OnlyYou

by Laura Glenn

  He leaned toward her and whispered into her ear, “I have another scar from a bullet wound on my right thigh but I will wait until we are alone to reveal it to you.”

  Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, attempting to draw his attention away from the blush she could feel creeping into her cheeks. She saw him wince slightly as he shifted his weight and she was immediately reminded of the task at hand. She took a deep breath and steeled herself as she straightened her back and moved toward his arm.

  She simply couldn’t stick a needle into this man. Especially one that was most likely crawling with hundreds of different types of infectious agents.

  But how on earth was she supposed to sterilize anything in this chaos? Water would take too long to boil and there wasn’t a bottle of rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide in sight.

  She looked around frantically. There had to be something she could use. Her eyes landed upon a campfire just a few feet away. Would some sort of heat kill any potential pathogens on the needle?

  It was better than nothing, she finally decided. As long as she didn’t burn her fingers off while trying.

  “Hold on a minute,” Kaitlyn said to Gabriel as she hopped up and ran over to the campfire. Holding the needle at the far end, she passed the point several times through a small flame toward the edge of the campfire.

  She silently prayed that the heat from the fire had done the trick and quickly made her way back to Gabriel’s side.

  “What the hell were you doing, woman?” he asked, cocking one of his eyebrows. The look on his face suggested that he thought she had just gone completely looney.

  She narrowed her eyes and stared at him. “Look, now’s not the time to explain germ theory to you, okay? Just trust me. Dirty needles can cause infection.”

  The look on his face softened and he nodded. “All right.”

  She touched the tip of the needle to his skin, right above the wound. Tears began to fill her eyes and her hand flew to her mouth to trap the sobs that were threatening to spill forth. She couldn’t do this. She just couldn’t.

  “Hey, now, love,” he crooned, wiping one of her eyes with his thumb. “You are liable to sew your finger to my arm with these tears blinding you.”

  Half sobbing, half laughing, Kaitlyn wiped her other eye with the back of her hand and took several deep breaths in order to regain control. His humor filled her with warmth and his concern for her, rather than for his own discomfort, inspired her to do the same.

  But what she wouldn’t give for some antiseptic or a trained twenty-first-century medical professional at that moment. What if the needle carried a horrible rotting flesh disease or she sewed through a nerve in his biceps that paralyzed his arm? The cacophony of worst-case scenarios spinning through her head started to become a blur. She had to get ahold of herself. Gabriel needed her.

  Inhaling once more, she bent her head to the task and sank the needle into his flesh. The feel of the needle sliding into the skin caused bile to rise in her throat. She swallowed hard and attempted to detach herself emotionally from the task and ignore the alien feelings in her fingers.

  After several torturous minutes, Kaitlyn was able to knot the thread and snip it with the scissors. Sitting back on her heels once again, she heaved a sigh of relief as she tried to push aside the feelings of her stomach still roiling inside her abdomen.

  “Gabriel!” came Eileen’s voice from somewhere behind her.

  Eileen dropped a pile of bandages beside Kaitlyn and gave her brother a hearty kiss on the cheek. “Thank heavens you are not terribly injured! Mama will still be beside herself, of course but—”

  “We will not be telling Mother,” Gabriel instructed with grim determination, his tone leaving no room for argument. “I am fine. She need not know about this.”

  Eileen’s shoulders sank as she gazed at him, worry evident in her brow. “And if it becomes infected like last time? You almost died, Gabriel.”

  “Enough,” he grumbled, casting a quick glance at Kaitlyn who immediately tore her watery eyes from his.

  Gabriel was impressed with Kaitlyn’s fortitude. She had stayed with him, even though he practically demanded she leave. He had not wanted her anywhere near the aftermath of this battle. He knew she was not used to such sights and felt the need to protect her, thinking she would not be able to handle the violent images. But she rose to the occasion and proved him wrong. She put aside her own fears to sew up his wound, despite her obvious reluctance. Yes, he had to coax her into it but he knew she was strong enough to handle it when she did not run away from his injury. Instead she dropped to her knees before him, her face filled with compassion and fear.

