“I can put numbing cream on the edges. Not sure if it will do more harm than good.” She leaned over him to inspect the wound. While her presence soothed his nerves, it didn’t help the waves of pain. “If you can sit up, I can give you a pain pill.”
Possibly the only thing she could have said to get him to move. “Fine. Help me sit up.”
Taryn stood beside him. She braced his head with her metal arm, carefully avoiding the area around his port. With her other hand she rolled him onto his side. “Bend your knees.”
He did as she instructed.
“When I start to lift your head and shoulder, swing your legs over the side of the bed. On three. One. Two. Three.”
They moved in unison. The pain was intense. Although he never wanted to move again, Taryn’s arm kept him steady.
He could see a future like that, her providing a steadying influence. She was a badass and he loved that about her.
He loved her.
Shit.
The words didn’t come with the sense of panic he expected. That surprised him, too. And made him sad. He wouldn’t be able to explore what loving Taryn every day meant.
“Okay?” She still watched him. He was glad that she couldn’t see what was going on in his head.
He nodded. A wave of pain raced around his neck. “Fuck, that hurts.”
“Don’t move. Let me get you that pill.” She moved her hand from his neck.
He swayed and gripped the side of the bed. “Please hurry.”
Pulling a bottle out of the cabinet, she read the ingredients to him. “One pill or two?”
“One.” Even though the pulses of pain were crying out for two, he would need his wits about him to deal with Caspar. The pain throbbed with every beat of his heart. He could think through it. Mostly.
She dropped the pill in his outstretched hand, then opened a bottle of water and handed it to him.
Popping the pill in his mouth was easy. Drinking from a bottle without bending his neck? Nearly impossible. More water rolled down his chest than made it into his mouth, but that was fine. He got enough to swallow the pill.
“Let me get you a towel.” Taryn’s eyes were glued to his chest. Of all the times for this to happen, this was the worst.
“Thank you.”
Her cheeks flushed before she turned away to grab a handful of paper towels. Eyes averted, she started to pat his chest dry.
He covered her hand with his, stopping her movements. “I think you got it all,” he said.
“You must think I’m an idiot.” She tugged her hand away and he let her go.
“Not at all. If I could move my neck, I’d kiss you.” He sighed. “But right now, I think I’d rather die.”
Taryn’s laughter filled the room. “How about a raincheck?”
He smiled, although he was too afraid to tilt his head to look at her. “I’d like that. A lot.”
“What do we do now?” she asked while retaking her seat.
“I’m going to sit here until the pain meds kick in, then I need to see a man about a computer.”
Chapter50
Her cyberarm wrappedaround his waist, Taryn helped Ash down the final step into the hacker’s room. His head and neck ached and he could have sworn he’d already sweated through the borrowed sweatshirt Taryn had provided.
