Lauren got the kids to bed with surprising efficiency for someone on the verge of collapse. "Feel free to have a shower in the downstairs bathroom, Al," she said, "we both got a bit muddy. There are towels in the linen closet right next to it."

He took a shower because he did need one, and to have something to do while Lauren was busy, but he was uncomfortably aware that he hadn't brought a change of clothes with him, and he didn't know what he was going to put on when he was finished. He was also cognizant of the fact that this was the bathroom Lauren used when she was watching Al and Rachel over Skype, and treating them to her own show in the process. When he smelled the shower gel he was using, he realized this was the scent on Lauren's skin he'd smelled on Sunday morning, and to his embarrassment he felt himself swelling. He turned the water to its coldest setting to cool himself down.

He did find a robe hanging on the hook inside the bathroom door. An enormous robe. Yikes. It was Joe's. Still, it smelled clean, and he really didn't want to put his crusty jeans back on.

He sat perfectly still on the couch in the living room, feeling like he was naked inside a tent. It was dark, with only a few lights on in the kitchen. It was quiet. He was tired, but he felt like he might spring off the couch at the slightest noise.

Eventually Lauren crept downstairs. She was in a kimono Al had seen before in her own shows, and Al swallowed hard because she'd also had a shower; her hair was wet, and when she sat next to him he could feel the moist heat off her skin and smell the body wash she'd used, the very same he'd just used, with its pleasant fruity scent, and images of her in the shower filled his head.

"Nice robe," she said with a smirk. "Or should I say awning?"

"I forgot I didn't have anything to wear," he said sheepishly. "You might want to wash this tomorrow so Joe doesn't smell me on it."

Her smile fell away, and she nodded sadly, and he felt sorry for her.

"They passed out pretty much when their heads hit the pillows," she said. "I didn't even get to read Tosh The Runaway Bunny like I promised him I would this morning."

"I love that book," Al said. "It always makes me cry, and I'm not even a parent yet."

"Maybe you'll get to read it to a foster child if they're young enough," she said.

"Maybe." He sighed. "When I moved in with Rachel, I didn't take into account that she only had one bedroom, and that we'd need at least another if we were to foster."

"Oh, yeah."

They both stared into the darkness for a while, and Al wondered what was going on here. If he was going to go to sleep, they should say good night and get to it. She should go back upstairs.

"Funny how Naomi mentioned Joe's cop friend," Lauren said.

"Yes, that was funny," Al said. "Did you know he had a cop friend?"

"I did not."

They were silent again, and the tension was killing him. It was almost like she wanted him to say something, but he didn't know what it was.

"We recently met a cop with red hair," he said.

"We did." Her voice was very flat.

"Coincidence?" he asked.

"I don't know."

More silence. Al couldn't make himself look at her. His heart might break if he did.

"Well," he said. "Maybe things will look better in the morning. Maybe the police will find a new lead. The car tracking... maybe they'll find where they went, aside from where we suspect they did."

"Yeah. Maybe."

"In the meantime, you must be tired..."

"I am, Al. So tired. Can you... can you sleep in my bed tonight?"

Oh, fuck. "With you?" he asked, voice shaking.

"Just to sleep, Al, don't get any ideas."

"No, of course not."

"I just... I can't calm down unless I feel someone next to me. Is that okay?"

His chest swelled, and he felt tears in his eyes. "Okay. I'd do anything to help you, Lauren. You're my friend."

"Thanks, Al." She stood and offered her hand. "Come on."

He took it, and she led him quietly up the stairs, turning to him with a finger to her lips, reminding him not to alert the children, especially Naomi, who seemed inordinately suspicious of his intentions on territory rightfully belonging to her father. He didn't blame her. If she saw what he was imagining she would be chasing him out of the house with a shotgun to defend her mother's virtue. How could anyone blame him for thinking that way when Lauren was in front of him in a tiny kimono, most likely naked underneath, and he could see the swell of her bum underneath the silk?

It was an enormous bed, big enough to fit the giant that co-owned this house. Certainly big enough to leave plenty of room between two bodies. Maybe Lauren could erect a pillow wall between them.

Lauren wordlessly lifted the covers, and they slid inside. Feeling the softness of a mattress underneath him for the first time in two days, he felt sleep barrelling toward him like a freight train. He turned on the side he liked best and readied himself. "G'night, Lauren," he murmured drowsily.

"Mmmm," she replied in kind.

He was out in minutes. Later in the night, he woke with the need to empty his bladder. He slid out as quietly as he could, fumbled his way in the dark to the ensuite, located the toilet by feel, sat and did his business, then returned with the same careful navigation.

He climbed back in, and when he found his good position again he discovered Lauren had turned over and was now closer to his side. He felt the warmth emanating from her small body, and found himself more awake than he wanted to be.

