Josie stirred when she heard August's alarm. She felt him move and she opened her eyes to find him sitting up, his bare back facing her.

August felt her stare and turned her way. "I'm sorry, baby. I didn't mean to wake you," he said sincerely.

"It's okay. I wanted to see you before you left," she mumbled, pushing herself into a sitting position with her legs.

He was just going to the office for a few meetings, but they had been in the house together for almost a week. Josie would miss having him around for the day. She hoped things wouldn't go back to the way they were before. She was certain she couldn't go days without seeing him anymore.

She dozed off sitting up while he got dressed only to awaken when he kissed her softly, his minty fresh breath caused her to be self conscious of her own.

"Gross," she cringed.

August chuckled, pressing his lips to her head and her cheeks, "Not gross. I love you. Call me if you need me."

"I love you. Have a good day," she said back, taking in his formal attire. "I missed seeing you in suits."

"I'll wear them around the house if you want," he teased.

"You're a weirdo," she said, tossing a pillow his way. She couldn't throw with her left hand and it fell limply off the bed.

August gave a laugh, "You missed."

"Just wait until my good hand is working," she threatened playfully. "Make sure to eat something for lunch," she called as he disappeared out into the hall. He tended to forget when he got busy.

"Make sure you ice your hand," he yelled back before she heard him opening the garage door.

Josie couldn't explain the happiness she felt in that moment. Everything felt so right, even when her hand constantly had an ache. She could just barely move her fingers.

----

It was finally time for the cast to come off. August drove her to the doctor and Josie was a nervous wreck. Everybody hated going to the doctor, but it was a whole other level for her. For some reason anything medical was enough to trigger a panic attack.

She was genuinely surprised she didn't get one when she fell. She must have been in too much pain or concentrating on getting to the car.

Her thoughts were clear this time, making her more susceptible to the anxiety that was already creeping in.

August glanced her way when he pulled into the parking lot. Her breathing was uneven and she was fidgeting with her fingers.

He helped her out of the car and wrapped her into a hug. "It's going to be fine. You've been dying to get the stupid thing off."

"I know but they're going to have to cut it off," Josie mumbled.

"It looks like the thing you trim a dog's nails with. It doesn't even touch your skin, sweetheart," he soothed. He hated when she was upset or distressed in anyway, but he liked being the one to comfort her. It gave him a chance to be his protective self without being too overbearing.

Josie sat on the crinkly paper, swinging her legs anxiously. August was watching her every move from the chair in the room. She did feel a bit silly having him come with her, but she was so grateful that he just understood her and didn't question it.

It really wasn't that bad. Her hand was a little sore as she got use to using the muscles that had been still for so long, but she was happy to be free of the gross restraint.

"Thank you for taking the time to go with me," she told August who was treating her to ice cream. That were sitting in his car in the parking lot, just enjoying each other's company before he had to return home and work.

"You don't have to thank me. I'll always be there for you," he said.

"We should talk about the move-in situation," she said, taking a bite of the delicious snack. "I don't want to be away from you, even if I have to go back and forth between here and the city."

August smiled and kissed her head, "I'm glad you feel that way. I don't think I could be apart from you either. I should be able to work most of the time from here, but the apartment will be nice to crash at if I have late meetings or tired from traveling."

Josie was only renting her place, and she felt comfortable enough with August that she was good with not renewing the lease that was coming up.

"Speaking of traveling, I hope you're ready for another trip. That file you chose a few weeks ago, the one I had a meeting for, they're in Mexico. We're going to have to go down there in about a week or two."

"That's exciting. I'm glad Mrs. Miller decided to hire someone else so that I can cut back some hours. I can still help pay for some bills at your house," Josie said with what she hoped would be finality but August always had the last word.

"Like I would let you do that," he rolled his eyes. "You don't even have to work if you don't want to. I know you like to work, I'm just saying."