Chapter 18
Chapter Eighteen
Christina’s heart broke as she lay in the room across the hall from Giles. He’d willingly submitted to being restrained, even though he didn’t want it, rather than continuing to be in her presence. He hated her. And she didn’t blame him after everything.
He’d still been kind to her, but she could feel his disdain. His desire to get away from her.
Over the next several days, as they kept him in that same bed, it only grew worse and worse. His rages were less frequent and less intense, but so too were his smiles.
It wasn’t like in the beginning of their marriage, when he’d grumbled and shouted at her.
Now, he hardly spoke. More often than not, he didn’t even look at her.
Except when it was time for bed. Each night, before she left him, he pressed a soft kiss to her injured cheek, and wished her pleasant dreams.
But today, the doctor was finally allowing him to go home.
He was dressed, and she stood beside the chair where he sat, Ash on the other side. His bandages had been replaced with just an eyepatch now that most of the stitches had been removed. But he still looked miserable.
Dr. Goodluck stood in front of the door while he gave his instructions. “You may return to work, so long as you’re careful.”
“It’s not a dangerous job, Doctor,” Giles argued.
“Then explain why, over the years, I’ve had to treat gunshots, stab wounds, black eyes, and countless scrapes, bruises, and other injuries?”
“He’ll be careful,” Ash said before Giles could argue. And Christina knew he wanted to.
“Because I’ve just removed some of the stitches, for the next three days, you need to sleep with your head elevated, and refrain from any heavy exertion.” He paused for a moment and cleared his throat. “That includes marital activities.”
Christina probably would have blushed, but when Giles gave a cynical huff, her heart withered, making it unable to send the requisite blood to her cheeks. He didn’t want her anymore.
“And last, but not least, I have reached out to an eye specialist. Dr. Schwartz is the best in his field. His office will be sending a notice of your appointment date so that you may be fitted with a prosthesis.”
Christina hadn’t even realized that was an option. But at the mention of it, the slight color that had returned, drained from Giles’ face. She squeezed his shoulder, trying to give him some kind of comfort, but he showed no notice of it.
“At least go to the consultation. Appointments with the man don’t come easily, and I had to call in a few favors.”
Giles nodded. “Thank you, Dr. Goodluck.”
Donoghue and Brennan accompanied them home. Donoghue remained outside, and Brennan followed them in. Giles grunted and shook his head, clearly unhappy with the man’s presence.
“I assume Ash has told you not to leave my side, but I need to go get freshened up. So unless you want to sit with me while I’m in the bath, you might as well help yourself to a drink in the sitting room. If my valet deems me not up to the dangers of a bath, I’m sure he’ll fetch you.”
Without another word, he stalked up the stairs, not even a glance in her direction. She stood next to Brennan, both of them watching him go. When he disappeared into his rooms, they sighed in unison.
“Perhaps I’ll join you for that drink,” she said.
“Spirits are off-limits while I’m on duty, but I’ll pour you a glass if you’d like.”
She wandered into the sitting room and plopped onto the sofa. “What am I going to do, Brennan? He despises me.”
“Don’t be silly. Ash said the only thing he cared about when he woke was you.”
“That was before he knew it was my father who sent the man.”
“You are not your father. Giles has plenty of people to spread his contempt around to: Your father, the man with the knife, me, and I’m sure he’s heaped plenty of it onto himself. But not you.” He placed the stopper back into the bottle he’d poured from.
“Then why won’t he even look at me?”
Brennan shrugged. “I won’t pretend to know what he’s feeling. But if I were in his shoes, I would probably feel unworthy of you after losing an eye.” He handed her a glass.
“Is that brandy?”
“I thought you could probably use it after everything you’ve been through recently.”
She sighed and took a sip. It burned a bit, but the flavor was nice. “Will you please sit, so I don’t have to crane my neck so much to look at you?”
He settled into the chair across from her.
“If he does feel unworthy, which makes no sense by the way, what am I supposed to do?”
“I don’t know. Truth be told, I’m the very worst person to talk to about these kinds of things. But perhaps he just needs time to regain some of his confidence.”
“I hope you’re right.” She took another sip of brandy. She would give him whatever time he needed. He’d certainly been patient with her when she’d needed it. “Do you know if they’ve… paid a visit to my father yet?” Dread tightened around her stomach.
“Not yet. I think Ash wants to wait until your husband is ready.”
