“Sure. Whatever you want.” His features softened just slightly.
Without thinking, because it was better when I didn’t, I grabbed his hand. He followed. Briefly, I wondered if he’d follow me wherever I led him. At this point, it was quite possible.
Ryker sat down on one end of the couch, his eyes not straying from me.
“Enzo okay with this?”
I half shrugged. He didn’t want Ryker anywhere near him. But the living room was neutral ground. A place the three of us could be.
I understood Enzo’s fear, but with Ryker, I didn’t have that feeling. I didn’t fear him. Well, not in the same way that I had weeks ago.
Before I could sit, Enzo came shuffling out of the bathroom. Once again, his limp was there. More so now.
Ryker must have seen, too. Not much seemed to pass his inspection.
“Heat or Ice?”
Enzo froze, eyes glaring our way in confusion.
“For the pain,” Ryker said, tipping his head towards the limp. “Ice pack or heating pad?”
“Oh. Uh…heat, I guess.”
Ryker hummed, pushing himself off the couch. “Take a seat. Get comfortable. Pick a movie. I’ll dig out the heating pad and get you some pain relief. Unless you have something stronger?”
“No. Advil is fine,” Enzo sighed. He leaned against the back of the couch as he rounded it before taking a seat on the other side. “I ran out of the good stuff.”
“Why haven’t you gotten more?” I asked, my voice soft, as Enzo sat down beside me.
“It wasn’t safe…just in case.” He swallowed, then winced as he rested his left leg on the coffee table.
“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.” Ryker plugged the heating pad before handing it to me.
“Steven stepped on it. It wasn’t broken, but it sure felt like it. Whatever he did to it, my knee didn’t ever heal right. The doctor said it would heal in time after she did something to it.”
As I wrapped the pad around his knee, Ryker brought water and two pills for the pain. He was careful to not let their skin touch as he dropped the pills in Enzo’s open palm.
“What did the doctor say about the long term?”
“Nothing. I didn’t think to ask. Most of the time it’s good. Not sure why it’s so bad tonight.”
Ryker let the subject drop.
“What movie are we watching?” he asked, sitting back down in the place he had been before.
“Don’t care.” Enzo breathed, leaning his head back against the couch.
“Nothing scary.” I leaned my head against Enzo’s shoulder.
Minutes later, Ryker had some sort of movie on the TV. Enzo took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Then, he moved. And again.
I lifted my head, looking at him closer.
Enzo squinted an eye at me, then settled. “I’m fine, baby.”
I watched him for another moment before moving to lay my head in Enzo’s lap.
I felt bad that I didn’t know he was in so much pain. If I had known…well, I don’t know what I’d do, really. I just knew I hated seeing him hurting.
