by Karin Baine
Giles slurped his coffee and Ed was sure he was doing it only to make him jealous. He wasn’t the kind of person to make enough for anyone else who might be in dire need.
‘It’s just that you’ve been mainlining caffeine since you got here and I’m sure you’re wearing the same clothes you had on last night.’
‘I’m not but thank you for caring. Late one at my parents’ last night.’ He was spending more time over at theirs doing little jobs to make sure they were safe. They seemed oblivious to the dangers around them now they weren’t as fit or spry as they used to be, but he was the only one who really visited or ran their errands for them. At the end of the day they were his family and he didn’t begrudge giving them a helping hand. Though some extra sleep would be nice.
‘No problems with your visitor, then?’ Giles was doing his best to keep the conversation casual but his continual hovering in the doorway spoke of his concern. Ed wasn’t going to jeopardise Georgiana’s nights here by confirming there’d been any sort of a problem. They’d had a small incident but he’d take steps to ensure it would never happen again. He wouldn’t want her to end up in that situation a second time.
‘Nope. Ms Ashley did her workout and I took her home afterwards. Nothing to report.’ He couldn’t quite meet Giles’s eyes but it was only a white lie to save Georgiana’s blushes. It had been nice having someone to confide in about his plans for the charity and she was doing him a huge favour in possibly securing a room at the palace for the event. If everything went to plan he’d have a venue for the gala dinner and an exclusive one at that. He couldn’t see anyone turning down an invitation to the palace. Including Giles.
‘Good, but if you’re planning on doing the same this evening you might want to try and wake yourself up a bit. Bags under the eyes don’t make a good impression.’ Ed couldn’t blame him for wanting to cover the clinic’s back as well as his concern for his workload. In the past Giles had suggested getting his parents into some sort of community housing to ease his burden but Ed wouldn’t hear of it as long as he was able to keep them in their own home. The family home he’d grown up in with his brothers and sisters.
‘If you were that bothered you would’ve brought an extra cup of coffee with you.’ Ed crumpled up a piece of paper and lobbed it in his direction. Giles dodged it, spilling only a drop of his precious liquid cargo.
‘I thought I’d encourage you to move and make your own to wake you up.’ Giles flapped his hand across the steam, wafting the aroma across the room, then walked away chuckling to himself.
Despite the teasing, Ed could see his point. He still had a few hours to put in before Georgiana’s session, then he’d be calling in on his parents to see what they needed. This drowsy state he was in wasn’t going to be conducive to the rest of his working day.
He gave himself a mental shake and got up out of the chair he’d been too comfy in for most of the day.
‘If the pool isn’t busy, I’m going to jump in for a dip,’ he informed Giles as he passed him in the corridor outside his office.
‘Good man. All I ask is for you to remember to put on a pair of swim shorts. It’s not adults-after-dark time just yet.’
‘Ha-ha. Very funny.’ It was unnerving to have Giles making jokes at his expense when it was usually the other way around. More than that, he was unused to this fizzing in his veins with the reminder he was going to see Georgiana again tonight. He couldn’t remember acting this way around any visitors to the clinic before. As Giles had said, he’d had more caffeine than was good for him today. Perhaps he needed to detox.
* * *
It was such a different atmosphere around the pool in the afternoon compared to the evening. All business and work, despite the happy faces of patients and staff and constant chatter. The bright glare of fluorescent light felt intrusive when being here with Georgiana had given him a new perspective of the place. With only two of them under minimum lighting it had been intimate, no room for all these people here now.
She would’ve hated to have been surrounded by all this toing and froing and not only because she was hung up on her appearance. Ed knew she remained in denial about what had happened to her. It wasn’t unusual for someone who’d had their life and possible future wiped away from them out of the blue. Being surrounded by other people at different stages of their recovery with their trainers would’ve been too much reality for her to deal with all at once. Yet Ed knew she needed support as much as every other person here. It was simply going to take a different approach to get her to accept that. She’d do much better with a one-to-one than being faced with anything more confrontational. He was picking her up in a few hours so he’d have to come up with something quick before then.
His recreational swim wasn’t important compared to the therapies being offered to those using the facilities. Ed was happy to wait his turn at the edge of the pool watching his patients’ progress. They all knew him to see and most waved or shouted over at him, unbothered by his presence.
Lots of people were happier to come here than the gym or the physio rooms so there was a positive vibe. Except for whatever commotion was going on in the corner of the pool closest to him.
‘Look, Hannah, I’ll come in with you. All you have to do is let go of Mummy.’ Ellie, one of their young trainers, had immersed herself in the water, uniform and all, in an effort to get her little patient in with her.
‘No!’ Hannah crawled further up into her mother’s embrace, clinging onto her neck like a baby monkey.
The exasperated parent tried to loosen the child’s grip around her throat. ‘Hannah, you’re hurting Mummy now. Let go, please.’
The little girl was one of their new patients. He’d met her when she came in for her initial assessment after losing part of her leg in a car accident. Paediatric amputees were always difficult. It was an adjustment for the child as well as their parents and he could see the frustration on the mother’s face when she wanted her daughter to make as much progress as she could.