She sighed, hating everything about it. She didn’t want to have to choose between her father and her husband. But if she did have to, she would choose Giles. “You will keep Giles safe, won’t you?”
“I promise to do a better job of it than I did with you.”
“Thank you, Brennan. I know none of this is in your job description. Waiting on me, telling me stories, giving me advice. But I appreciate it more than you could know.”
Brennan shook his head. “I expect I’m better suited to dishing out beatings, but if it helps you to talk to me, I don’t mind doing that either.”
A half hour later, Giles appeared in the doorway, dressed in a neatly pressed black suit. “I’m ready. Are you staying here with my wife? Or following me to the club like a lost puppy?”
“Are you going back to work tonight?” She approached him, unsure where to look to make him feel most comfortable.
He nodded. “I need to. I can’t spend any more time wasting away in a bed.”
She understood his need to get back to normal, but didn’t want him gone already.
“Don’t wait up for me.” He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek and turned for the door.
Brennan gave her a sad look before following him from the house. He had said Giles didn’t hate her, but it was quite obvious he did.
“What are you doing here?” Ash asked when Giles walked into the office.
Fitz looked him over from head to toe, and although he said nothing, the thinning of his lips conveyed his concern.
“Dr. Goodluck said I’m allowed to come back to work.”
“Not tonight. You need at least one good night’s rest in your own bed first.”
“Please don’t send me home, Ash. I need this. I need to know that I can still have a life. I’ll stay on the balcony where no one will see me.”
“Where no one will see you?”
“I know this is a problem,” Giles said, pointing toward his face.
Ash put down what he was counting and came to rest a hand on his shoulder. “The eyepatch is not a problem. You’re no less of a man than you were.”
Giles scoffed. “If only that were true.”
“It’s absolutely true. You will not be treated any differently here, Giles. Not after the next three days, anyway. Until then, you will be only on the balcony. But that’s just a precaution in case a scuffle breaks out. You must be tired tonight, though.”
“I am tired. Tired of lying in bed. Tired of having people fret over me.”
After a moment, Ash nodded, but he still didn’t look pleased. “Don’t push yourself too much. If you decide you want to leave after an hour or two, just go. You won’t need my permission. Now get over here and help us count.”
Fitz clapped him on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re doing better.”
As the evening went on, it didn’t escape his notice that he was never left alone.
Either Ash or Allister was always on the balcony with him.
He tried his best to be grateful rather than resentful, but it wasn’t easy.
They were only there because they cared about him.
But by being there, they made his presence completely superfluous.
He did make it until the end of the night, but his body was tired. And apparently, he wasn’t very good at hiding the fact, because as they counted the cash and chips at the first table, Ash’s eyes continued to flick to him.
“I’ll go,” he said, holding up his hands.
Still not in a hurry to get home, he walked, despite the drizzling rain. The weather rather mirrored his mood. Dreary, melancholy, dark, and cold. Brennan followed closely behind. Apparently, Giles had security now, and not just his wife.
He hadn’t talked to Ash again about Christina’s father. In his mind, the easy answer was to just kill the man and be done with it. But Christina still cared about him, and Giles had already caused her enough pain for one lifetime.
He stopped, and turned to face Brennan. “What do you think we should do with her father?”
“It’s not my place to have opinions on such things. I simply do as I’m told.”
“It would seem right now your place is just to follow me around like a puppy. And I can’t even refuse your security, because I’m not capable of defending myself.”
“I know you’re probably angry with me, boss. And when you’re feeling better, you’re welcome to give me a beating.”
That managed to quell his ire a bit. “Ash says you did your best to protect her.”
“My best wasn’t good enough, though. Was it?”
“Neither was mine.” Giles patted Brennan’s shoulder. “Goodnight. I’m sure I can make it inside on my own.”
“Goodnight, boss.”
As he climbed the stairs to his room, he wasn’t sure which he wanted more.
For Christina to be in his bed, or for her to not be.
And when she wasn’t, he was both relieved and heartbroken.
He brushed his hand over the smooth bedding as he passed, selfishly wishing she was underneath.
He missed holding her. Feeling her warm body against his.
They’d only just found happiness, and her father had snatched it away.
With a defeated sigh, he sat on the side of the bed and dropped his forehead into his palms. His skin wasn’t used to the eyepatch, and it chafed.