I kicked off my boots before crawling into bed behind her. She pressed herself against me, angling that plump ass of hers until it sat directly against my pelvis. I had to swallow the growl percolating up the back of my throat. I had to restrain my hands that wanted nothing more than to slide between her legs and stuff her holes. But as she reached behind her, she grabbed my wrist, pulling my arm across her waist.
“Just for a few minutes,” she whispered.
“Of course,” I murmured as I slid my leg between hers. “However long you need.”
“Now, Brielle,” Doc said as he pulled out that little flashlight of his, “you need to tell me, on a scale of one to ten, how much this hurts. Okay? I’m going to flash this light in your eyes, but only for a second.”
She nodded softly. “Okay.”
“You ready?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m ready.”
I held her tightly as that telltale click echoed across her room. And it didn’t take long before she tried to crawl her way into my ribcage to get away from the assault.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck. Doc. Stop. Please,” Brielle begged.
“Turn it off,” I growled.
Doc clicked the light off. “All right, you’re going to feel my hands on the nape of your neck. Don’t be alarmed, but I do want you to tell me if you experience any sort of topical pain while I’m poking around. Okay?”
She sniffled. “Okay.”
God fucking damn it, I knew she had a concussion.
“Anything?” Doc asked as he wrapped his fingertips around to the back of her neck.
“Nothing,” Brielle muttered.
He danced them up and down the back of her head. “What about now?”
“Not really. The headache overrides it.”
“Where’s the headache?”
She picked up her hand and swirled it around toward the front of her skull. “All around here?”
“Is it shaking your vision?”
“Uh-uh.”
“Good, good,” Doc said as he stood and stretched his arms above his head.
“So?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m not done,” Doc said, “I just needed a stretch.”
“Right,” I murmured.
The appointment went on, with Doc checking her from head to toe. He looked at her bare wrists and ankles, tilting her joints as far as she’d let him so that he could get a good look at the healed skin and the fading bruises.
“She looks healthier overall. More nourished,” Doc said mindlessly.
“They’ve been trying,” Brielle said breathlessly.
“Good. That’s good,” Doc said as he repositioned her legs. “I’m going to test your joints and make sure there’s no other phantom pains anywhere that we need to address.”
I helped ease Brielle onto her back. “You okay?”
