xp_logs | Manuel & Jennie this afternoon

Manuel finally has permission to see Jennie.

He'd been waiting impatiently for Jennie to wake. Word came from Amelia as she passed through the waiting room and he was told that he could see Jennie now. "At last," he mumbled, mostly to himself as he got up and headed to where she was. He paused just outside of the door, leaning heavily on his cane and waiting for the invitation after he knocked. His back protested the small walk from the door to the side of her bed, yet Manuel ignore it, pickup her hand and pressing his lips to the back of it.

He was rewarded with a soft laugh. "C'mere you big dork," Jennie said softly from the bed, throwing her free arm around his neck and leaning forward and dropping a kiss on the top of his head before giving his hair a playful tussle. She had no idea what had gotten into her, possibly the drugs they had her on.

The cane fell from his hand as he leaned into the bed, cupping the side of her face. "You stupid woman," Manuel said in an equally playful, but heartfelt tone. His lips pressed against hers hard. He hadn't meant for this, but her abrupt disappearence had distrupted many great things. He broke the contact and leaned into her, pulling her against him in a hug.

Jennie blinked. Several times. "You get a free pass for that one, emotions running high and all," she said, slightly muffled by his shoulder. "But do it again and I swear by my pretty floral pjs I will end you," she added playfully. Manuel knew the boundaries. She'd smacked him around enough in the early days for them to stick. But she still returned his hug with feeling.

Manuel smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes and he was thankful that she couldn't see it. "Phone me the next time you plan to do something that involves getting killed."

"I promise," Jennie said. She pulled away and kissed his forehead and ruffled his hair again fondly. Manuel was old school about so many things. The kiss probably didn't mean anything (she hoped), but Jennie's status as severely commitment-phobic had to be maintained. "I'm all right, takes more than a bridge to kill me," she smiled.

To Manuel, it hadn't meant anything concerning relationships, other than the fact that it was to solidify that he cared (something he hadn't realized until now) and that she was not to do that again. He pulled away from her and took the cane, sitting on the bedside. "Feeling better now? I thought you would not wake." His greatest fear for her to be in a coma.

Jennie waved a hand airily, "Yeah, I'm just down her for continued observation. Bruised spleen and busted ribs and a stomachful of the Hudson, I'm on so many antibiotics it's not even funny. They should let me go once they know I'm not going to develop polio."

"I suppose you will be here for awhile then? Should I be bringing you food next time?" he leaned over, fixing the sheets over her knees and casually set the cane behind him, out of sight.

"Oh my God yes please. No more of this restricted diet crap, like--" what I was on when I came back from Europe. Jennie shook her head. "No more hospital food for me, man. I'll have to take someone out with my I.V. pole if need be." Manuel liked to do things, and was okay with him looking after her. He was one of her boys. She rubbed her face tiredly. "My birthday hates me. Marius says it hates him too, but I've had it way longer than him," she said dryly.

"You are lucky to see you're birthday at all this year," he said dismissively. He could see she was really tired and needed more time to recover, but he was too selfish to let her go back to sleep just yet. "Has Marius been down?" He thought to mention what an idiot Forge was for assuming she was dead, but somehow that wouldn't sit well.

"Hovering is more like it," Jennie said with a smile. "He's been restocking this room every thirty minutes or so," she pulled her pillow close. "Hey Manuel? Thanks for coming to check on me. I appreciate it."

"You are not rid of me yet. Seeing as you are so well restocked by Marius, I will see to it that you are well fed as well. There will be no complaints because you'll have the two of us waiting on you hand and foot."

"I think I can live with that," Jennie said. She rubbed her eye and yawned. And maybe you two will actually start talking again. That would be nice.

"The mansion is busy today," Manuel rubbed his forehead, straining against the emotions that flooded in. "I am able to maintain a certain level of control, but not as much as I would like." He was so overridden with cross emotions that he couldn't even project if he wanted to try. "The over all concensus is a somber mentality."

"Yeah," said Jennie ruefully. "I'm probably not a bright ray of sunshine myself. Y'know," Jennie met his eyes. "Sorry."

"Apologies are only for those who weren't holding together a bridge. The captain had, after all, gone down with the ship."

Jennie smiled and flicked her bangs out of her eyes. "So how about sneaking me some food, then?" she smiled.

"You need not ask twice."