Her eyes scanned the space, the dim lighting illuminating what appeared to be a hospital room. She felt like little men were running around inside her head, pounding tiny hammers in a constant rhythm that scrambled her thoughts. She didn’t remember anything about her rescue. Raelyn sucked in a deep breath and released it slowly. Panicking wouldn’t help her right now.
She flinched as she moved her arm, the I.V. pinching from the motion. Replacing the limb to its former position, she cautiously stretched her other arm. It was trapped, enclosed inside a strong, warm prison.
“Julian,” she whispered softly, suddenly realizing she wasn’t alone. Julian’s head rested next to their joined arms, his eyes closed. Her heart contracted as her gaze swept over him, taking in every feature of his handsome face.
How long had he been here waiting for her to wake up?
She shifted, trying to get a glimpse of the clock. Julian stirred, his eyes fluttered open then widened in surprise.
“Raelyn,” he shot up into a sitting position. His eyes scanned her from head to toe. “You’re awake.”
“How long was I out?” she asked hoarsely. Her throat was dry, and her voice sounded like gravel. She reached for the plastic cup on the bedside table. Julian grabbed it first and directed it to her mouth. He held the straw for her while she took slow sips, her hand covering his.
“Almost six hours,” he answered, placing the cup back on the bedside table. He sat back in his chair while never letting go of her hand. “You’ve got several stitches from a cut on your forehead along with a few bruises on your arms and legs. Thankfully, nothing’s broken.” His thumb absently ran over her knuckles as he talked. “You’ve suffered a concussion. Everything’s fine, but they want to keep you here overnight for observation anyway. Your mother was here earlier. I had Hineker bring her home so she could get some rest.”
He brought her hand up to his lips, kissing her knuckles softly. “I should go tell one of the nurses that you’re awake.” He paused, his eyes locked with hers. Her heart swelled underneath his intense gaze.
“I’m so glad you’re alright.”
Uncertain how to respond, she nodded meekly. Her head protested the movement. He squeezed her hand then rose from his seat and walked out of the room.
With Julian gone, she pulled back the covers and swung her legs over the side of the bed, trying not to panic.
Stay in the hospital overnight?
Raelyn sucked in a deep breath. Sure, she had health insurance but it only covered basic care. There was no way she could afford to pay for an overnight stay.
She had to leave.
She stood quickly. The room responded by spinning in circles. She grabbed the bed’s railing to steady herself.
Okay, she just needed to move a little bit slower. She took a tentative step forward, her legs shaking like a newborn foal’s.
“Raelyn, what’re you doing?” Julian cried out from the doorway, alarmed. His steps quickened as he hurried across the room.
“I can’t stay here overnight,” Raelyn said, weakly swatting his hands away.
“Stop that.” He easily picked her up and deposited her back onto the bed. She tried to sit up and was stopped by his hand on her shoulder.
“Stay,” he growled.
Stay?
Her temper flared.
What am I, a dog?
“I’m not staying overnight,” she said vehemently.
His eyes hardened, two flecks of immovable granite. “You’ve just woken up from a concussion.” Removing his hand from her shoulder, he crossed his arms in front of his chest. “Give me one good reason why not,” he said, his voice stern.
Embarrassed to admit that money was the issue, heat rushed to her cheeks. Julian had told her that he was a wealthy man. He couldn’t possibly understand her situation. She didn’t live in poverty, but a hospital visit could easily wipe out her entire savings.
She crumbled underneath his glare. “I can’t afford it,” she reluctantly admitted.
“Don’t worry about the money,” he said, tucking her back underneath the covers. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Hello,” an unfamiliar voice called from the doorway. “Miss Bakowski, it’s nice to see that you’re awake.” A man in a white lab coat walked into the room carrying a tablet. The doctor looked to be in his mid-fifties, with a receding hairline and a little extra fat around the middle. Julian moved out of the way to allow the doctor to stand next to her bed. He looked up from the tablet and the greenest eyes she’d ever seen scanned her slowly. His aura glowed like a hearth fire in darkness, drawing her in with promises of warmth, love, and care. It was a gentle presence.
