Bliss. Complete and utter bliss is all I can feel lying in the cool air that New Zealand's version of late April affords me. It's not quite cold enough to need a jumper, but crisp enough that a breeze can make me shiver pleasantly beneath my cotton sweater. The only thing that would make this lazy Saturday any better would be to have Viggo lying next to me in this hammock.
He's miles away, filming the shots of what happens to Aragorn after the warg-fight makes him fall off the cliff, and it's been truly horrid sleeping all alone in that big bed. Okay, so it's only been three nights, but still. Atti teases me that I'm completely whipped, and he's right. However, I can comfort myself with the knowledge that Viggo is just as whipped as I am. What a pair we make.
A frisbee suddenly hits me in the head, shattering my little world. "Earth to Orli!" Lij calls.
"What do you want, Lij?" I ask, flinging the frisbee back at him.
"It's lunch time."
I stretch and slowly slide out of the hammock, following Lij inside. Billy and Dom are busy unpacking the bags of take away, and I watch with amusement as Lij grabs a turkey sandwich with unabashed greed. After taking the container of pasta salad I've requested and grabbing an apple and ginger ale from the fridge, I settle down on the couch next to Sean, who's watching a movie.
"Whatcha watching?"
"Patriot Games," Sean laughs. "You gotta see Beanie."
We all gather around and munch quietly on our food, waiting for the
film to stop paying attention to Harrison Ford and get back to Bean.
"Oh my God!" Billy exclaims. "His hair!"
"It's a mullet!" Lij crows.
"No, it's a Brullet," Sean corrects him. "A British mullet."
"When's he coming back for re-shoots?" I ask.
"In two weeks, about the same time Christine and Ali are coming."
I smile at that. It'll be really nice to be able to torture Beanie again. And then, in late June, Henry's coming for a whole month, which will be really great. He was here for spring break, and I had a great time with him and Viggo. Having lost my own father at such a young age, witnessing the wonderful bond that Viggo and his son share is a beautiful and bittersweet thing.
"You're thinking about him, aren't you?" Dom teases. "You get this look in your eyes, and I can tell you're mooning over him."
"I don't moon over anyone," I inform him tartly.
Dom just gives me a cheeky grin and takes a bite of his sandwich. We watch Bean yell at Harrison Ford a bit, then flip the channels, until we reach one of those shop-at-home networks. Lij has a strange fascination with those channels, so we let him watch a lady hawking gaudy jewelry for a few minutes. When the phone rings, Lij snatches up the cordless, allowing Billy to change the channel once again.
"'Lo?" Lij asks. "Oh, hey Pete." I frown. Pete's filming with Viggo – why would he be calling us here? "Yeah, he's here." Lij hands me the phone with a shrug.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Orlando, how are you?"
"Um, I'm fine. What's up?"
"Viggo's a bit injured, Orlando. I thought maybe you should come down here."
A knot of fear tightens in my stomach. "Injured? What do you mean?" The hobbits look up in alarm at my question.
"He was in the river, and he hit his head. He got a concussion and suffered some water in his lungs."
"A *bit* injured?" I shout. "Pete, that's more than a bit!"
"Listen, he's going to be okay. That's what's important."
"I'm coming down there. I already know how to get there."
"He's at the hospital. Just follow the signs when you get off the highway."
I nod and hang up the phone. "Orli?" Dom asks gently. "What's going on?"
"Viggo . . . injured," is all I can manage to say.
"Is he okay?" Lij asks, a petrified look on his face.
"He, um, has a concussion. And I think Pete said he got water in his lungs."
"What happened?" Sean turns off the telly and sits next to me.
"He hit his head in the river." My voice breaks. "I'm going down to see him now."
"We're coming," Lij says.
"No. Just stay here," I say, blinking back tears.
"What? No, Orli, you're not going there alone. You're in no shape to drive," Billy tells me.
"I'm not a fucking child, Billy!" I shout.
"No one's saying you are," Lij says angrily, gripping my shoulders. "But you're upset, and we don't want you getting into an accident."
"I'm just really scared," I sob, allowing myself to cry. "Pete told me he's going to be fine, but I'm not going to believe that until I see him.
"We can understand that," Lij assures me, his voice gentler now. "That's why we're taking you to him." He hugs me, his small frame holding me tightly.
"Thanks." My voice is choked as I bite back a sob.
"Hey, what are friends for?" After giving me a brief kiss on the cheek, Lij smiles. "Besides which, we love Viggo, too. We want to make sure he's okay almost as much as you do."
Dom grabs his car keys, and we all pile into the sedan. I'm sandwiched between Sean and Billy, and Sean squeezes my hand in reassurance. "He'll be fine," he tells me. I just nod.
*****
The three-hour drive is unbearable. An uncomfortable silence hangs in the stale air of the car, broken only once when Billy suggests we tell our favorite stories of being around Viggo. After I snap at him, reminding him that Viggo's not dead, the silence returns once more. Dom navigates his way to the small hospital, and my legs feel like they weigh a ton as I climb out of the car.
"Hey, Billy," I say softly as we walk towards the hospital. "I didn't mean to yell at you before."
"No worries," he tells me.
I just nod and follow the hobbits through the automatic doors of the emergency room. Fran's waiting for us, smiling warmly and giving me a hug. "He's okay, Orli," she assures me. "Just a little banged up. He's on the fourth floor."
The elevator doors open with a soft 'ping' and I practically race out of them, barreling into Pete. "Where is he? What room? I need to see him."
