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More fluff... I need an intervention!
Derek grimaced as he stared in the mirror and tried to convince himself that he could, in fact, shave left-handed. His
ego was sure of it. His brain, however, was far from convinced, and therefore caused major hesitation every time Derek attempted
to make use of the waning shaving cream on his face.
He sighed and looked down at the sling on his right arm. He knew that Richard was being overly cautious by giving him
written orders backing up Callie Torres' decree that he keep the sling on the requisite two weeks to let his sprained shoulder
heal properly. And the truth was, he knew he was damn lucky. The car accident had been ugly--his Range Rover totaled--and
a badly sprained shoulder wasn't much to walk away with given the circumstances. But a week into his mandatory recuperation,
Derek was ready to scream.
It was hard to go from being capable of repairing a human brain to confounded by how to shave. He'd let his beard grow
in for the last few days because he hadn't really wanted to think about how he'd manage. Now that he was confronted with
the actual task, he was totally uncertain he could pull it off.
Temptation screamed at him to just slip his arm out of the sling and shave using his injured limb. Who would know? But
Derek's eyes shot toward the small bathroom doorway and he knew without doubt who would know. To insure that his $2-million-a-year
head of neurosurgery was following "doctor's orders," Richard had given Addison two weeks off, too.
Not that having her play watchdog was all that unpleasant. They'd spent some quality time together--going on walks, reading
books together, catching up on some movies, eating at restaurants they'd been dying to try but had no time for. There had
been laughing and talking and just laying quietly together enjoying the sunset.
But the shift from stubble to beard had aggravated Derek's nerves. He needed a clean shave. And there had to be some
way to get one.
[i]"Addie, I expect you to do whatever you have to do to keep him from making that arm worse. I need both my stars
back here as soon as possible."[/i]
Richard's words echoed in Derek's mind, and a sly grin crossed his face.
"Addison, what are you doing?"
"Making some coffee," she called from the kitchen.
"Can you come in here a second?"
He heard her take the few steps that would bring her to him and Derek smiled before he affected the most pathetic expression
he could muster.
"Yes?"
She purred the word, teasing him, as she came into view wearing only his favorite blue button-up cotton shirt, the three
buttons holding it together daring him to stay focused on why he'd called her in.
"I, uh, I need to shave. I mean, scruffy is one thing, but mountain man..."
Addison nodded. "And you need me for what?"
Derek lifted his left hand and held up the razor. Addison crossed her arms and raised a suspicious eyebrow at him.
"You can manipulate precision surgical instruments with that hand, but you can't shave your own face? I'm not sure
I'd let that get around to your patients."
"Ha ha," he replied sarcastically. "It just... feels weird. I can do this in my sleep with my right hand,
but as you well know, I am forbidden to use said hand. Unless you want me to get in trouble with the Chief of Surgery. Do
you want me to get in trouble, Mrs. Shepherd?"
"Oh, 'Mrs. Shepherd,' huh?" Addison laughed and worked her way between him and the sink, her backside leaning
against the counter. "My, we are feeling manipulative today, aren't we?"
His smile betrayed him and their mutual giggles filled the room.
"You are a little past sexy, light beard and headed toward shaggy." Addison picked up the shaving cream and
sprayed a fresh dollop into her hands before she lifted her fingers to his cheeks. "I suppose it is my wifely duty to
help you take care of this."
Her touch was purposefully seductive, and Derek was amazed that cool shaving foam could feel so damn hot against his skin
as she smoothed it on, refreshing the layer he had put on earlier. When she was done, she eased the razor from his hand and
leaned forward.
"Let's see... how about we start here?"
She drew the razor down in one perfect stroke against the middle of his left cheek. Derek sucked in a breath and tried
to keep his focus on his wife's intense gaze.
"Now you see... you're very good at this," he teased as she rinsed the razor off in the running tap behind her.
"Well, I am a world-renowned surgeon. And I do have a good right arm."
He fought to push the grin off his face as Addison lifted the razor and drew it down again, her fingers touching lightly
against the edge of his right jaw line as she continued to shave the left cheek. Derek watched her movements, mesmerized by
the delicacy of her hands, the surety of each action. It reminded him of watching her in surgery, only this time, her whole
being was focused on him and not one of her patients. He'd nearly forgotten how much he loved it when they stole a moment
away from their hectic lives in the surgical unit to just dive into one another completely. But the intimacy between them
now reminded him, drawing him toward her.
"Addie."
"Hmm?"
"Have I thanked you yet for taking all this time away from your patients to take care of me?"
She flashed a crooked smile and drew the razor down the right side of his face.
"Oh, I thought I was Richard's overbearing guard dog?"
"You are," he joked, earning him a gentle elbow to the stomach. "But I know it's not easy for you to stay
away from work."
"No, it's not," she said as she rinsed the razor before making the final pass to complete the shave. "But
I know it's frustrating for you to be hurt and forced away from work yourself. And I felt like maybe... you needed me."
"I do," he whispered.
Derek leaned forward and captured her lips. He heard the razor clank in the sink as Addison dropped it and gave into
the kiss fully, her arms circling around his neck. Moments later, breathless, Derek eased back and looked at his wife's flushed
face.
The smear of shaving cream on her nose made him laugh before he felt her foot brush against his leg. The he stopped laughing
and drew her body against his tightly, his left arm edging under her bottom to give him just the angle he was looking for.
Her laughter sent warm breath against his neck.
"So this you can do with one hand?"
"This," Derek declared, his breath ragged, "I can do with no hands."
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