  Eileen began bandaging his arm. The pain was already starting to subside into a dull throb. He kept his eyes on Kaitlyn who was staring at her bloodied hands lying motionless in her lap. His heart felt full as he gazed at her, watching the fascinating play of emotions across her face.

  Within minutes, Eileen had finished the bandages and had fashioned a sling for his arm. Gathering up her things, she gave Kaitlyn an affectionate rub on the back before heading off to perform the task for another wounded man.

  Gabriel and Kaitlyn sat in silence, barely aware of the chaos surrounding them. He eyed her warily as her eyes widened in fear and her skin took on a sickly pallor. The moment her hand flew to her mouth, he sprang into action.

  He lifted her by her elbow with his good arm, determined to save her the embarrassment of becoming ill in front of everyone. “Just hold on, love,” he said, as he took her by the hand and began leading her through the crowd toward the grove of trees near the house.

  As soon as they reached the shelter of the trees, Kaitlyn fell to her knees. Grabbing her hair and pulling it back, she lurched forward and began vomiting onto the ground. Gabriel crouched down beside her, rubbing her back as her body became afflicted with heave after heave.

  After several minutes, Kaitlyn fell back onto her heels, feeling emotionally and physically spent. She watched as Gabriel pulled his shirt over his head and injured arm. He then flipped it around until he found a relatively clean spot and mopped her brow with it.

  “Do you feel better?” he asked, smiling gently.

  She nodded, glancing at him sheepishly. His shirt smelled like a horrendous cross between a football player’s locker and a shooting range but she was able to keep her nose from crinkling up too much as she gratefully accepted his thoughtful ministrations.

  He helped her to her feet and guided her toward the house. She immediately began to feel selfish for not thinking of his comfort. Here she was vomiting at the memory of sewing flesh together and he was the one who deserved attention. After all, he had just lived through being wounded in battle, having some doctor dig around in his arm and then having her stick a needle through him.

  And what did he do? He worried about her. He made sure she was comfortable.

  He rubbed her back as she vomited at his feet.

  Her heart immediately lightened and she threw her arms around his waist, not caring who saw them or what anyone thought. She had never considered in a million years that any man would ever act so selflessly toward her.

  He stumbled backward in surprise and chuckled. Wrapping his free arm around her shoulders, he placed a soft kiss upon the top of her head.

  “Miss McCann!” Mrs. Washington called from behind her.

  Startled, Kaitlyn jumped, bumping the top of her head against Gabriel’s chin. She quickly apologized and released him from her arms before turning around. Martha Washington’s eyes were wide as she disapprovingly looked Kaitlyn up and down.

  “I do believe, Miss McCann, that your services can be better used elsewhere,” the older woman coolly stated as she straightened her back.

  Kaitlyn’s face heated in embarrassment at being caught throwing herself at Gabriel. Under normal circumstances, she would have found it amusing to be reprimanded by the future first lady of the United States. However, considering the brutality of her surroundings, she felt horr
ible at forgetting why she was asked to be out there.

  “Of course, Mrs. Washington,” she replied, feeling immediately contrite.

  “Are you doing well, Captain O’Connor?” the older woman asked, looking past Kaitlyn.

  “I am, madam, thank you,” he dutifully replied.

  Mrs. Washington nodded and motioned for Kaitlyn to follow. As Kaitlyn began to walk away, she glanced over her shoulder, managing a small, tentative smile.

  Gabriel simply stared after her, his brown eyes sparkling with affection. She tore her eyes away from him, a small part of her still unsure if the tender look in his eyes wasn’t something she was imagining. After all, for all she knew she was actually lying in a coma in some hospital and this whole thing was nothing more than a dream.

  But for the first time she desperately prayed that it wasn’t.

  Chapter Seven

  Kaitlyn was living in a nightmare.

