“But I just got here,” he protested.
“Now, Nathan.” It wasn’t a request; it was a demand from his mother. He couldn’t disobey that.
“I’ll be back,” he said, leaning down to kiss my forehead again before following Sarah out the door. I stared after them for a moment, then turned back to Teresa.
“All right, what in the world is going on between you two?”
I sighed as best I could, cringing a little before charging into our sordid tale. I began with him coming to work, the office romp, the growing feelings, and topped it off with the demise of “us” and ended with his declaration two days prior.
“Wow.” She sat back in awe once I was finished. “That’s quite a history you two have.” I nodded in agreement. “What now?”
“I…I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Even I could hear the sadness in my voice. I didn’t have a response. My heart still hurt so much, and I couldn’t trust him. I was angry with his declaration. Why couldn’t he have told me two weeks prior? Why did he now have a sudden epiphany and need to be with me?
“We’ve got Italian!” Nathan smiled as he walked back into the room carrying two bags, Sarah trailing behind with another bag, and Caroline bringing up the rear. “Oh, and we found Caroline.”
“Hi!” Her tone was bright as she walked over to give me a small hug. “Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?”
I groaned.
She let out a small chuckle. “I don’t think that’s a word. Can you use it in a sentence?”
“That would take more brain power than I have at the moment.”
Sarah, Teresa, and Nathan were chatting as they unloaded the bags and divided up the contents. I stared at them…well, him…and the way he interacted with them. There was an ease about him I wasn’t used to. Almost as if some cloud had been lifted from him, still guarded but somehow free.
He held two containers in his hands as he walked toward me, setting them both down on the table beside me and going back to get another object along with some utensils.
“I got you some lasagna. I figured it would be easier for you to eat,” he said, popping the lid off the containers.
The smell hit me and my stomach growled in want. He smirked, holding a fork up to my mouth. I reached for the fork and he pulled back.
“Give it to me. I can feed myself. Just set the container on my lap.” I waited, but he didn’t move, the fork still an inch from my mouth.
“First off,” he began, “the container is too hot to sit on your lap. Second, you can’t use your left arm, and you think I can’t see your right arm is stiff today? You pulled some muscles, so even if I moved the table in front of you, it would be difficult. And how are you going to cut it? Third, I’m just as f**king stubborn as you are, so open your damn mouth.” I set my jaw despite the pain, unwilling to do as he requested, and glared up at him. His hard eyes softened and he sighed. “Please, let me help you do this. I just want to help you.”
I looked over to Teresa; she was urging me with her gaze and mouthing words to me. With great reluctance my mouth crept open, and he slid the fork between my lips.
I moaned when the flavor hit my taste buds, my eyes rolling back. Two days with little food, hospital food at that, made the bite heaven and my stomach happy. My greedy mouth devoured the whole lasagna, my stomach more than full once done. Somehow, I still had room for the mini cannoli he placed at my lips; the sweetness was the perfect end to the meal.
We were all talking after eating when the nurse came in with another round of meds. Soon I found my eyelids heavy, fighting against the light.
The next time I awoke, Nathan was beside me, his fingers making light trails up and down my good arm. He was humming something, but I couldn’t make out the tune.
An involuntary twitch in my hand caused his head to rise, and he smiled when he saw I was awake. Picking my hand up, he brought it to his lips and placed a light kiss on the scrapes.
“Today any better?” he asked, his hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my eyes. His fingers lingered a while on my skin, and I leaned into his touch.
“We’ll see. It’s a little bit easier to breathe than it was four days ago, so I suppose that’s an improvement.”
“You’ll be out of here in no time,” he said. “You won’t have to worry about a thing; we’re going to take care of everything.” I looked at him in shock. He hadn’t implied what I thought he had. “We decided it’s best for you if you stay with me, where you will have friends and me to take care of you.”
My expression morphed, and I resisted the urge to yell out, knowing that would cause me great pain. “No.”
His brow scrunched in confusion. “No? No, what?”
“Look, I’m not going to f**king sit here and have everyone make decisions for me. I’m a grown woman, and I can take care of myself. I have a mind of my own; I don’t need you.”
He shook his head. “You’re not in any physical position to help yourself right now. You need round-the-clock care.”
“Well, I think I can manage to set that up myself. They have services for that.”
His spine straightened and his lip quirked up in a snarl. “Fuck services. You have friends and people who consider you family—who want to help take care of you. You can’t do it on your own.”
My teeth mashed together as I glared at him. “Like hell I can’t.”
I was about to continue, but we were interrupted by the sudden entrance of an unknown person.
“Oh, good, you’re up!” I recognized her as the woman who was with his parents a few days ago. “Lila, I brought you a change of clothes and some toiletries from your condo.”
I stared at the woman in front of me, trying to recall if I knew her. Did I have amnesia? She was addressing me as if she already knew me.
“I think I’m hallucinating. Do you see her, too?”
Nathan sighed. “Yes, she’s really there.”
“Okay,” I said and turned back to the strange woman. “Who are you, and how did you get into my condo?”
“Oh! Sorry! Erin Morgenson. I’m so happy to finally meet you.” Her hand grabbed my good one for a small shake. “Also, don’t worry, but I did some laundry so you have clean sheets, and I made sure all pathways were clear.”
