Dawn leaned into the tight curve and her hand opened up the throttle on the big bike. The 1100cc V-twin engine roared and sent powerful vibrations through the seat into her already numbed lower body. The big bike could do her better than any vibe she had ever tried if she were in the right mood, but after eight hours on it she was lucky if she could even feel her lower body, much less enjoy it. Dawn added more gas as she came out of the tight curve opening up the engine almost all the way in anticipation of the long straightaway she knew was next. She had driven this stretch of I-95 so many times she knew it better than most people knew their daily commute. Up ahead on her right was a large stand of trees where a highway patrolman usually sat, but it was nearly four in the morning and they were changing shifts. She even had their schedule down pat.
Dawn knew she looked ridiculous on the big machine. She was small framed to begin with and four months in a hospital bed had caused her to drop nearly thirty pounds. This left her at barely one hundred pounds and only her long experience and superbly muscled legs allowed her to control the powerful machine.
She hated hospitals, hated doctors and hated the helpless feeling she always felt when she was in one. She had been forced to undergo one more surgery to completely repair the damage in her brain from an earlier auto accident when the headaches had become too frequent to be ignored. She probably would have toughed it out if it had not been for the gentle prodding of her lover to get it done. She might have been able to resist even that, were it not for Danielle's condition. The quiet redhead's arguments had carried so much more weight since they had returned from the clinic back in March.
She was tired and getting hungry and knew that somewhere up ahead was South of the Border. She would start seeing their profusion of billboards anytime now. The place was a tourist trap, but at least they would have something open where she could grab some coffee and something to eat. She opened the big bike up all the way, feeling the cool night air rush over her. It was invigorating and right now, she needed it. Far behind her to the south the horizon lit ominously with lightning.
----
The last 40 miles of her trip were the worst. She was off the interstate now and on a two lane state highway. It seemed there was a small town every two miles and they all had one stoplight and it was always red. The three torturous miles she had traveled trapped behind a farm combine and two tractor-trailers had almost undone her. She had never been very patient and going 15mph on the Harley seemed tantamount to sacrilege.
She was so road weary now that she felt like she could just close her eyes and sleep would come instantly, it was dangerous for her to even blink. The barren fields had begun to blend into one long blur of muted browns and grays and she knew she was pushing it. I really ought to pull over and get some sleep, she thought. She glanced over her shoulder at the gathering gloom on the horizon behind her. Dawn knew she was loosing ground steadily.
She was stopped at the inevitable red light in some small town, trying to decide if she could make it when she heard the gull. A gull meant the sea, and the sea meant home, and home meant Dani. She was suddenly sure she could make it, in fact she felt as if she had just started on her tip. When the light changed to green she roared off in a cloud of dust, leaving two farmers at the corner store staring after her.
She wasn't due home today and she knew she was in for a scolding. She had planned on staying in Florida at least three more days. She had been sitting in the hotel room and watching TV when she just up and decided it was time to go home. She called her cousin and said she was leaving. That short conversation floated at the edge of her memory and she drew it in to examine it as the road hummed by beneath her.
"Angela? It's Dawn, I'm going home."
"Now? You just got out of the hospital!"
"Don't care, I'm going."
"Shouldn't you at least wait to see what the storm is going to do?"
"No, I'm leaving right now."
"I have to meet this girl of yours one of these days."
"I'll invite you to the wedding," Dawn said. Angela burst out laughing.
"Invite me? If I am not "best man" I will be pissed."
"Done. Tell everyone I said good bye."
"Will do. Be careful."
"Always am."
The last hill before the gentle down slope to the sea caught her by surprise. Dawn brought the bike to a coasting stop at the top of the hill overlooking the subdivision where she lived. Subdivision was really misleading, with the gates and guards and private security it was more of a private community. She could see her house from here, a small, blue three story building facing the ocean on the very edge of the community. Compared to the other homes in the place it was tiny. Compared to the mansion her ex had demanded she buy, it was a dollhouse. It was also home, and that made it more beautiful than she could comprehend.
Dawn had plenty of money and had put up a fight when Dani chose the small house. She wanted to get something large and nice, but her lover wouldn't budge. She remembered that fight with a ghost of a smile tugging at her lips. In the end she had come to love the little place but on that day she would have gladly burned it to the ground. It had been in a very bad state of disrepair. She and Danielle had put so much work into it and the time spent together thinking, talking, planning and working had brought them closer together than she would ever have imagined. She always wondered if Dani had planned it that way. The house had been a summer cottage for some rich shipping magnate up north originally. Danielle had researched its history thoroughly and was intrigued with it, but all Dawn had seen was a rundown little house with fading paint and a sagging stoop. The first floor had been divided into a kitchen and a great room, with a large stone fireplace and hearth. The second floor had held four small bedrooms and the third floor was a studio like attic. She and Dani had done nearly all the work on it, hiring contractors only to fix the fireplace, the foundation and roof and to install the storm windows. They had taken out a wall on the second floor the first night after buying the place. Now there was one master and two guest bedrooms on the second floor. It was painted in a light blue color that matched the sea in the mornings and they had built a deck on the front so they could sit out and watch the ocean. The attic was Dani's room, filled with bookshelves, knick-knacks and her roll top desk and computer. Dawn rarely disturbed her when she was up there, respecting her need for a small space of her own. The sun was setting, and as she watched a light appeared in the kitchen shaking her from her memories. Dawn smiled to herself, it felt good to be home.