  Hunched over like a woman more than four times her age, she wearily climbed the stairs with only a single candle to light her way. Every muscle in her body ached with every step she took. For hours, she had tirelessly worked beside Mrs. Washington, cleaning and bandaging wounds, feeding weakened and weary soldiers and even sewing up more injuries. Little had she known during her sewing lessons a few days ago that she would be called upon to use those newly found skills on human flesh.

  Even after the countless wounds she had seen and had stitched together, the utter wretchedness of the task still assaulted her. Fortunately, she had nothing left in her stomach after that embarrassing moment in front of Gabriel, so, thankfully, the other men didn’t have to deal with a woman vomiting on them. Mrs. Washington had attempted to get her to eat something a few hours ago but Kaitlyn had refused, knowing exactly where that food would end up.

  Mercifully, she had managed to keep her tears at bay, telling herself that, as soon as she was alone, she could open the gates and allow them to fall freely. However, now she simply felt numb, unable to call the tears up even if she had wanted to.

  She quietly walked into her bedroom, knowing that Eileen was probably sound asleep in their bed by now. The poor girl had worked just as tirelessly as Kaitlyn that day but was able to go to bed a half hour before due to Kaitlyn helping the general’s wife with one last wounded soldier.

  Eileen was indeed sound asleep. Her clothes lay in a heap at the foot of the bed and Kaitlyn immediately stripped off her shoes and stockings, adding the latter to the pile.

  She could hear Harriet padding down the corridor and she turned, greeting the older woman with a weak smile. Harriet smiled back and immediately crossed the room to pour a pitcher of fresh water in the water basin. She then unlaced Kaitlyn’s stays and helped her out of her blood-encrusted skirts.

  As Kaitlyn stripped off the rest of her clothing, Harriet pulled a fresh nightgown out of the wardrobe and handed her a washcloth. Kaitlyn shivered and thanked her, never having before felt so grateful for clean clothes and a bowl of water.

  Silently, Harriet gathered the pile of dirty clothes and left the room, carefully closing the door behind her.

  Kaitlyn sighed lightly and dipped the washcloth in the cool water of the basin. She began scrubbing her skin vigorously, almost as though she could wash away the horrible memories of what she had seen. Over and over, she rinsed the cloth and rubbed her skin. Though she could barely see it in the dim light, she could imagine how dark and dirty the water was becoming.

  What she wouldn’t give for a nice hot bath in a bubble-filled tub…

  She turned her attention to her nails, holding them near the candle. They were caked with dried blood from who knew how many men. Twenty-first-century health officials would have had a field day with the unsanitary conditions of the makeshift field hospital. She began scrubbing her nails with the washcloth, uncertain if she was accomplishing much in the dimly lit room. After several minutes of trying, her arms fell to her sides in exhaustion and she made a mental note to steer clear of all food until she had found soap to give her hands a good scrubbing in the morning.

  Kaitlyn turned and looked at the bed. She watched for a few moments as Eileen’s chest rhythmically rose and fell as she breathed. Suddenly, Kaitlyn didn’t want to crawl into bed.

  At least, not into this bed.

  The need to feel Gabriel surround her with his strong, protective arms crept into every one of her thoughts. She needed him like she needed air to breathe. She felt so safe with him, so serene and peaceful. Though sometimes it irked her, his commanding presence would serve as her bit of calm after the storm.

  She immediately blew out the candle and crossed the room, slipping out the door and into the hallway. Without knocking, she opened Gabriel’s door and walked in, cautiously closing it behind her.

  She was silent as she made her way to the bed, unwilling to wake him if he was asleep. She peered at him through the darkness. His eyes were closed, his face completely tranquil.

  “Gabriel,” she whispered, rubbing her arms briskly to ward off the chill in the room. “Gabriel.”

  Unexpectedly, he reached out his arm to her without opening his eyes. She eagerly took his hand and carefully climbed over him. Slipping under the covers, she settled into the crook of his arm and laid her head upon his bare chest. She felt him brush a light kiss across the top of her head.

  “What took you so long?” he whispered into her hair.