“I’m Doctor Bradson, your attending,” he introduced himself with a smile.
“How’re you feeling?” he asked, while shining a bright light into her eyes. His aura enveloped Raelyn in a cocoon of comfort.
“Tired,” she mumbled, her body relaxing in the doctor’s presence.
He asked her a series of questions, while checking her vital signs. With each question she felt her body sink deeper into the bed.
When did this hospital bed get so comfortable?
By the end of the exam, she could barely stay awake.
“Everything looks good. You’ll probably feel a bit sore tomorrow but you should be able to leave in the morning. I’d recommend taking it easy over the next several days. Get plenty of rest, and limit reading, driving, and watching television or viewing computer and phone screens as much as possible.”
Raelyn yawned, her eyelids too heavy to keep open any longer. She felt so tired.
“For now, get some rest,” Doctor Bradson encouraged, his voice kind and tender. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Thanks, Doc,” Julian said, shaking the physician’s hand. The two men walked towards the door, the soft cadence of their voices lulling her to sleep.
◆◆◆
Raelyn took a bite of her breakfast and let out a moan of pleasure. The praline-pecan French toast was sinfully delicious. She chewed slowly, savoring every single bite.
Chocolate chip pancakes, bananas foster Belgian waffles, bread pudding with salted caramel, each day the breakfast Hineker prepared was better than the last.
She glanced over at Julian sitting beside the bed on one of her kitchen chairs, a fold-up table in front of him. She didn’t understand how he could eat like this every single day and stay in such good shape.
After her discharge from the hospital, Julian brought Raelyn back to her apartment where he remained a constant presence at her side. The first few days she’d mostly slept or listened to Julian read out loud, while her body worked on repairing itself. As her energy levels improved they moved on to board games and cards or just simply talked.
Well, she talked, Julian listened. She shifted her eyes to the side, sneaking a peek at him again. Her heart filled up with a warmth that she could no longer deny. When it came to casual conversation she’d never been able to manage more than a few fumbling words, until now. Around Julian everything flowed from her lips. He would listen with infinite patience, offering nods of encouragement and understanding as she spoke.
It was one of the many things she loved about him.
Raelyn froze, her fork halfway to her mouth.
She loved him.
Raelyn put the fork down and hastily grabbed the glass of water. She drained it in one long gulp. Julian continued to eat his breakfast, oblivious to the mini panic attack she was trying to hide.
I love him.
Raelyn gripped the glass harder as she tried to rein in her alarm. She was crazy to fall in love with someone that she barely even knew. Too bad she’d gone and done it anyway.
She stared at her plate of food, sorting through her jumbled thoughts. Falling for Julian’s good looks had been easy, he was very attractive. The line of heads that turned whenever he passed through a crowd was testament to that.
Plus, he was an amazing lover. Raelyn blushed, sex with Julian
was the best she’d ever had. But Julian was more than a hot-looking man that gave her mind-altering sex. Over the past week she’d learned that he possessed a kind and caring nature. He was also patient and a good listener. He’d even tried to help her manage her gifts.
She couldn’t have imagined a man better than Julian.
She had just one little problem. He didn’t live in Tennessee. She also didn’t know if he felt the same way about her.
A lump formed in Raelyn’s throat.
Okay, so that was two little problems.
Okay, two big problems.
Two very big problems.
An unease settled in the back of her mind. There was something about Julian that she was forgetting about. It was something important.
A knock sounded on the apartment door, interrupting Raelyn’s thoughts. A moment later her mother walked into the room with Hineker trailing behind her. The assistant and her mother had quickly fallen into a routine. Colleen stopped by to check-up on her before work and Hineker served her coffee and a fresh-baked treat that had become a daily pleasure.
