“You closed the door,” he states and then a smile pulls at the corner of his mouth. “That’s good.”
He walks to the kitchen and I make my way back to the bedroom. The covers are pulled back and a slight smile pulls at my lips as I get under the brand new blanket. I sigh and close my eyes, letting sleep take me again.
Damian~
When the chili is done I scoop some into a bowl for myself. Cara is still asleep and there’s no way I’m waking her. She needs as much rest as possible. She can eat when she wakes up.
I take my bowl of chili and a bottle of water, and go sit on the old beaten up couch. I have a clear view of Cara, and my eyes never leave her as I eat.
Once she’s better, we’ll need to talk. She can either stay with me, which I hope she decides to do, or she can risk it out there. The thought of her leaving again makes my blood run cold. She’s been through enough shit in her life.
The thought of going to South Africa and killing that good-for-nothing uncle of hers is very tempting.
The day I got Cara from that container I never thought we’d end up like this. I never thought there’d be a woman out there who would make me give it all up. I still don’t know why I’m doing all of this for her. It sure as hell ain’t love.
“You’re just protective of her,” I whisper to myself. “She has no one, and you have no one, so it’s only natural that you stick together.” I scoff at myself and my stupid reasoning. “Yeah, right. Keep bullshitting yourself.”
When midnight comes around, and it’s clear Cara won’t be waking up, I quickly bathe. I hate bathing. I need to put a shower in here. I pull on a pair of sweats and then slip in next to Cara. She’s lying on her side, with her back facing me. I just stare at her silhouette for a few minutes longer before I scoot closer to her. I make sure not to touch her as I place my arm under my head. Some of her hair is fanned over the pillow and I touch the silky tips.
I must’ve drifted to sleep, but it feels like I’ve only been asleep for a few seconds when movement wakes me. I open my eyes and see Cara sitting on the edge of the bed. As she gets up, I notice that her movements are sluggish. Her body veers to the left and she bumps into the wall.
I quickly get out. When I get to her, I notice her wet cheeks.
“Sorry,” she whispers, “I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to get some water.”
I take hold of her arm. “Get back in bed. I’ll quickly go get you a bottle.” I make sure she’s sitting down again before I walk to the kitchen. I grab two bottles of water. When I walk back into the bedroom, she’s struggling to open the box of painkillers.
“Here.” I hand her a bottle of water and take the box from her. I quickly take two pills out and hand it to her. Her hands are trembling and it makes me worry. “Is the pain bad?”
She shakes her head and then swallows the pills. I take the bottle from her and watch as she gingerly lies back down. Tears keep sneaking out of her eyes.
“Cara, how bad is it?” I ask as I look down at her.
“The pills will take the pain away in a few seconds,” she whispers, still not telling me how bad it is.
I’m worried and quickly switch on the light. “We’re up, I might as well change the bandage.” I just want to see the wound for myself. She might have an infection and her stubborn ass won’t tell me.
I get the first aid kit and when I push her shirt up she doesn’t even open her eyes. I slip my arm under her shoulders and lift her gently, while with my other hand I undo the bandage around her waist. I toss the old bandage to the side and then ease her slowly back onto the bed. I take an antiseptic wipe and slowly start to clean the wound.
It doesn’t look infected and it makes me breathe a little easier.
When I throw the wipe to the side, she mumbles sleepily, “That felt so nice.”
The corner of my mouth twitches and I take out another wipe. I start the whole process over again, gently wiping around the clips. When I go out tomorrow to get stuff for the shower, I’ll check where the doctor is. It’s been eight days since the surgery so the clips should be coming out soon.
I’m glad I got the new bandages with some tape. I cover the clips and then stare down at her. She fell asleep and it hits me that she trusts me. She fell asleep with her shirt bunched up. She’s trusting me not to take advantage of her.
Fuck, that’s huge.
I wonder if she even realizes this. I throw the used bandage and wipes away, and then switch off all the lights. I lie down next to her but this time I can’t fall asleep so I spend the early morning hours taking in every inch of her silhouette.
Cara~
I wake up to find the sun streaming into the room. I feel sticky and worn-out.
I slowly sit up, careful not to aggravate the wound. I remember how Damian took care of me the night before. I remember how gentle he was and the memories alone make me feel all emotional. I swallow hard and get up.