She eased the bike off the hill and coasted all the way to her driveway. Luckily, the guard at the gate recognized her and opened the gates before she reached them. She wanted to surprise her lover, but there was no way to drive the big Harley quietly if she had to use the gas. She parked and dismounted, stretching her legs before opening the black saddlebags and taking out the gift-wrapped boxes. As always the dead tired, "I could sleep at the drop of a hat" feeling left her to be replaced by a nervous energy. She hated being strung out from the road, but no matter what she tried, she always ended up like this. She walked up the steps and quietly let herself in.
The great room was immaculate and just as she remembered it, the wood floor was polished to a beautiful rich shine and there wasn't a spec of dust anywhere. Dawn crossed the floor quietly and placed the packages in the wingback chair Dani had spent way too much on at the antique store in Richmond.
Dawn loved that chair. It was blue velvet, with rich cherry Queen Anne legs. Dani loved it for it's simple beauty. Dawn loved it because it's purchase represented one of the few times Dani had allowed her to spend extravagantly for something for her. Danielle was a very sensible and practical girl and she was also acutely conscious of the fact that Dawn's last lover had used her for her money. She had not blinked when Dawn dropped forty thousand on the bike, but had raised hell when Dawn got her a new living room set for her birthday.
The chair had caused Dani's eyes to sparkle the moment she saw it. Dawn had not even had to fight the usual fight over spending money on her lover when she snatched the price tag from Dani's hand and went to the old man who ran the shop. Danielle had just smiled and held her hand while Dawn paid for it and made delivery arrangements, not even protesting when the old man had mentioned the price. Remembering that little victory inevitably also reminded her of the night it was delivered. Dani has insisted on christening it properly and that had led to Dawn getting head for over an hour seated in the chair with her legs over the arms. Dawn shook her head and smiled.
Dawn walked carefully to the doorway to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. Danielle was standing at the counter with her back to the doorway. Her kettle was on the stove and the old porcelain teapot she loved was set out next to the Scottish tea she favored. She was wearing an old flannel nightshirt with Tigger on it. When Dawn had gone down for her surgery, the nightshirt had swallowed Dani whole, now it barely fit over her tummy. Seven months now? No, eight, Dawn thought. Leaving her alone like that had been hell on Dawn, but Dani had made it clear that she would not be happy unless Dawn was fully recovered. The changes in her lover's body were dramatic and Dawn deeply regretted having missed them.
Danielle moved slowly now each movement seemed deliberate and thought out in advance. She had barely begun to show when Dawn left, now she looked like she was about to pop. There was something about a pregnant woman that had always turned Dawn on. It was a kind of glow that was so intoxicating to the small butch. On Dani it was even more endearing, because the child she was carrying was theirs. Dawn had wanted children so much, while Dani had seemed less enthusiastic. Dawn knew that a major part of Danielle agreeing to try to get pregnant was to please her and that had been the deciding factor in her getting the surgery she had so dreaded. If Dani was willing to do this for her, she had no excuse not to get the surgery to make sure she was around for the child's rearing. Dawn knew it wasn't that Dani didn't want children; it was that she was afraid she wouldn't be a good parent. After more than a year and a half of being together the redhead's self esteem was slowly getting better, but it was a constant battle for Dawn. She had already promised herself she would kill the ex girlfriends who had so trampled the shy woman's self esteem if she ever met them.
Danielle turned to get the milk from the fridge and emitted a startled squeak. Dawn smiled at her but made no effort to move.
"What are you trying to do, scare the life out of me?" she blurted out when she caught her breath.
"Just watching,"
"Well go watch something else," she said. Her words were harsh, but the smile on her face belied them. Dawn crossed the kitchen silently and enfolded the pregnant woman in her arms. Danielle's arms twined around her shoulders in response and their lips met. There was a moment's hesitation, like it was all new again and then Danielle's lips parted and her tongue licked along Dawn's lower lip. Dawn felt a stab of excitement and captured her lover's tongue with her teeth. She sucked it into her mouth and as soon as their lips formed a seal she thrust her own tongue into Dani's warm receptive mouth.