Seriously, if Hineker ran a bakery he’d have a line of people waiting outside his door every single day. Raelyn couldn’t blame her mother for wanting to grab one of Hineker’s freshly baked goods. Hineker’s culinary skills were out of this world.
“Good morning, Mrs. Bakowski.” Julian rose from his seat. He took the tray with him and headed towards the kitchen to allow Raelyn and her mother some privacy. Colleen thanked him with a smile before taking the empty seat.
Hineker placed a covered tray in front of Colleen. “A treat for my sweet,” he purred, lifting the lid of the tray to reveal today’s special—chocolate swirl brioche.
“Oh, Hineker, you really know how to please a woman,” Colleen said, a beaming smile on her face.
“You have no idea,” Hineker grinned wickedly.
Colleen chuckled, the sound reminding Raelyn of a nervous school girl. She grimaced at the exchange. It was a bit uncomfortable to watch someone flirting with her own mother.
“Please don’t hesitate to call if you need me,” Hineker said, giving a curt nod. His heated gaze lingered over Colleen once more before he left the two women alone.
Colleen took a bite of the brioche and closed her eyes savoring the taste. Her aura radiated happiness.
“This is delicious.”
“Hineker’s a fantastic chef,” Raelyn nodded in agreement. It didn’t matter if it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, everything she’d eaten the past few days had been absolutely amazing. So was being served in bed. A girl could become spoiled being treated like this.
“I like these two, they’ve taken very good care of you,” Collen praised the two men. She moved closer to the bed. Her aura shifted, pink appeared along the edges and rolled inward. The calm emotions gently washed over Raelyn with each pass of her mother’s fingers through her hair. There was nothing like the feeling of a mother’s love.
Raelyn closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of Colleen’s touch.
“How’re you feeling today, honey?”
“Better. A lot better.” She shifted in the bed, trying not to fidget. “How’s everything going downstairs?”
“This week’s schedule has been steady. Thankfully, Bond-Latimer’s quiet, so Shane’s been filling in for you.”
Raelyn smiled, relieved that her good friend was able to help.
“Well, I should get going,” Colleen rose from the seat. “I’ve got an early appointment today.”
The thought of working perked Raelyn up. Today she’d woken up for the first time feeling clear headed and refreshed.
It was time for her to get back to her daily life.
“I think I’ll be good to go back to work tomorrow,” she informed her mother.
“Okay, see how you feel today and we’ll talk about it later.” Colleen kissed Raelyn gently on the forehead.
“Bye, honey.”
“Bye, Mom.”
◆◆◆
Raelyn leaned her head back against the tub, enjoying the steam while the hot water soothed her achy muscles. She’d enjoyed having Julian living with her every day, but now she was feeling better. A twinge of guilt flooded through her. He’d put his own life on hold for the past week to take care of her. She couldn’t expect him to hang around her place forever. Plus, she needed to see something that wasn’t the four walls of her apartment.
She blew out a deep breath.
It was time for her to go back out into the real world.
She got out of the tub and dried herself off. From her closet she pulled out a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. She dressed slowly, trying in vain to delay the inevitable.
One thing she’d never talked about with Julian over the past week was when he was going to leave. The air around her suddenly felt heavy and a feeling of dread filled her.
She hadn’t wanted to ask, fearful of what he might say.
Halfway through braiding her hair, Trinity appeared at her side.
“Feeling better today?” the ghost asked, observing Raelyn’s state of dress.
Raelyn nodded, unwilling to trust her voice. She tried to push her negative thoughts away, but her traitorous mind wouldn’t let her. Julian would be leaving and she didn’t want him to go.
She sucked in a breath, the realization slammed into her at the speed of a freight train.
Trinity inclined her head, having noticed Raelyn’s distress. “Rae, what’s wrong?”
“I don’t want him to leave.” She turned to face her friend, voicing her feelings out loud for the first time. “I think….” Her voice trailed off, she corrected herself. “I’ve fallen in love with him.”