‘Is there anything I can do to help? Hi, Hannah, remember me? Ed?’ He slid into the water where the trio were, Hannah still refusing to let the water touch any part of her. She shyly put her head on her mother’s shoulder and began to suck her thumb.
‘We’re introducing her to hydrotherapy today.’ Ellie pinked as he interrupted the temper tantrum going on in the shallow end.
‘She’s not having any of it.’ The exasperated mother tried again to prise her off. ‘Look, Hannah, the doctor’s here. Don’t you want to show him what a big girl you are?’
‘No!’ She wriggled, struggling to get away from the attention on her.
‘It’s okay,’ he mouthed to the mother. ‘If she’s not ready we’re not going to force her.’
Hannah was finding life as an amputee challenging. As were her parents. She was resisting any attempts to get her fitted for a prosthetic leg so they could start helping her try to walk again. So far, she was content to get around under her own steam, shuffling about on her bottom and asserting her independence. Her behaviour wasn’t unlike some other remarkable young woman he knew. It was the sign of a strong individual and he knew they simply had to find a new way to get through to her. He’d figure it out. It was too important to the child’s future to simply let her slip from their grasp.
* * *
Ever since confirming tonight’s session with Ed, Georgiana had had that fluttery, fidgety feeling spreading through her body. Other than sitting in with her mother taking lunch, keeping her company while her father was doing her share of royal duties, she hadn’t been able to settle.
There had certainly been big changes in her life when an evening training session had her blood pumping. Once upon a time it had been the thought of going out on patrol into enemy territory that had had the same effect.
After the previous evening’s events she no longer considered Ed and his clinic enemy territory.
Now she could see the benefits, knew what was on offer, she was looking forward to revisiting. She could do without a replay of her damsel-in-distress routine and jump-starting Ed’s instinct to protect her. It wasn’t in keeping with their usual dynamic where he let her make her own decisions and mistakes without judgement.
Of all the people around her and despite his profession, he was the one she hated to think of her as helpless. Until last night he’d treated her as an equal, as able-bodied, regardless of appearances to the contrary. The worst thing about it all for Georgiana was that she’d found it cathartic weeping into his chest as though she were some delicate flower. For a short while he’d allowed her to let the strong façade slip and be honest with her emotions.
She’d wanted to cry for a long time, to cling to someone who would stroke her hair and let her fall apart in their arms without embarrassment on either side. Now she’d done it and got it all out of her system, she felt cleansed and almost back to her old self. It had been a moment of weakness. Clearly, she’d gone soft since leaving the army.
Tonight, they’d employed the same tactics as last night to smuggle her out. Goodness knew what the staff thought he was doing here, visiting for only a few minutes at a time, but she wasn’t about to stop simply to put an end to any potential murmurings.
* * *
Ed had left her alone tonight to complete her workout but she was under strict instructions to find him if she fancied a swim.
Her muscles were crying out for relief and she’d thought ahead to pack a swimsuit this time. It didn’t prevent her from hovering outside his door, uncertain if she should go ahead and knock.
In the end, the lure of the chlorine was too tempting to resist. She rapped on the office door. Instead of giving a reply, Ed yanked the door open. He’d been waiting for her.
‘Georgiana? Are you ready to leave already?’
It was the shock that left her at a loss for words, not the sight of him with his shirt undone and sleeves rolled up his thick, tanned forearms. She should be used to his casual dress outside professional working hours but it seemed to surprise her every time.
‘No. I...uh...not yet. I thought I might go for a swim first, but if you’re busy with your charity project I can leave it for tonight.’
‘I could probably do with shutting off for a while. I’ve been trying to find a guest speaker for the gala. Someone to give us some prestige and help drum up some interest in sponsors.’
‘Um...hello. Princess here.’ It was infuriating, not to mention insulting, that he didn’t ask her for help, which he clearly needed. He was the first person she seemed to turn to these days.
‘Really? You’d be okay with speaking at the event? I wasn’t sure you’d be comfortable enough yet with appearing in public.’
‘I’m going to have to do it at some point. It’s part of the job description. Besides, it’s for a good cause and I can relate better to the kids you want to help than some reality-TV star.’
‘Absolutely. As long as it’s not going to be too much for you, that would be absolutely amazing.’ Ed looked visibly lighter, not to mention astounded that she was willing to bail him out. She wondered why it was such a surprise that someone would want to reciprocate the kindness he showed towards people every day.
‘I’m hoping by the time it comes around I’ll be ready to go back into the land of the living,’ she joked, but she was already freaking out about what she’d agreed to do. It had been a knee-jerk reaction to knowing he needed assistance and wanting to ease his workload. Like her, he was someone who obviously didn’t depend too much on others to get the job done. He was beginning to show her how counterproductive that was at times. Sometimes more could be achieved by accepting a hand every now and then.
‘We’ll do our best to make that a possibility. Now I can go and have that swim with one less worry on my mind. I’ll get ready and meet you outside the changing rooms. Try not to break anything until I get there.’ It wasn’t the charming smile that was devastating her as much as the words accompanying it.
‘You’re going in the pool too?’
