I rub at my leg, lifting myself up in the bed and adjusting the pillow behind my back. He returns minutes later with something blue in his hand. His blue pinstriped robe sways around him, and it’s only now that I realize he’s shirtless. Fuck, is he a work of art too. He doesn’t have chiseled abs, but his stomach is toned with a smooth surface. He’s fucking beautiful, and here he is wasting two weeks with me. What could he really be getting out of all this?
He lightly brushes my injured areas and then lays an ice pack on each leg, positioning them where they won’t fall unless I move too much. Which I might.
He holds onto both packs as he stuffs a pillow under each of my knees. When he’s done positioning everything to his liking, with a satisfied look in his eyes, he tucks me into bed again, the same way as before. And as I’m about to question if it’ll be enough, he pulls two oddly shaped pillows from the closet.
“These are wedges. I’m going to shove them under each side of your body while you stay wrapped in the blanket. It’ll give you extra security.”
“Doesn’t sound too comfortable, but okay.”
“It’s better than it sounds, trust me, and I think you’ll feel safer going back to sleep with them under you.”
“Okay.” Because what else can I say? He’s doing this to help me. I’m hurting myself, and he cares enough to prevent me from doing it. The more I think about it, the more I recall myself falling and tripping more than the average person. This is supposed to be my way of paying him back for what I stole, and yet I’m getting way more out of the deal. Is he really okay with that?
He shoves a wedge under each side of me, loosening the blanket around the bed so it can accommodate them better. “Okay,” he says with one knee on the mattress. “How’s that?”
I try to rock from side to side and fail. “Good. I think they’ll really help keep me in bed longer this time.”
“Me too.” He gives me a smile and shuts off the light on his way out.
“I’ll see you again in the morning. Well . . . at a more decent time, that is.”
“Night, again. Or morning night.”
His laughter drifts from where I am, and before he shuts the door behind him, he says, “Sleep better this time, and call out if you need to use the restroom or need more water. I don’t want you walking on those bad knees until I feel you’re steady enough.”
“Will do.”
“Don’t forget. Good patients stay in bed when they’re supposed to. I really don’t want to have to move to option three.”
I don’t ask what option three is and instead say nothing, closing my eyes and thinking about whether I should move along the process of getting to it by doing what he told me not to.
Seven
Riley
“You talk and fight in your sleep a lot.” A deep, silky voice startles me awake. Sam sits in a chair in the corner of the room with his ankles crossed and elbows resting on his knees.
I try to sit up but with how well I’m still tucked in, all I can do is lift my head. “How long have you been there?”
“Only the last three hours or so. I was observing your sleeping habits. We can do today’s testing in this bed if you’d prefer?”
Glancing around, I nod, wiggling my arms as best I can under the covers. “It’s more comfortable than the table.”
“I’ll change the sheets while you eat your breakfast on the couch. I think you should relax a little before we get started. No TV, though, because you’re still on limited screen time with that concussion of yours.”
“What else should I do?”
“Go back to sleep for a little longer after you're done washing up for the day. You look tired. Doctor’s orders.” A smile spreadsacross his face and he stands up. “Your waffles are on the fold-out table outside the room. After I help get you settled, I’ll have to head upstairs to answer some important emails, and then I’ll be back in an hour to help you wash up in the shower.
“Okay. Can I get some new clothes?”
“I’ll bring you a fresh gown. You won’t need any clothes until later. We have another long day ahead of us once you wake up again.”
“A gown is fine.”
“What are some foods you like? I need to go to the store later.”
My shoulders lift. “I’m not picky. I like most things. Everything you’ve fed me has been great so far.”