Trinity let out an inhuman screech that had Raelyn scrambling to cover her ears.
“Trey,” she hissed. “What the hell?”
“This is awesome!” Excited, the ghost’s image flickered.
Raelyn stared at her friend, confused. That was not the reaction she had expected.
“You’re happy about this?”
“Happy?” The ghost shook her head. “I’m not happy, I’m ecstatic. I’ve been watching the two of you. The way he looks at you, Rae, I think he’s fallen for you too.” The ghost squealed again, delighted.
Hope fluttered inside Raelyn’s chest. Then her big mouth opened, squashing it. “But he doesn’t live around here.”
“And?” The ghost shrugged. “I’m not really seeing the problem.”
“He’s going to be leaving. Going home. Going back to New Jersey.” Raelyn stared at her friend. Julian lived in a different state. Once he left, he would be there and she would still be here.
Why was Trinity not understanding this situation?
Trinity threw Raelyn an exasperated look. “I don’t understand how you can be so smart, yet sometimes you can be so dense. Haven’t you ever heard of phone calls? Text messaging? Skype? You know, the things people do when they want to have a long-distance relationship?” Trinity moved closer. “Julian leaving doesn’t mean that this thing between the two of you has to end. You’ll just have to adapt. Learn to communicate in different ways, that’s all.”
“I don’t know about that,” Raelyn said, hesitant. “He’s not the most talkative person as it is.”
“Have you tried it yet?”
“No.”
“Then how do you really know? You’ve got to give it a chance first.”
Raelyn took a deep breath. Maybe Trinity was right. Before she ruled out the possibility of things working out, maybe she should give it a try.
The nagging feeling in the back of her mind persisted. She was still forgetting something. What was it?
“You’ve got to talk to him,” Trinity said, oblivious to Raelyn’s internal struggles. “Ask him when he’s leaving. See if he’s interested in a long-distance relationship.”
Raelyn stilled, considering her friend’s words. The idea of exposing herself to rejection and failure made her stomach churn. An ugly tho
ught leapt from the dizzying pool of doubt in her mind. Confessing her feelings to Julian wasn’t the only thing making her unsettled.
“His missing aura,” she realized, earning a frown from her friend. “I’d forgotten all about it.”
Trinity tilted her head. “You still haven’t sensed anything?”
“Not even once,” Raelyn confirmed. “I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something wrong about it.”
“What?”
“I don’t know,” Raelyn shrugged. “But isn’t it odd that Julian accepted my gifts as easily as he did? He wasn’t shocked. He didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t make fun of me for it.”
No one had ever accepted her gifts so readily before.
She wanted to believe that she’d gotten lucky. She’d finally found a man that could appreciate her for who she was. Maybe even someone who could love her for who she was. Someone who thought that she was special instead of a freak. But she had to be realistic in this situation. Julian’s lack of aura was definitely suspicious. The fact that he didn’t talk about himself only added to the mystery.
“Do you think he’s hiding something?” Trinity asked.
“I don’t know,” Raelyn replied.
The two men in her apartment were a mystery that she just couldn’t seem to figure out.
◆◆◆
Julian and Hineker stood in the kitchen conversing quietly. Raelyn hesitated, uncertain if she should interrupt what looked like a serious conversation between the two. Hineker said something and Julian raised his head, his eyes landing on Raelyn. He advanced towards her. The tender look on his face made her heart flutter inside her chest.
The man didn’t have an aura. But when he looked at her like that, she didn’t need to see his aura to guess what he was thinking.
She sucked in a deep breath when he reached out and brushed a strand of hair away from her cheek. He delicately tucked it behind her earlobe, his warm fingertips felt good against her skin. She’d spent the past week in his care and her body still shivered underneath his loving touch and tender gestures.
She’d fallen hard and fast. She was in deep, even though she knew almost nothing about him. The thought of being without him made her ill. She didn’t know how she was going to survive when he left.
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