Ashley made a distressedsound.
“It’s okay. I’ve beenshot, remember? Thisis fine. I’lllive.”
“You’re in pain,” Ashleysaid. “I just wanna help. Where, umm… if you don’t mind me asking, where…?”
“My leg. Right one,” I said.“It’s being held together by titanium pins and missing some muscle tissue. Ishoulda lost it, really, but…”
Sometimes I wondered if thatwould’vehurt less.
“So this is tissue pain?”Ashley asked.
I nodded.
“I listen to Gabe’scomplaints about patients,” he said. “I know two, maybe three things aboutmedicine now.”
A snort escaped me despitethe pain. Ashley was just doing what I’d been trying to do earlier. Cheering me up.
“I have a cream for muscleaches. It’s just menthol, but… if you can’t take any more drugs right now, itmight help? Gabe used to bribe me to rub it on his feet and calves.”
I laughed again. “What did hebribe youwith?” I asked. I didn’thave much to offer, but I was willing to try just about anything right now.
“Chores, food, makeup… lotsof things, honestly. But I’ll do your thigh for free if it means I get a lookat you without your pants on.”
“It’s ugly,” I warned.
I tried not to take my pantsoff when other people couldseeme. Tended to kill the mood.
Not that there was amood,I just wanted Ashley to be forewarned that this wasn’t going to be asmuch fun as he thought.
Now it was Ashley’s turn to shakehis head. “No it’s not. Take your pants off,” he said, striding toward thebathroom before I could respond.
He didn’tknow. He hadn’t seen.
My stomach knotted up allover again at the thought. Was I okay with him seeing me like this? Seeing thatI was weak and broken?
Would he still believe Icould protect him after this?
“I don’t usually have totell a man to take his pants off twice,” Ashley said as he returned, fingeringa tube of ointment. “Especially when I’ve just gone to the bathroom to getsomething to rub on him. Do you need help?”
Still flirting with me whileI was in tears from pain. He never gave up, did he?
That was probably a positivething. I was already worried about how he’d fare back home, but maybeI didn’t need to be. I’d noticed before that Ashley was tougher than he looked.
“I can do it myself,” Isaid, blushing as I reached down to undo my belt. Ashley looked away at first,but I felt his eyes swing back to me as I pulled my zipper down.
Did he like what he saw?
Why did Icare?
Not many people had seen myleg, and they’dall been either medical professionals or people who already loved me and wouldn’tfreak out about a little scarring.
Ashley was a new person, andI had no idea how he’d react, and I didn’twanthim to bedisgusted.
I wriggled out of my jeansall the same, the pain spiking again as I lifted my butt up to tug them outfrom under me.
They bunched up around myknees, and I couldn’t be bothered pushing them any further.
“I was expecting black,”Ashley said. “The red is a nice surprise.”
