For most of the morning, David and Tammy puttered around the house. It wasn't until early afternoon that they got out into the yard.

"I would like to introduce you to your garden." David waved an arm broadly over a patch of dirt and overgrown weeds.

"Garden?" Tammy snickered. "Yeah, this indeed looks like something I tried to grow."

"Actually, it started out pretty good," David commented. "But, well," he scratched the side of his head, searching for a nice to way to break the news of her un-green thumbs to her. "Let's just say the plants weren't ready to do much growing."

"No need to spare my feelings," Tammy assured him. "This is not a new thing. You should have seen the pathetic attempts I made when I was younger. Daddy seemed to always be able to salvage them, though."

David considered the patch. He'd never thought much about digging in the dirt. This had always been Tammy's project. "Not that I know a thing about gardening. But perhaps two not-green thumbs can make a right. Maybe we should work it together."

Tammy looked up at him, mildly surprised. "Really?"

"Sure," David told her, meeting her gaze. "You used to tell me it was therapeutic."

"Well... okay," Tammy seemed buoyed by the idea. "Where do I kept my tools?"

"In the utility house." David started toward the squat little building that sat to one side of the yard. "Why don't I get them?"

"I'll come with you," Tammy followed him. "It might help me remember something."

David froze momentarily. That was the first time she'd actually admitted to wanting to remember her life with him. A warm glow settled over him as he waited for her to catch up. They continued along to the utility house together.

Hours later, they stumbled back into the house, laughing sillily. David scrubbed his fingers through his hair trying to shake out some of the dirt. "Did you have to aim at my head?" he demanded laughingly.

"It's the biggest part of you," Tammy giggled uncontrollably, flicking another finger full of dirt at him.

"You're really asking for it," David warned her, coming toward her in a menacing manner.

Squealing, Tammy turned to move quickly away from him. David gave chase. "You can run but you can't hide," he said, tearing around the opposite side of the chair when she changed direction.

Tammy managed to get around the chair before he could catch her, but she was laughing so hard that she didn't get much farther. "Wait," she cried between grasps when David was within grabbing distance. "Wait."

David paused, watching her laugh. "Three. Two..." he began to count down, wiggling his fingers at her for good measure. "One," he announced, just as she turned to run again, squealing all the way.

David lunged at her, catching her about the shoulders. Tammy struggled weakly in his grasp, trying to slip away. Then suddenly her fingers were on him, and she was tickling him. Surprised, David's grasp immediately weakened and she slipped away.

Tammy obviously thought that was hysterical, because she doubled over in laughter before turning to run again. She fled in the direction of the steps. As she grabbed the handrail, she threw a look over her shoulder at David.

"Tammy, wait--" Her angle was all wrong. He could tell before she lifted her foot that she would miss the step. His warning came too late. She cried out as she fell, landing hard on the parquet flooring at the bottom of the stairs.

David thought his heart would stop when she didn't move. "Tammy! Tammy, honey," he called from above her, worried even to roll her over. She'd landed on her side, her body faced away from him.

Groaning slightly, she rolled over so that she was looking up at him. "That wasn't such a good idea," she said, smiling weakly up at him.

David sighed in relief, brushing a hand over her hair. "Are you okay?"

"Define okay," she breathed, attempting to push herself into a sitting position.

"Well, at least you can move," he said. "That's something at least. Can you stand?" He hovered over her, assisting her until she was standing.

"Okay, standing is good," Tammy said softly. "Except for the pain. Oww." She wrapped an arm around her waist and settled back down on the step.

"Tammy?" David stooped beside her, gently grasping her arms. "Where does it hurt?"

"Same pain," she breathed. "Only more."

"Huh?"

"I've been a little sore since the hospital, but it's worse now. I think maybe I just re-injured something."

"We should get you back to the hospital," David insisted, trying to help her to her feet.

"No," Tammy objected. "It was a lot like this that first day. I'm fine. I just need to be still for a bit, that's all."

"You're sure?"

"Yeah," Tammy assured him.

~*~

Twenty minutes later, David was helping Tammy into bed. Having given her a dose of the pain medication that Dr. Loyds had prescribed, he was attempting to clean the garden dirt from her fingers.

"You should be happy you're not the one with dirt in her hair," David said, a teasing smile hovered about his lips. It had taken considerable reassurance to convince him that she would be okay.

"Oh, I am," she replied, hoping that the painkillers would kick in soon. David's ministrations were doing a number on her nerves. If he would just rub a little more firmly, the entire exercise wouldn't have such a seductive feel to it. Instead, he continued to gently rhythmically wipe between each of her fingers.

Watching her from the corner of his eye, he smiled before focusing again on her hand. Tammy began to suspect that he knew exactly what he was doing, and she was gearing up to tell him so when he turned her hand over and began to gently caress the center of her palm.

She gasped, quickly pulling her hand away from him. "I think...t-that's clean enough. Thank you."

David shrugged, giving in without the slightest fight. "You're welcome," he told her, his expression showing no sign of mischief. She frowned, wondering if she'd simply imagined that he was trying to subtly seduce her.

David reached toward the dresser, and placed a tray containing a sandwich and tea before her. "Sandwich and tea, milady," he told her. "And you'd better eat up. Previous experience with that painkiller suggests that you have about five minutes before you're outta here."

Tammy was beginning to feel the familiar heaviness that she'd come to associate with the pills. "Five minutes, huh?" She asked drowsily, reaching for half of the sandwich. Picking it up, she handed it to David.

He took it curiously. "Making sure that if it kills you it kills me, too?"

Tammy smiled with an effort. "Something like that. Tea?"

"Don't mind if I do." David took a sip of her drink and bit into his half of the sandwich. Tammy remembered taking a couple bites of her half and one sip of the tea. Everything else faded into darkness as she drifted off to sleep.