  Without warning, the events of the day rushed in and opened the dam to her emotions. Deep sobs racked her body as hot tears began rolling down her cheeks and splashing onto Gabriel’s chest. All her fears and all the anguish and death she had been witness to came flooding back.

  His arm tightened around her, plastering her against his side. He said nothing more and simply held her in the darkness, sheltering her during the storm of emotions ripping through her.

  * * * * *

  Light gently filtered around the curtains, coaxing Kaitlyn out of her fitful slumber. She stretched her legs, pointing her toes toward the foot of the bed as she softly groaned, rubbing the side of her face against something warm and solid.

  She felt a large hand caress her back and she jumped. Her eyes flew open and landed on the amused grin of Gabriel. She sighed and relaxed her shoulders, allowing herself to lie down on his chest again. She had forgotten about crawling into bed with him the night before. She wasn’t certain how long she had sobbed against him. In fact, she wasn’t even certain that she had even stopped before falling into a dead sleep.

  “Do you feel better this morning?” Gabriel asked, stifling a yawn.

  Kaitlyn nodded and propped herself up on her elbow so she could look down at him. “More importantly, how do you feel?” she asked, hoping the pain in his arm had subsided.

  “Not too bad.” Lightly tracing her spine with one fingertip, he sent shivers coursing through her.

  She smiled contentedly at him, wanting to melt into his warmth and affections. She caressed his cheek, the stubble on his face scratching her palm. “Are you going to be okay? I mean, is this a serious injury, do you think?”

  He laughed gently, the sound filling her with delight. “Did you not hear me yesterday? I believe I said several times that I would be fine.”

  She shrugged as her vulnerability came floating to the surface. “I guess I just need to keep hearing it.”

  “Then I shall repeat it as often as you like,” he replied, his voice low and throaty. Threading his fingers through her hair, he placed his hand on the back of her head and drew her toward him.

  Quivering, she parted her lips slightly as he pressed his lips gently to hers. Sighing into his mouth, she surrendered to the sweetness of his slow, drugging kiss.

  Gabriel’s hand slid down her back, sending tiny jolts of electricity through her body. She moaned and deepened the kiss as he squeezed her ass. Slipping her tongue between his lips, she became acutely aware of the slow, deep throb in her pussy. She covered his body with the length of hers, careful to avoid his injured arm a
nd reveled in the feel of his hard cock pressing into her abdomen. She immediately felt her slit moisten in anticipation.

  He clutched at her nightgown, dragging it up her thighs until her backside was exposed. She spread her legs as he rubbed her ass cheek, his fingers digging into the soft flesh. She whimpered and rocked her hips against his.

  Gabriel shifted his weight under her, almost as though he was trying to flip her onto her back and suddenly grunted in pain. He fell back against the pillow with a frustrated sigh.

  She gasped and immediately sat up, straddling his hips. “Did I hurt you?” she asked, anxiously glancing at his bandaged arm.

  He shook his head and grinned boyishly. “I momentarily forgot about the bullet wound.”

  “Maybe I should just leave and go get dressed,” Kaitlyn said, worried that he could tear open the stitches if they continued.

  “No, stay,” he insisted as he firmly grabbed her thigh.

  Kaitlyn’s eyes flitted to his arm once again, uncertain that she should even consider his request. “Gabriel—”

  He rotated his hips, pressing his erection intimately against her pussy. She groaned in reaction, quickly realizing that the only thing separating them was the fabric of his breeches. She began rocking her hips back and forth, rubbing her labia up and down the length of his shaft. Her clit throbbed and she could feel her juices flowing rapidly.

  His lips parted as he stared at her, his eyes ablaze with passion. He forcefully grabbed her hip and ground his cock into her. “I want to fuck you,” he said in a ragged whisper.

  She bit her lower lip and nodded, pushing aside all of the concerns she had had about it. She wanted to feel him inside her, to get as close to him as possible. Nothing else mattered at that moment.

  He slid his hand under her nightgown and began rubbing his thumb back and forth along the top of her pubic bone. “Take it off,” he instructed.