"Shay," Reilly said again, reaching out for her hand, "Shay babe, look at me. She pulled away, her knees pulled to her chest in the chair she'd tucked next to his hospital bed. Wearing his Panther's sweatshirt and the leggings she'd slept in, she was feeling the weight of the past two days on her shoulders. "Please?" he asked softly.

"Reills, I'm sorry. I just- I can't. This is too much. You're hurt right now. I shouldn't have said anything."

He watched the tears well up in her eyes, how her hands shook when she reached out for him again. He knew how worried she was and he wanted nothing more than to hold her.

"Shay, please don't apologize. This conversation was something that needed to happen. We've been together for what, nearly two years now? And we haven't once discussed anything like this. I don't-"

"You busy man?" Jason asked, poking his head in with a dopey grin. He eyed Shay and I before nodding an apology and ducking back out.

We sat in silence for a moment, her hand in mine as I pulled it up to press a kiss to her fingers. "I don't want to have to get hurt to tell you I love you Shay. I don't want to have to wait to tell you how I feel."

Notes

Just a piece of the original conversation. Don't want to get too into the emotional beginning, I'm really just here for the smut.

Hope you enjoy.

I love Reilly Smith.