"Whoa, calm down, Orlando," Pete says.
"No! Look, you shouldn't let him do all of his own stunts, you know! And whose brilliant idea was it to make him Aragorn fall in a river in the first place? It's not even in the bloody book!"
"Orli, this isn't anyone's fault," Sean rebukes me. "It was an accident."
"Look, I'm sorry, it's just –"
"Don't worry, Orlando." Pete puts a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Come on, I'll take you to his room."
I just nod and shuffle down the hallway. What the hell possessed me to yell at Pete like that? I really don't lose my temper, and Pete didn't do anything to hurt Viggo. We reach the door, and I knock tentatively.
"Yeah?" My breath quickens at the sound of Viggo's voice; it's a little strained, but that doesn't matter to me..
"Go on," Pete urges me. "I'll be in the waiting room if you need anything.
Nodding in gratitude, I open the door and walk into the room. Viggo's lying in bed, wearing one of those hideous hospital gowns and writing in a journal. "Orli?" he asks, surprised. "What are you doing here?" His face is a bit bruised, and there's a cut right below his hair, but he still looks beautiful to me.
"What do you think I'm doing here?" I ask, forcing a smile onto my face. "Visiting you."
"But I told Pete not to call you."
"Why?" I sit down next to him, taking his hand.
"I didn't want you to worry." His hand squeezes mine and he smiles a little.
"Too late."
"I guess I need you around to take care of me, huh?"
My smile is genuine this time. "And people say *I'm* the daredevil in this relationship."
"Are you okay?"
"Me?"
"Yes, you, Orli. Are you okay?"
"Well, I had a freak-out or two and yelled at Pete," I admit. "But other than that, I'm fine. Viggo, what happened?"
"I guess there was a rock that no one saw, and I hit the side of my face on it and went underwater. I tried to cry out, but I was already under, and I swallowed all this water and blacked out for a minute. All I could think about was you and Henry."
"Vig . . ." My voice trails off and I climb onto the bed next to him, curling up against his body. I feel like a little kid, but he doesn't seem to mind. "Don't ever scare me like that again." I kiss his bruises tenderly.
"I won't."
"You should call Henry."
"Later. It's the middle of the night in Los Angeles."
"Okay."
We lay like that for a minute before there was a loud knock at the door. "Can we come in yet?" Lij cried impatiently.
Viggo raises an eyebrow. "You had to bring them with you."
"Well, they wouldn't let me drive down here. And besides,
they kept me from going out of my mind until I got here."
"Hey, are you guys shagging or something? Come on!" Dom says.
"Oh, fine, come in," Viggo laughs.
Four hobbits run into the room, and Dom pries me off of Viggo so he can hug him. "You ruined our Saturday," he says affectionately. Viggo chuckles and sits up.
Pete walks in with the doctor, who quickly looks over Viggo's face. "How are you feeling, Mr. Mortensen?" she asks.
"I think I'll live," Viggo laughs.
"We're just going to keep you here overnight for observation, but you should be fine to go home tomorrow."
"And don't worry about filming," Pete interjects. "Wait until the bruises clear up."
"At least you have some cute cheerleaders here," the doctor says, gesturing to myself and the hobbits. "We should all be so lucky." With a wink and a smile, she leaves the room, and I sit down next to Viggo again.
"I think she has a crush on me," I whisper. Viggo grins and laces our fingers together.
"I can't blame her."
"Oh God, here comes the mushy stuff," Billy groans, looking at us.
"You're just jealous," I tease.
"Contrary to what you might think, not everyone's trying to get into your pants, Orli."
"Yeah, but Viggo looks pretty sexy in that gown," Lij sniggers.
"Seriously, though, are you alright?" Dom asks, his gray eyes still concerned.
"Yes," Viggo assures him.
A few minutes later, everyone clears out, leaving me alone with Viggo again. "Are you going back to Wellington tonight?"
"I don't know."
"You should, Orli. I'm exhausted, and I'll be back in the morning. There's no sense in you staying at a hotel tonight."
"I was really scared," I admit. "Even when Pete said you'd be okay . . . I had to see you myself, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." At my frown, he strokes my cheek. "Hey, don't be upset. I'm fine, really."
"You could have gotten really hurt."
"But I didn't," he says firmly.
"I just don't think I could stand it if anything ever happened to you," I murmur. "I love you so much, Viggo."
"I love you, too. That's one thing you'll never have to worry about."
"I know."
There's a soft knock, and Fran walks in. "I think the boys are getting ready to drive back. Are you going with them?"
"Yeah." I kiss Viggo's forehead, and he squeezes my hand with a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow," I tell him.
"Tomorrow," he promises. "I'll ride back with Pete and Fran."
"Okay." I stand up and smile. "Sleep well."
"I'll try. This bed isn't exactly comfortable."
My grin widens. "Just imagine you're at home with me."
"Then I'll never get to sleep," he laughs.
"Good night, Vig." I kiss him once more, and smooth his hair back.
"Good night, love."
I walk out into the hallway with Fran, who puts an arm around my waist. "It was my brilliant idea to have Aragorn fall in a river."
I wince. "Fran, I didn't mean to get so angry."
"I know, sweetheart. Now just go home and relax. We all had a scare, but I know it affected you the most."
"Yeah."
"But there's an upside," she tells me.
"And what would that be?"
"You get to play doctor at home tomorrow."
