> "Nothing like that," she protested (not that she would mind).  "But there's 
> plenty of room and I trust you.  Having a warm body beside me might even be 
> nice for a change."
> 
> Gods, that had come out a little more bitter than she'd intended.  She 
> hoped he didn't notice.

"Um," H'nry stalled.

"Don't try thinking of reasons to stay down there, please.  If you 
sleep there you'll be sore in the morning, and I don't want to feel 
guilty," Retala said.

H'nry couldn't think of a good excuse to remain on the hard floor, 
and it was uncomfortable.  He got up and walked to the other side of 
the bed.  He peeled the blankets back and laid down facing the wall.  
Then he gently pulled the blankets up, careful not to take too much.

After a few minutes Retala said, "H'nry, I'm cold."

"I'll run downstairs and get an extra blanket," H'nry replied.

"No," Retala said, perhaps a bit too quickly, "Just snuggle a bit 
closer."

She felt H'nry shrug, "Ok."

He moved toward her until his back touched hers.  It was an 
improvement, she thought as she fell asleep.

***
Day 3: Morning

H'nry drifted back to conciousness.  There was a weight on his side 
and a breeze at the back of his neck.  He opened his eyes and stared 
at the wood paneling on the wall a moment before he realized where he 
was.  The inn in Raisa.

He brought his hand around and touched Retala's hand resting on his 
side.  The breeze was rhythmic, Retala's breathing, he thought.

<Are you enjoying yourself?> Dalanth asked.

*No.  I can't figure out how to get up without waking Retala,* H'nry 
replied.

<Pitty.  Rimanda says that Retala seems to be enjoying herself.>

*What's that supposed to mean.*

Dalanth replied with a mental shrug.

"Damn dragon," H'nry said softly.  He shifted a little trying to get out
from Retala's arm.

Retala squirmed a little in response and her hand slid down his side to
rest on his hip.  Her other arm moved up between them to tangle in his
hair.

H'nry stopped moving, effectively stuck.  He considered his situation
for a moment before deciding to try again.  He slowly rolled onto his
back, sliding his back along the bed.  His hair slid through Retala's
relaxed grip, and hed other hand moved gently down with his hip until it
rested on the bed.  He could still feel her breathing by his ear.

H'nry turned his head to look at her, and was surprised to see her eyes
open.

"In a hurry?" Retala asked.

"No, I just thought I'd go down and bring some breakfast up before you
woke up."

"I see.  You know what I really want?"

"No," H'nry replied.

"I want a hot bath," and someone to wash my back, Retala thought to
herself.

"The best place to get that is probably the Warren."

"Probably," Retala agreed.

They busied themselves with getting ready to leave.  H'nry sat on the
egde of the bed to pull his boots on.  Retala sat down next to him and
put her arm around his shoulder.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"I want to thank you for taking care of me last night.  For getting this
room.  For being willing to sleep on the floor."

H'nry waved his hand in her direction, "It wasn't anything anyone else
wouldn't have done.  You'd have done the same for me."

"No," she said with a big grin, "I'd have left you in the bar, asleep."

[Lyn if you want to add anything, feel free.]
***
Day 3: Late Morning, Telnor Warren - Green

H'nry walked across the green grass feeling refreshed and much cleaner
than he had a few hours before.  Dalanth was sitting by the Med Center
looking glum, <They won't let me get near him.>

*Well, I'll see what I can do about that.*

"Good morning Tahlaya, how are you today?" H'nry asked.

"Oh, H'nry, did you hear the good news?"

"No, I can't say that I have."

"Abbien said that Sabbith is recovering nicely, and she'll probably let
Sabbith go for a short flight this afternoon," Tahlaya said joyfully.

"Really.  That's wonderful.  Kay will be extatic.  In the meantime,
Dalanth would like to see Sabbith, but there's one problem."

"I see.  They're not sharing again, are they?"

"Apparently so," H'nry said with mock seriousness, "I think something
needs to be done."

NRPG:

Lea: Have fun with it.

Kha: I wanted to write H'nry meeting Gabriel before going on patrol in
the afternoon, but I'm out of steam.  Feel free to write something if
you get to it before I do.

		Respectfully submitted,
		H'nry - Dalanth
		Telnor Warren
		Alton Reich
-- 
			Alton & Elizabeth Reich
			  alton.reich@snet.net
"Ani l'dodi, v'dodi li - I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine"
--The Song of Songs