‘Yeah. I did say you’d need someone with you.’ He looked concerned that she was querying his decision, when she hadn’t considered he would actually be getting in the pool with her.
‘But I thought...’ She didn’t know what she’d thought. It would’ve been creepy if he’d told her he’d be keeping an eye on her via CCTV. With all her demands for privacy he couldn’t very well have drafted someone else in to do the job either. She hadn’t really left him with any options since she’d shown him she couldn’t be trusted on her own.
He was waiting, listening for her version of their crossed wires, but she wouldn’t make a big deal of it. After all, it surely would’ve been more uncomfortable for both of them if he’d had to sit fully clothed at the side of the pool watching her. ‘It doesn’t matter. Just don’t get in my way.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’ He gave her a mock salute, at which she didn’t even pretend to hide her non-impressed face.
* * *
Georgiana was torn between leaving the changing room at all and ignoring his instruction to wait, jumping straight in the pool. There were numerous difficult decisions she had to make on a daily basis now. Such as whether to take her leg off now or poolside.
It was a toss-up between losing her dignity by having to hop across the floor and potentially risk another floor show or removing it in front of him. In the end she opted for walking out with a modicum of dignity. Ed wouldn’t consider removing a prosthetic leg to swim anything out of the ordinary in his line of work. She had to keep telling herself that.
‘Don’t worry, I’m not going to get my stopwatch out.’ He was waiting for her as promised outside the changing room. Georgiana would confess to being somewhat distracted by his physical appearance now that he was bare-chested and she could see exactly what he’d been hiding under those restrictive shirts.
Broad and toned just as she’d known he would be. With a smattering of golden-brown hair on his chest, which became darker as it trailed down his torso and disappeared into his blue swim shorts.
‘Pardon me?’ It was hypocritical of her to be staring at his body, appreciating it from a merely aesthetic point of view when it was the thing she was most afraid of herself. Although her fairly plain black all-in-one was more than he had seen her in lately.
‘I mean I’m not assessing your form or treating this as some sort of training session. I’m here strictly to prevent you from hurting yourself again.’ He was teasing her. She was getting used to seeing that light in his eye and tilt of his mouth as he baited her. Now she recognised it as the good humour he intended it to be, she didn’t rise to it.
‘You know you could do that from a distance, fully dressed, right?’ In keeping with their new dynamic, she threw a dismissive glance at his swimwear this time. Ed wasn’t liable to take offence. He was much too sure of himself to be self-conscious wearing a non-revealing pair of shorts. Budgie-smuggler trunks might have been a very different story for both of them.
‘I thought I’d mix business with pleasure.’ He gave her a wink and pulled on a pair of swimming goggles. Georgiana was left wondering which category she fell into as he dived into the water, his body a perfect arch as he hit the surface.
With Ed doing the front crawl away from her, she could take her time getting pool ready knowing she wasn’t under surveillance. She wasn’t quite as impressive hitting the water but it sure felt good to take the pressure off her limbs.
Ed was already on his second lap by the time she reached the deep end but she didn’t care. This wasn’t a race or somewhere she had to prove she was every bit as good as her previously able-bodied self. She saw this as more of a wind-down, therapy for the mind rather than her body.
She rested her arms on the edge of the pool, kicking her leg out in front of her to keep afloat as she watched E
d’s progress. His fitness levels and confidence were evident in every stroke. The pace was more than she could manage now but, as he’d said, it wasn’t a competition. She shouldn’t envy the ease with which he covered the length of the pool.
Ed popped his head up beside her, removed his goggles and rested his elbows back on the edge of the pool.
‘Can I ask you a question?’ He rubbed one hand over his head, raking his hair into wet spikes.
‘Sure.’ As long as it wasn’t anything personal. She was becoming more comfortable in his company now he’d seen her at her worst and hadn’t run off screaming. It was nice to be around someone who treated her normally. The only thing that could ruin that would be having to talk over any serious, painful personal stuff about her family or what had happened to her.
‘You do seem to enjoy the water. How helpful did you find aqua therapy during your recovery period? I mean, I know we use it here, but, personally, did it help you?’
Georgiana could tell his question arose from genuine curiosity rather than simply prying into her private life. It made it easier to answer.
‘Yes, but possibly not in the way you’d imagine.’ Judging by the raised eyebrows, she decided he wasn’t expecting that response.
‘Oh? Didn’t you find it useful exercise during rehabilitation? I assume they did have hydrotherapy pools at the clinic where you had your after care?’
‘Sure. The strengthening exercises were less painful in the water compared to the gym because of the hydrostatic pressure. It’s known to improve respiratory function without overtaxing the body.’
‘But?’
So far, she got the impression she was telling him something he already knew, since it was part of their programme for their amputee patients.
‘It’s more about the mindset of being in the water, if that makes sense... When I’m on solid ground the onus is very much on walking or doing everything on two legs, which is no longer natural for me. It’s different in the water. I can almost forget I’m not normal now. I no longer need the leg or hoist to swim, float or splash around. You know, have fun.’ She flicked her fingers across the surface of the water, spraying Ed, who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest.