by Donna Flynn
Josh placed his hand on her shoulder, offering his quiet support, and looked at me with a thin smile. “Hey, Katie, I hope you get better soon. We really miss you,” he said, pulling Jess into his arms as she began to tremble and sob.
“Thanks,” I murmured, hating that Jess was so upset.
He nodded and pulled Jess away.
“You are a menace, Katie,” Chris said, taking her place. “I’m beginning to think you need twenty-four hour protection,” he said jokingly, but I could see tears forming in his eyes as he kissed my cheek then moved away.
Chad came forward, his face haggard and his eyes filled with regret. “I’m so sorry, Katie…” He broke down then, tears sliding down his cheeks as his body shook. Josh and Chris rushed forward and escorted him from the room, Aidan swore softly next to me, and Jess stared at me sympathetically.
“Well, I guess I must look pretty bad if just seeing me makes everyone burst into tears,” I said, trying to lighten the moment.
“You look beautiful,” Aidan’s voice echoed through my head.
Jess stayed for a little longer, but I could tell she too was upset with my appearance and was having a hard time trying to keep it together, so I feigned being tired to give her an excuse to leave. She promised to visit again and said goodbye. Josh met her at the door and whisked her away, leaving room for my family to come back inside.
“Maybe you men could go for a walk so we can help Katie clean up and change,” my mother suggested sweetly. As nicely as it was said, it was not a request and they all knew it.
Aidan kissed my lips and squeezed my hand reassuringly before following my father and brother out of the room so the females could help me get changed. Mom and Beth moved quickly to clean me as best they could and dress me in a pair of sleep shorts and a tank top. It was awkward and painful, but being clean and dressed in something other than a hospital gown made it all worthwhile.
“Now, let’s do something about that hair,” my mother said, opening her purse and pulling out a brush and several hair bands. “I think a braid will work best to keep it out of the way.”
She reached for my head but I stopped her. “Mom, Aidan likes it down, and to be honest it is more comfortable that way. Would you mind just brushing it?” She smiled and nodded, so I sat back and let her fuss, happy I was alive to let her.
“Okay, I think we can let the men back inside now,” she said when she was done.
I felt Aidan’s presence long before he walked through the door and as he spoke lowly to my father and Paul. I stared, unable to breathe as I looked upon his perfection. It was unfair that one male had the ability to affect me so easily, but there was nothing I could do: I was completely, utterly, and totally captivated by him. He lifted his head and smiled, and I knew he had once again been eavesdropping on my thoughts. I felt my cheeks warm. He came directly to my side and lifted my hand, brushing the back with his lips, both of us too caught up with one another to notice the nurse who had entered the room.
“I certainly do not want to interrupt such obvious affection, but I need to check a couple things, then you can have her back,” she said, smiling apologetically. Aidan moved back reluctantly and she winked at me, making me laugh. After checking my temperature and all the machines, she messed with some of the equipment then asked if I wanted something more for the pain. I declined, not wanting to waste a moment of time with Aidan, but he knew I was in pain and insisted I take the medication.
“You’re in pain, take the medicine. I promise I will be here when you wake.” He turned to the nurse, staring into her eyes for a brief moment, compelling her to give me the medicine, and she stuck the needle into the IV without another word.
“Not fair,” I told him.
He grinned wickedly. “When it comes to your welfare I don’t play fair.”
How could I argue with that?
The doctor came into the room, making small talk as he checked me over before turning to address my parents. “I think we can send her home tomorrow, but she will need twenty-four- hour supervision.” He looked at everyone assembled in the room and smiled. “I’m guessing that won’t be a problem?” They all rushed to assure him that I would be well cared for, and he held up a hand. “Okay, okay, if everything still looks good in the morning we will release her then.” He took one of my hands and Aidan stepped forward threateningly, but Paul placed a restraining hand on his arm. “See you in the morning, Katie. We are going to miss you around here.”
I would have liked to say the same but, in reality, I couldn’t wait to go home and hoped to never see another hospital again in my life.
Aidan came to my side, immediately taking my hand, rubbing it between his large ones as I listened to everyone making plans for my return home. All I could think about, though, was that if I went home, Aidan would leave again. As if reading my thoughts, he looked at me and whispered, “I’m here now,” before pressing his lips to the back of my hand. I leaned closer, wanting more of a kiss and he grinned. “Later, your dad is watching and he is not happy,” he whispered.
I looked to where my father stood, staring at us with a worried expression, and sat back. The pain medication they had given me was kicking in and I was beginning to feel woozy anyway so I closed my eyes and listened to them all planning until I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Chapter Sixteen
When I woke in the early morning hours Aidan was still there holding my hand, watching me sleep. He was wearing such a contented, peaceful, expression and I couldn’t help but smile. “Good morning,” I whispered.
He leaned over, gracing me with a long, searing kiss. “How do you feel?”
I couldn’t lie, since he could read my mind and would know it for what it was. “Sore, but I want to go home, so please do not make a big deal of it.” I missed my house, my room, and all the things that made me feel secure.
He frowned. “If you are in pain, it might be best to stay here longer where you can get the care you need.”
“Aidan, please, I’m going to be sore no matter where I am, and I really miss home.” I squeezed his hand and looked up at him pleadingly.
He sighed. “Let’s see what the doctor says, alright?”
“Thank you.”
“That wasn’t a yes, it was a maybe,” he reminded me.
I grinned and squeezed his hand. “Uh-huh.”
He didn’t reply but looked to the door, where my parents were entering the room followed closely by Paul and Beth.
“Good morning, darling,” my mother said, rushing to my bedside and placing a kiss on my cheek. “Did you sleep well?” I nodded, but she looked to Aidan for confirmation, smiling when he nodded too.
“Sweetheart,” my father said, brushing a kiss across my forehead, his eyes locked on Aidan’s hand twined with my own with a frown.
I felt the tension between them and knew the two of them were battling silently, despite their fake smiles for my benefit. Thankfully, the doctor entered the room, temporarily ending their little war with one another.
“So, I suppose you want to go home today,” the doctor said jovially.
“I do,” I said, praying he would allow it.
He checked my charts and did another thorough exam, which upset Aidan so much I could hear him growling in my head. My father and Paul, seeing how angry he was, moved between the doctor and him just in case, but thankfully he managed to remain in control. I was secretly so glad the man did not turn around and see the sheer rage in Aidan’s eyes, or the snarl on his lips, which would have been very hard to explain.
“Everything looks good,” the doctor said, patting my hand. “I do not see any reason for her to stay at the hospital and longer. I will get the paperwork together and let the nurses know she is being released.” He turned back to me and smiled warmly. “You are a very lucky girl. Rest, and I will see you again in my office in about four weeks.”
“Thank you,” I told him happily, overjoyed that I was going home.
Aidan pulled
the doctor aside at the door and spoke quietly to him for a brief moment before the doctor nodded and left the room. I realized he must have compelled him to move things along quickly when a nurse appeared an extremely short time later with all of the necessary forms for my release. My parents signed the forms and before long, I was in a wheelchair waiting to be escorted downstairs.
“Are you ready?” the nurse who was pushing me to the car asked.
“Oh yeah,” I said eagerly.
She smiled, obviously used to people raring to get out of there and began to push me toward the door. As we exited the room, I noted how quickly my family and Aidan fell into step around me, leaving no possible opening for anyone else to get near me. I recognized more than a few of the people we passed as the guards that Aidan had sent when he had first heard of the threat against me.
Outside of the hospital, a black SUV waited with Beth standing guard. Everyone fanned out as Aidan lifted me into the passenger side and buckled the seat belt around me.
“Are you alright?” he asked worriedly.
“I’m good,” I said reaching out and squeezing his hand. “Stop worrying.”
“I always worry about you,” he said lifting my hand and brushing his lips over my fingers, a move I was now very fond of.
My father cleared his throat behind us, and Aidan placed my hand on my lap before closing the door and walking to the driver’s side. “Let’s get you home,” he said as he started the car.
“Where are my parents?”
“They are in the car pulling out in front of us, and Paul is driving behind,” he said as he pulled out behind my mother’s black BMW.
“Is this really necessary? You killed the vampire at the accident site so there isn’t any reason for all of this security, right?”
His jaw ticked and hands tensed on the wheel. He looked at me with a frown, clearly upset with my question. “I almost lost you recently, so forgive me if I am feeling a little overprotective.”
“I’m sorry, I was just …”
He reached out and took my hand in his own, his expression softening. “I will not leave you unguarded again. This incident has shown us how vulnerable you are, and I can’t…no…I won’t, allow you to be harmed because of your association to me.”
I didn’t say anything more. It was clear he blamed himself for what had happened, which I found ridiculous. I didn’t blame him, and I didn’t want him blaming himself either, but I would save that talk for a later time when he was a little less stressed. Instead of responding, I closed my eyes and let him focus on his driving, fighting to ignore the pain that just the slight movement of getting settled in the car had stirred.
*****
We arrived at home, and Aidan lifted me gently from the car and carried me into the house. I tried to suppress my reaction to the agonizing pain his every step caused my abused body, but I could tell he was aware. His face was taut with worry and he took slow, deliberate steps that I knew had to be very hard for one used to traveling faster than the human eye could comprehend.
Once in my room he laid me carefully in the bed, holding me up as my mother tucked the pillows up behind me until I was comfortable. When she finished fussing, he brushed my lips gently with his own then pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat down, taking my hand once again.
My mother and Beth went to work unpacking all of the things I had accumulated in the hospital while my father hovered nearby, alternating between watching me worriedly and glaring at Aidan. Paul, much to my relief since I didn’t need another male posturing in the room, left to make sure security was in place the way he wanted it.
“Katie, honey, I’m going to make you some lunch. Is there anything special that you want?” my mother asked after finishing her task.
“Just some toast and tea would be great. Thanks.”
“You need to eat more than that,” she huffed.
“I’m a little tired, Mom, but I will eat a big dinner. I promise.” It wasn’t a lie; I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to rest.
