. Too soon, though, he realized that the stuffiness of the apartment was too much so he opened all of the windows and let the air run through and slowly got back to work.
Brad still tired very easily but everyday seemed to allow him to last longer than the previous and he took advantage of it. Today, he lasted a couple of hours cleaning his apartment and giving up on closing the windows or putting anything away he sat upon his small couch and let his head fall back and closed his eyes.
An uncertain amount of time later Brad woke with the sensation of someone next to him. His mind started before he opened his eyes so he only felt the body but he also felt that the air flow had lessened considerably. When he opened his eyes he looked to his right and a woman was leaning onto him with her head resting on his right shoulder. Her arms clung to his right arm as if afraid to let go. He wasn't overly surprise that he didn't wake when she arrived, or even sat, but it was something he'd have to think about in the future.
Brad craned his head to try and look at who was here with him but as soon as he moved she moved. Terra Bloomington sat with him and she gave him a warm smile and squeezed his arm in excited recognition. Brad also noticed that all of the windows were closed and the apartment was much darker, even than when the blinds were drawn.
It must be evening now. How long did I sleep, Brad questioned.
"Hi, Brad," Terra said sweetly.
"Hello yourself, Terra," Brad returned. "What's going on?"
"Well," Terra began, "I got home from work and saw your front door open and came to say hey but you were asleep so I closed up shop and just sat with you. You're not mad, are you?"
Brad looked at Terra with some affection and small smile. "No, of course not. Just a surprise is all."
Terra sat up as Brad did and then slowly rose with him, keeping her hands on his right arm in an effort to keep him steady. Brad figured that was probably a good idea since he still had an issue now and then with his balance.
Brad looked around and was not satisfied with how little he had completed in the cleaning of his place. "Well, I didn't get much done and I need to go to the grocery store sometime soon," Brad mentioned absentmindedly.
"I can help," Terra offered. She always offered to help with whatever he may need. Since he saved her life and pride she always seemed to be willing to do just about anything for Brad, her personal savior. There was an excitement in her eyes that Brad enjoyed but he wasn't sure how far he could let this woman go in his life. If she got attached more emotionally than she already was and he made a mistake he could really hurt this sometimes fragile woman.
"What time is it," Brad asked.
"Almost nine," Terra responded.
"Wow, I didn't realize I slept that long."
Terra looked embarrassed for some reason but quietly said, "Yeah, you've been out for a while. I got home at six and you never moved. I was worried." Her face trailed off to one side as she wiped something away from her face.
Brad didn't say anything to that but he did wrap an arm over her shoulder and drew her in for a quick hug. Terra reacted by wrapping both of her arms around him and holding on for dear life.
"What's the matter, Terra?" Brad really was concerned for the current emotional outpour but he wasn't sure where this was going to go.
With a sniffle and a small sob Terra shakily replied, "You can't leave, Brad. You can't leave me, Brad. I need you here."
Oh shit, Brad thought. Here comes the tough stuff. How was he supposed to handle this? He'd never had a girlfriend for any length of time so this kind of emotion was not something he was knowledgeable about. So, of course, he said the exact wrong thing.
"Terra, I'm not leaving you and I'm here. I'll always be here when you need me."
Terra lifted her face and looked Brad in the eye and then used her hands to grab the back of his head and bring his mouth down to hers. Brad gave no resistance in the beginning but soon realized what might happen here and tried to pull away but Terra's insistence was slightly difficult to break. Finally his slightly more capable muscles broke her grip and he stepped back.
"Wait, wait," began Brad with his hands in the air and taking a step back. "What is it you're expecting here Terra? We aren't going to be a couple or anything, you know that, right?"
Brad never let the bullshit fly. He said it to get it out so the discussion can move forward. It wasn't always the most levelheaded thing to do but no one ever didn't know what his stance was.
Terra's eyes teared and she took a half step away from Brad. Her chin dropped down and she let out a long breath. "I know," she said dejectedly. "I was trying, though. Can we still be friends?"
This conversation went in a completely different direction than Brad thought it would. His mind told him he was about to lose a decent friend and the respect of a good human being. Thankfully that's not where it went.
Brad let a smile cover his face as he said, "Of course we're still friends. I'd rather not lose a good person like you as part of my life." Brad opened his arms and Terra rushed the small space and melded into them and this time it was a nice hug and lasted for only a few moments.
When they parted Brad asked Terra if she'd had dinner and upon the negative response Brad asked if he could take her out and then maybe she could help him shop for groceries. Terra jumped with excitement at the spending of time together and doing domesticity with this man, whom she idolized and wanted to bronze and do many other things with.
Out they went for a quick bite and then Terra nearly wifed Brad to craziness with her grocery shopping. Fresh meals and ingredients, no processed anything and when she tried to convince him of gluten-free anything and the removal of bacon he put his foot down and simply shopped for essentials and immediate needs. Very simple. He was an accomplished cook but when you remove bacon you may remove yourself, Brad joked to himself. He might need to eat better, that was a certainty, but some things, like bacon, just do NOT go.