Broken Faith

by Lois Cloarec Hart

  Rhiannon slept for almost three hours, and was only awakened by a gentle shake to her uninjured shoulder, when Marika summoned her for dinner. Groggily, she allowed the lawyer to help her up again.

  "I'll meet you in the kitchen," Rhi yawned. "I just want to freshen up a bit."

  Marika nodded and left as the young woman made her way to the en suite. After washing up awkwardly, Rhi dried her face and grinned at the selection of toiletries on the counter that the lawyer had gotten for her.

  Her boss' definition of basics certainly went far beyond her own, but Rhi knew Marika was trying very hard to do her best. Her first impulse had been to find out what she owed the lawyer and pay her back, but an unaccustomed inner voice prevailed, and she decided to accept the generosity in the spirit it was offered. When her boss had accepted her thanks graciously and with obvious pleasure, Rhi knew she'd made the right choice for once.

  Maybe we can get through this without driving each other crazy. The first day went okay. Rhi's musings continued as she headed for the kitchen. I mean it's not like we're best buddies or anything, but we're getting along all right.

  The women shared another quiet meal, and Rhi was again impressed with Marika's culinary skills as she dug into the shrimp and vegetable pasta mixture. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten that well, other than the night at Lee and Dana's. Cooking, to her, was merely an inconvenience, and she kept it as simple as possible. Not that I could afford to cook like this anyway.

  After a citrus salad and coffee, Marika said, "Dana called earlier. She'll be over in about an hour to take a look at your back. Do you mind if I watch what she does so I'll know how to help you?"

  Rhi considered that. Marika had been calmly unobtrusive about the assistance she'd offered thus far, and the younger woman was growing more comfortable with the concept of her boss helping her out.

  "No, I guess not. It'd be okay."

  "Good. Want to take our coffee in and watch the evening news? I like to keep up on what's going on in the world, and I don't always have time to read the newspapers."

  The newscast was almost over by the time the buzzer rang from the lobby, announcing Dana's arrival.

  When the stocky woman came in the door a few minutes later, Rhiannon greeted her warmly, then looked past her to see if Lee was following.

  Dana grinned. "Sorry, Rhi. Your Dragonslayer was called into work this evening, so it's just me."

  Rhi blushed at being read so easily, and was glad when Marika diverted their friend's attention.

  "Since when did Lee have to work nights again? I thought being a partner in the business got her out of that."

  "Normally, yeah," Dana agreed as she crossed the room and dropped into the easy chair, accepting the coffee Marika offered. "Unfortunately, one of their employees was caught drunk on duty, and since Willem took the last one, it was her turn to catch the trouble call."

  "Let me guess," Marika said dryly, "Turner again, right?"

  Dana snorted. "Of course! That man's been trouble since the day Willem hired him. I have no idea why he insisted on keeping him on. He's given Lee more gray hairs than all their other employees combined. This time he's gone too far though, and not even Willem will be able to protect him. When Lee left tonight, she was breathing fire!"

  Rhi grinned at the image of her Dragonslayer breathing fire. As fond as she was of the big woman, she definitely wouldn't want to ever be on her bad side. Her attention was drawn as Dana addressed her.

  "So, Lady Mouse, how is our hero feeling today?" The tone was teasing, but Rhi saw the genuine concern in Dana's compassionate eyes.

  Slightly embarrassed by the hero appellation, Rhi squirmed and mumbled, "Okay, I guess."

  "She was in quite a bit of pain earlier this afternoon," Marika offered.

  Dana nodded. "To be expected for a few days, I'm afraid. Lee called Father David, who put me in touch with Dr. Mathieu. I told him I'd be monitoring Rhi's recovery, and he filled in the gaps for me. In some ways you got off lucky, but at its deepest point, you're looking at a half to three quarter inch incision. It's not going to heal overnight."

  Noticing Rhi's flinch, Dana smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry, Lady Mouse. We're going to make sure you're well cared for."