She turned over again, and now she was virtually spooned against him, and this was bad. Deep in the folds of Joe's robe, he felt himself stirring.

She burbled in her sleep, said something unintelligible, and suddenly grabbed his hand to pull over her. She sighed in contentment and was still again.

Shit. Now he was wide awake, breathing in her scent, feeling her body beneath the kimono, and throbbing against the terry cloth of his robe.

What should he do? He didn't want to wake her, she was sleeping so soundly, and she needed the sleep more than he did. He just had to lie there, thrumming, and be there for her.

He didn't know how long he lay there, but light was filtering through the closed curtains by the time he felt himself doze, his arm over Lauren tingly from the awkward positioning.

Maybe a half hour later, he couldn't tell for sure, he woke to Lauren stirring beneath his arm. His eyes opened, and he blinked a few times to clear his vision. It was a little brighter in the room, and Lauren was looking at him, neck craned back from her position beside him. She looked at his arm over her, then back at him. He thought maybe he should remove his arm.

She placed her hand over his and twined her fingers with his.

She looked back at him.

He smiled at her.

She smiled sleepily at him.

Her lips parted, and she lifted her face to meet his. With both alarm and excitement mixed, he found himself leaning in toward her to meet her mouth.

Lauren's phone rang.

As if the two of them had snapped out of some hypnosis, they became aware of their surroundings and realized the inappropriateness of their situation. Al nearly leaped off the bed and Lauren scrambled to reach her phone on the night stand, hiking up the hem of her kimono so far that Al had to avert his eyes to stop himself getting flashed.

"Hello?" Lauren said.

Al watched her back, couldn't see her face, couldn't see her reaction.

Then:

"Rachel! Oh my God! Rachel! Where are you?"

Al gasped and had to stop himself from prying the phone out of Lauren's fingers. Rachel was on the phone!

"Jesus Christ! What?!" She whipped around, saw Al, and put a finger to her lips. "No. Al is here, at my place, sleeping on the couch. Maybe he doesn't hear his phone. We've been looking everywhere for you, are you okay? Is Joe with you?" She listened a little more, then nodded her head. "Okay! We'll be there right away!"

She hung up and looked at Al. "Oh my God," she said shakily.

"Where are they?" Al asked, still in disbelief that that was Rachel.

"Vancouver General. Rachel called from a payphone. Joe's in Emergency."

Al felt his stomach drop. "Is he okay?"

Lauren nodded. "He needs more monitoring but it's not serious. Rachel can probably be discharged today. She said she'd explain everything when we got there."

"They're okay," he breathed. "Oh my God, they're okay." And suddenly he began to shake, as if the spike of adrenaline he'd experienced with the ringing phone was ebbing away, leaving him spent and noodle-like.

Lauren crawled off the bed and hugged him, and they held on to each other, both shaking in each other's arms.

"I gotta... I gotta get the kids up," she muttered in a half daze against his chest. "They'll want to see their dad. No school today."

"Right. I better call in sick too."

"Me too." She looked up at him. "Um, what happened a minute ago..."

"Don't worry about it," he said. "It was just like the other morning, we were half asleep, it was cozy, we fell into patterns familiar to us with our own spouses."

She sighed and nodded. "Yeah. Exactly."

Al had to leave the bedroom to get dressed and get his phone, and the hall was a potential minefield with the kids' bedrooms just a few feet away. Lauren checked to make sure the coast was clear, and then she beckoned him out. He hurried as quietly and lightly as he could down the stairs, and then to the basement, where he found his clothes still bunched on the bathroom floor. It didn't matter now if he dressed in these. He could go and get Rachel and then go straight home to change. He couldn't believe it. She was okay, and Lauren had talked to her!

Once dressed, he checked his phone. Sure enough, there was a voicemail from an unknown number. He dialled voicemail, heard her voice and let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding.

"Al, it's Rachel. Oh, God. You must be worried sick. Where are you? Is Lauren with you? Joe and I are at VGH, we have some injuries and some exposure and are a bit dehydrated, but we're going to be okay. I'm going to call Lauren next. Al... we need to talk about something when we get home."

She hung up at that point, and Al stared at his phone, bewildered, scared of what she meant by needing to talk.

He went into his texts, saw the photo of him and Lauren, and felt a sinking in the pit of his stomach. Had she witnessed even more that night than Sunny had mentioned? Were he and Lauren in real trouble, now?

Whew! Disaster averted... at least for now. If Rachel didn't phone when she did, though... but Rachel and Joe are okay, so that's something. Before we find out a little about what happened to those two, let's visit another one of those day to day friendship moments by clicking "Continue reading." If you liked the simmering tension of what you just read, hit "Vote" and send this title up the rankings. Leave a comment and let me know what you think!