“Now, Nathan.” It wasn’t a request; it was a demand from his mother. He couldn’t disobey that.
“I’ll be back,” he said, leaning down to kiss my forehead again before following Sarah out the door. I stared after them for a moment, then turned back to Teresa.
“All right, what in the world is going on between you two?”
I sighed as best I could, cringing a little before charging into our sordid tale. I began with him coming to work, the office romp, the growing feelings, and topped it off with the demise of “us” and ended with his declaration two days prior.
“Wow.” She sat back in awe once I was finished. “That’s quite a history you two have.” I nodded in agreement. “What now?”
“I…I don’t know. I just don’t know.” Even I could hear the sadness in my voice. I didn’t have a response. My heart still hurt so much, and I couldn’t trust him. I was angry with his declaration. Why couldn’t he have told me two weeks prior? Why did he now have a sudden epiphany and need to be with me?
“We’ve got Italian!” Nathan smiled as he walked back into the room carrying two bags, Sarah trailing behind with another bag, and Caroline bringing up the rear. “Oh, and we found Caroline.”
“Hi!” Her tone was bright as she walked over to give me a small hug. “Hi, sweetie. How are you feeling?”
I groaned.
She let out a small chuckle. “I don’t think that’s a word. Can you use it in a sentence?”
“That would take more brain power than I have at the moment.”
Sarah, Teresa, and Nathan were chatting as they unloaded the bags and divided up the contents. I stared at them…well, him…and the way he interacted with them. There was an ease about him I wasn’t used to. Almost as if some cloud had been lifted from him, still guarded but somehow free.
He held two containers in his hands as he walked toward me, setting them both down on the table beside me and going back to get another object along with some utensils.
“I got you some lasagna. I figured it would be easier for you to eat,” he said, popping the lid off the containers.
The smell hit me and my stomach growled in want. He smirked, holding a fork up to my mouth. I reached for the fork and he pulled back.
“Give it to me. I can feed myself. Just set the container on my lap.” I waited, but he didn’t move, the fork still an inch from my mouth.
“First off,” he began, “the container is too hot to sit on your lap. Second, you can’t use your left arm, and you think I can’t see your right arm is stiff today? You pulled some muscles, so even if I moved the table in front of you, it would be difficult. And how are you going to cut it? Third, I’m just as f**king stubborn as you are, so open your damn mouth.” I set my jaw despite the pain, unwilling to do as he requested, and glared up at him. His hard eyes softened and he sighed. “Please, let me help you do this. I just want to help you.”
I looked over to Teresa; she was urging me with her gaze and mouthing words to me. With great reluctance my mouth crept open, and he slid the fork between my lips.
I moaned when the flavor hit my taste buds, my eyes rolling back. Two days with little food, hospital food at that, made the bite heaven and my stomach happy. My greedy mouth devoured the whole lasagna, my stomach more than full once done. Somehow, I still had room for the mini cannoli he placed at my lips; the sweetness was the perfect end to the meal.
We were all talking after eating when the nurse came in with another round of meds. Soon I found my eyelids heavy, fighting against the light.
The next time I awoke, Nathan was beside me, his fingers making light trails up and down my good arm. He was humming something, but I couldn’t make out the tune.
An involuntary twitch in my hand caused his head to rise, and he smiled when he saw I was awake. Picking my hand up, he brought it to his lips and placed a light kiss on the scrapes.
“Today any better?” he asked, his hand reaching up to brush a strand of hair from my eyes. His fingers lingered a while on my skin, and I leaned into his touch.
“We’ll see. It’s a little bit easier to breathe than it was four days ago, so I suppose that’s an improvement.”
“You’ll be out of here in no time,” he said. “You won’t have to worry about a thing; we’re going to take care of everything.” I looked at him in shock. He hadn’t implied what I thought he had. “We decided it’s best for you if you stay with me, where you will have friends and me to take care of you.”
My expression morphed, and I resisted the urge to yell out, knowing that would cause me great pain. “No.”
His brow scrunched in confusion. “No? No, what?”
“Look, I’m not going to f**king sit here and have everyone make decisions for me. I’m a grown woman, and I can take care of myself. I have a mind of my own; I don’t need you.”
He shook his head. “You’re not in any physical position to help yourself right now. You need round-the-clock care.”
“Well, I think I can manage to set that up myself. They have services for that.”
His spine straightened and his lip quirked up in a snarl. “Fuck services. You have friends and people who consider you family—who want to help take care of you. You can’t do it on your own.”
My teeth mashed together as I glared at him. “Like hell I can’t.”
I was about to continue, but we were interrupted by the sudden entrance of an unknown person.
“Oh, good, you’re up!” I recognized her as the woman who was with his parents a few days ago. “Lila, I brought you a change of clothes and some toiletries from your condo.”
I stared at the woman in front of me, trying to recall if I knew her. Did I have amnesia? She was addressing me as if she already knew me.
“I think I’m hallucinating. Do you see her, too?”
Nathan sighed. “Yes, she’s really there.”
“Okay,” I said and turned back to the strange woman. “Who are you, and how did you get into my condo?”
“Oh! Sorry! Erin Morgenson. I’m so happy to finally meet you.” Her hand grabbed my good one for a small shake. “Also, don’t worry, but I did some laundry so you have clean sheets, and I made sure all pathways were clear.”