  Rhiannon mumbled an acknowledgement as Dana turned to give Marika care instructions. The young woman was somewhat dazed at this sudden turn in her life. She could remember with vivid clarity the very last day she'd felt genuinely cared for by another person, and it was over ten years ago. Now, virtual strangers were freely offering affection and concern, and she didn't know how to handle it. Rhi felt like she was in way over her head, unsure if she was drowning or being bathed in benevolence. Her instinct to accept these people at face value warred with a deeply ingrained suspicion of other's motives. She was watching helplessly as her tightly controlled life was swept away by events beyond her influence.

  Lost in her thoughts, Rhi didn't hear her name being called until a hand softly touched her arm.

  "Rhi?"

  The young woman blinked at her boss, who smiled at her woolgathering.

  "Hey, Dana was suggesting you might want to take a bath now, and then she'll show me how to clean and dress your wound."

  "Uh, okay."

  As Rhiannon stood, Dana cautioned her, "Don't get your back wet. Just wash what you can comfortably, and I'll take care of the rest."

  Marika added, "Don't forget the towels are in the linen closet, and if you want to use any of the bath oils..."

  Dana broke in. "Better to keep it plain soap and water for a few days."

  "Okay, no problem," Rhi agreed and left the two older women in the living room. Grabbing a towel from the linen closet, she started the taps running, amused by Spooky's position curled up on the thick, soft bath mat.

  "Is this your favourite place in the house?" she asked, kneeling to stroke the somnolent feline. "You might want to move, my friend. It could get pretty wet in here."

  Rhi chuckled as he stretched, and then deliberately strolled out of the bathroom as if it had been his idea to vacate the premises all along. With the tub filling steadily, Rhi began to undress and was immediately glad that the nurse who'd helped her dress that morning had decreed no bra so as not to aggravate the stitches. Her left hand was clumsy, and it took her twice as long as usual to get her buttons undone. She knew she'd have had to ask for help with a bra, and it galled the independent woman not to be able to handle such a basic task.

  Turning the taps off, Rhi carefully lowered herself into the bathtub, sighing with pleasure as the warm water gently lapped about her waist. She longed to lay back and let the last couple of days soak away, but she stayed upright and used her good hand to soap away the lingering hospital smell. Eyeing the extension hose, she was just trying to work out how to wash her hair without getting her back wet when a light tap sounded on the door frame and Dana poked her head around.

  "Okay to come in?" the stocky nurse asked cheerfully.

  "Sure," Rhi answered, drawing her knees up and leaning forward with her left arm wrapped around them. If Dana noticed her instinctive modesty, she didn't say anything as she came in and knelt at the side of the tub. Marika followed her hesitantly, but stayed back where she could see and still be out of the way.

  "Okay, sweetie, I'm going to peel this dressing off and then clean this up a bit. I'll go slowly, but you let me know if I'm hurting you."

  Rhi hunched her shoulders then relaxed a little when Dana rubbed her back lightly, well away from the wound.

  "Don't tense, Rhi, it'll just make it harder."

  She nodded, but couldn't help the involuntary stiffening as the tape was peeled away and she felt the first pressure of the washcloth. When Dana's deft touch proved gentle, the tension in her body eased.

  "You're doing great there, sweetie. Your doctor did an excellent job with the stitches, nice and small and tight. Your scar should be hardly noticeable by the time it all heals."

  Rhi listened to Dana
's soothing tones as the nurse carefully washed away the dried blood. Absently she realized that her caregiver's left hand kept stroking her back even as the right hand did the delicate work around her wound. She smiled, wondering if this was what Spooky felt like when she petted him.

  "Rika, see what I'm doing here? Once I've gotten the worst of this cleared away, you won't have as much to do next time. Just be very careful not to snag any of the stitches and keep the pressure really light."

  Letting her head drop onto her bent knees, Rhi found herself actually enjoying the procedure, and she was disappointed when all too soon Dana pronounced her done.

  "Would you like some help washing your hair there, sweetie?"

  Rhi grinned at Dana and nodded. "That'd be great. I was just trying to figure out how to do that without soaking my back."

  "Can you grab a small towel, Rika? We'll put that over it and have you lean forward. I'll use a light spray and get you cleaned up no problem." Dana unhooked the hose and began to adjust the head for the mildest flow while Marika went to get another towel.