“Well, alright, but I’m keeping you to that,” she said, looking at my father, who was still standing guard next to me. “Why don’t we let her rest some while we fix dinner?” she asked him.
Now I knew he wasn’t going to have a hand in preparing my food and so did she, so she was either trying to give Aidan and I time alone, or she was afraid they might kill each other in her absence. Personally, I was betting on the second by the feel of the tension in the room.
“I’m going to find Paul,” Beth said, swiftly exiting the room behind them, clearly feeling like a third wheel.
“Do you need anything?” Aidan asked at my side.
“No, I’m fine,” I assured him. He sat back in the chair, holding my hand as if planning to stay, and although there was nothing more I wanted than to be with him, I was sure he had other things to do. Besides that, I knew I had to look wretched, and his warm gaze focused upon my bruised and battered face made me uncomfortable. “Aidan, you don’t have to sit here. If you have something to do, I will be fine here, by myself.”
He looked at me as if I had lost my mind. “The only thing I need to do right now is take care of you. That is the most important thing in the world,” he said earnestly.
“I’m alright; you do not need to coddle me,” I argued, but that only seemed to irritate him.
“You’re not alright,” he growled. “Look at you!” He glanced painfully at my casted leg and then looked back at my face, wincing as he caressed my cheek.
“Do I really look that bad?” I whispered. I had yet to find the nerve to look in a mirror so all I had to go on was how others reacted, and so far it hadn’t been positive.
“To me, you will always be perfect. No one could ever look better.” His voice broke and his hand began to shake. “If anything would have happened to you, I don’t…”
My mother came through the door so his thought went unfinished, but I could see the troubled expression on his face as he settled back in his chair.
“Here you go, honey,” my mother said, placing a tray over my lap.
“Thanks,” I mumbled, any appetite I had completely gone. I nibbled the toast and sipped the tepid tea as she sat and watched, but all I wanted was for Aidan to stop looking at me with such sorrow. After a few bites, she handed me some pills that I swallowed without complaint, and when I pushed the tray away she took it and left the room. I lay back against the pillows, crying out as a sharp pain raced up my leg. Aidan fussed over me, helping me get comfortable, before sitting back in the chair to watch over me.
With the help of the pain meds, it did not take long for me to fall asleep. But instead of the restful healing sleep I needed, my sleep was plagued by memories of the accident. I found myself once more yelling for Chad to stop. I could see the dark figure laughing as the car swerved then rolled down the ravine, hitting the tree. I relived the immense pain I felt as the vampire ripped me from the car and the impact as my body hit the tree and crumpled to the cold earth. I whimpered loudly, unable to stop the pain and terrified that this time I might indeed die.
“Katie, it’s okay… Wake up!” I struggled to open my eyes and found Aidan standing over me his face, pinched with concern. “Are you okay?”
“I was remembering the accident,” I mumbled, tears rolling down my cheek.
“I wish I could take it all away for you,” he said sadly.
His sorrow made my heart ache. I reached up, feathering his cheek with my hand. “You could not have changed anything; it was a miracle you were so close. Paul and Beth were right behind us and you beat them to me, so stop blaming yourself for things you can’t control.”
“I am to blame. This is because of who I am, and I never wanted you to suffer because of what you are to me,” he told me, his lips brushing mine.
“What am I to you Aidan?” I murmured. “Explain, let me in.”
“I can’t, not yet. I promised I’d wait.”
I sighed and twined my fin
gers in his hair pulling him closer. “Tell me,” I insisted.
“I can’t,” Aidan sighed, pulling back suddenly.
I looked up at him in confusion, wondering what had made him pull away, but as if to answer my unasked question, my father walked through the door. I realized that Aidan must have heard him coming. I looked at my father and saw the concern on his face. I knew he was aware of how close we had been and that it was not going to endear them to each other.
“I came to see if you needed anything?” he said gruffly.
I decided to act as if nothing had been going on and hope for the best, despite the anger I felt between them. “I think I’m good. Mom already brought me something to eat and I took some meds.”
“Okay then, I’ll be right downstairs if you need me.” The parting look he gave Aidan was filled with censure and barely concealed rage, and I felt Aidan tense next to me.
“What’s going on between you and my dad?” I asked.
“He knows what is between us and he doesn’t want to acknowledge it.” I sighed and he tightened his grip on my hand. “It’s not something you can change, so don’t worry, okay?”
I decided to heed his advice for the moment, but I knew that very soon we were going to have to straighten it all out. I couldn’t continue to live with the two of them warring all the time.
I sighed and he looked worried. “What are you thinking about?
“You mean you don’t already know?”
He smiled and stroked my fingers nervously. “I can only hear your thoughts when you’re not blocking me.”
I struggled to sit up, fascinated by this new information. “What do you mean?”
“At the hospital you were in a lot of pain, so they drugged you. I could hear your thoughts then because your natural defense was down, but now that you are feeling stronger and are not so heavily medicated it is not as easy.”
That shed some light on why my father had been so agitated when he had come in on us talking mentally. “So my Dad is mad because he doesn’t want you in my head.”