  Between the two of them, Rhi was soon bracing herself on her left hand while Dana held the towel on her back with one hand and directed the hose on her head with the other. Somewhat to her surprise, Rhiannon realized that it was actually her boss washing her hair. With eyes closed, she enjoyed the gentle massaging and lathering. I could get to like this. Part of her mind nagged about the impropriety, but long-buried hedonistic responses reveled in the sensual pleasure.

  When she was completely clean, strong hands helped her from the bathtub and wrapped her in a bath sheet almost as big as she was. Rhi felt like a little kid as Dana brushed back her hair and impulsively planted a kiss on her wet forehead. She smiled shyly at the nurse, grateful eyes saying what she couldn't. Dana smiled back, apparently understanding the unspoken communication perfectly.

  "C'mon, let's get you settled in bed, and then I'll get Marika to do the actual dressing so she knows how to change it tomorrow."

  Marika lingered by the door, politely averting her eyes as Dana helped Rhi into her pajama bottoms and guided her between the sheets, lying on her stomach with her right arm carefully positioned by her side.

  "Okay, Rika, grab my bag and bring it here. I brought you some antibiotic ointment, Q-tips, a small roll of dressing pads and there's a big roll of surgical tape too." She grinned down at Rhi who was watching her out of the corner of her eye. "The clinic will never miss it, and I figured it was for a good cause."

  Suddenly very grateful that she could number this woman among her tiny circle of friends, Rhiannon returned the smile wholeheartedly. She rolled her head back onto the pillow and felt the mattress shift as Dana and Marika changed places beside her.

  "All right, Rika, very gently use the Q-tip to spread some ointment lightly right over the wound."

  The young woman didn't even flinch at the feather light touch, as her boss carefully did as instructed. It took about five minutes with Dana murmuring encouragement, but eventually the nurse was satisfied.

  "Well done. We'll make a nurse out of you yet," she teased. "Now cut off enough of the padding to cover the length of the wound, I'd say about eight or nine inches. Uh huh. Good girl. Now lay it over carefully, and we're going to tape it on."

  Rhi heard the ripping of tape, and then Marika's warm hands gently pressing the edges of the dressing down.

  "All right! Johns Hopkins, here you come!"

  That got a chuckle from both Rhi and Marika before Dana turned serious again. "Okay guys, one more thing. Rhiannon, I'll bet you've been minimizing the use of your arm and shoulder, right?"

  "Uh huh. It hurts like crazy if I move it too much."

  "And that's good. Pain is your body's early warning signal, and it shouldn't be ignored. However, there's also a danger that if you shy away from using it for long periods, the muscles will freeze up on you and even when the wound heals, you'll have to work twice as hard to get full use of them back."

  When Rhi looked up at the nurse in alarm, Dana soothed, "Don't worry. It just means we have some adapting to do. What I want you to work on is small passive movements, bringing your right arm forward, back and out from your body about six inches to start with. Increase the movements a little each day, as much as you can comfortably tolerate. Also, Marika, if you wouldn't mind, gently massage the muscles of her back twice a day, not touching the wound but working around the general area very softly."

  Rhi was surprised when her boss answered without hesitation.

  "I can do that. We can do it first thing in the morning and last thing at night."

  "Great. Well, why don't you start now, and I'll see myself out. You both did really well tonight. You're a good team, and I don't forecast any difficulties. Rika, Lee asked if you'd give her a call when you have a free moment tomorrow."

  "Okay, I'll call her at the office, or she can call here if she wants. I don't think we're going out anywhere."

  "Thanks, Dana," Rhi said, shivering slightly as warm fingers began a gentle stroking and probing of her shoulder, back and down her right arm.

  "You're very welcome, Lady Mouse. I'd say anytime, but I'd prefer to see you on a social rather than professional basis. You two have a good night, and if you have any problems, call me at home or work right away."

  "Thanks, Dana. You're an angel," Marika said, her fingers never pausing in their work.

  "Ah well, wait 'til I send you the bill," Dana said airily. All three chuckled and the nurse left the room.

  The room was much quieter now, and Rhi drifted on the edge of sleep, enjoying Marika's attentions. She'd never had a professional massage, but she could now understand why people enjoyed them so much. When the soft hands finally ceased their motion, she was disappointed, but only turned her head and said, "Thank you. That felt really good."

  Marika gave a low chuckle, then asked, "Would you like some help getting your top on, or would you rather do without while you sleep?"

  Rhi considered that for a moment. She really felt far too comfortable to move, but she reasoned that it would protect the wound and the dressing to add one extra layer of fabric between it and the bedclothes.

  "Mmm, guess I should put it on," Rhi conceded, rolling into a sitting position with Marika's help. It was only when her boss turned to get her top from the drawer that she realized she was sitting in front of the other woman half-naked, but then she gave a mental shrug. She saw all of me getting out of the tub. Don't think this will faze her.

  Marika carefully slid one sleeve over Rhi's right arm, pulling the fabric gently over her back and letting the young woman work her left arm into the other sleeve. Then, kneeling in front of her assistant, she began to fasten the buttons.

  Rhi watched the look of concentration on the lawyer's face, and noticed a slight tremble in the long, slender fingers as she worked the buttons. She's nervous! The realization caused an odd sense of wonder in the young woman. From the moment she'd met her boss, the woman had projected an aura of cool, impenetrable confidence and professionalism. Seeing this hint of vulnerability, Rhiannon suddenly felt protective. As the last button was closed, she laid her left hand over Marika's.

  "Thank you."

  The lawyer raised her eyes at the simple words, and the two women stared at each other before Marika smiled and nodded.

  "You're welcome. How about another couple of pain pills and then lights out? I know it's early, but I suspect a good night's sleep would be just what Dana would order."

  Rhi grinned. "Yeah, I don't think she'd be impressed if we stayed up watching midnight movies."

  Marika chuckled, then stood and retrieved a glass of water. Handing it to Rhi, she took the pill bottle from the night table, shook two of the tablets into her hand and held them out. Rhi hesitated for the barest moment, then with a tiny shrug leaned forward and nipped them off the soft palm with her mouth. Taking a deep swallow of water, she threw her head back and felt them slide down her throat. Handing the water back to the lawyer,
she was rewarded with a nod of approval.

  As she sank back into the bed, Rhi felt a strong sense of well being, and even her annoying inner voice reminding her this was just temporary wasn't enough to prevent a smile when Marika drew the covers up and gently tucked them around her.

  * * *

  "Honest to God," Lee fumed. "If Willem even thinks about countermanding Turner's firing, I'm going to hit my partner over the head. That man is an idiot! He's a bloody lost cause, and I'm not going to have him running the company's reputation down one minute longer."

  Dana sat in bed, watching her mate's angry disrobing, as Lee tossed clothes haphazardly about their bedroom. She'd been home for several hours before her partner got back from troubleshooting, and Lee was still highly agitated about the evening's events.

  Deciding the big woman had had enough time to blow off steam, she said, "Come to bed, sweetheart. You can go in tomorrow and fight with Willem. Right now you've got to calm down before you blow a gasket."

  Lee looked at her with a trace of sheepishness. "Guess I have been going on, huh?"

  "Yup," Dana agreed cheerfully, "and I certainly understand why, but I don't intend to sacrifice a good night's sleep because of your lame brained employee."

  "Ex-employee," Lee muttered, but she finished stripping off her clothes and slid under the covers with her mate.

  Dana gratefully snuggled into the large, warm body, relishing the strong arms that wrapped around her and held her close. They were silent for long moments, enjoying the peace that slowly settled over them, when Lee asked, "How it'd go over at Rika's tonight? Everything all right?"

  "Uh huh," the nurse murmured sleepily. "I showed her how to clean and dress Rhi's wound, and suggested a routine of slow, passive movements to keep her arm from freezing up. I also indicated that it might be a good idea if Marika massaged Rhi's shoulder and back twice a day."

  There was a beat of silence and Dana grinned to herself.

  "Um, how is that supposed to help the wound?"

  The nurse couldn't help a small giggle. "Oh it might not do much for the wound, but I suspect it'll do wonders for their relationship."