Chapter 33 #2
He reached for her waist, then stopped, his hands pausing midair. “It, ah . . . it looks like I’m going to need to unfasten your petticoat. Is that all right, or do you want to do it?”
“You can do it,” she muttered. She’d spent ten minutes fighting with the dratted thing that morning, too embarrassed to ask for Yuri’s help with it.
But she couldn’t imagine being any more embarrassed now, and just like with the dress, he’d have to see her without her petticoat to help with the bindings anyway.
He moved around to her back again, his movements gentle as he tugged at the waist of the garment, probably trying to find the hidden hooks that held it up.
It took him maybe half a minute, and then he slowly peeled it back, letting both the petticoat and her dress fall to the floor and pool around her feet.
Yuri stepped back around to her face, then reached for the loose end of her bindings near her side and undid the pin. “Tell me if anything hurts.”
“It all hurts,” she whispered, her throat tightening. “Even with the bandage on, but I don’t want pneumonia.”
He didn’t respond, just began to unwind the bandage. His movements were so slow and careful, it almost seemed he was afraid the fabric itself might break her if he tugged wrong or moved too fast.
He moved from her front to her back, then around to her front again, following the path of the bandage. She wasn’t going to think about how the movement gave him a full look at her body from every angle as she stood there in nothing but her bloomers and chemise and a quickly disappearing bandage.
The longer he worked, the more the pressure around her ribs began to ease. She wasn’t sure if she liked the sensation. The pain at the bottom of her ribs turned sharper, but the rest of her body seemed to relax, almost as though her muscles themselves had needed to breathe.
She stared straight ahead at the curtains as he reached the final turn, not wanting to look down to see what her wrinkled, sweaty chemise might have revealed, and certainly not wanting to meet his eyes.
Was she being ridiculous? There was a medical reason for what Yuri was doing, and it was nothing to feel embarrassed about. Nathan had seen her in her bloomers and chemise numerous times.
But it had never felt this intimate.
Maybe because she didn’t fancy herself in love with Nathan, and Kate had been there every time they’d removed her nightgown and rewrapped or adjusted the bindings.
Yuri pulled the last of the bandage away, then walked to the dresser and set it down. “Where do you want to practice your breathing? Do you want to do it in bed?”
“Nathan and Kate said I should be able to draw more air into my lungs while I stand.” She didn’t wait for him to return to her side. She simply sucked in a breath, as big and as large as she could.
Oh, heavens, it hurt. Pain seared her lower ribs, and a whimper escaped her lips. But she didn’t stop, not even when tears stung her eyes. She forced as much air into her lungs as possible, then blew it out.
“Rosalind?” Yuri was by her side in an instant, rubbing a small circle in the center of her upper back. “Are you sure you’re doing it right? I don’t think it’s supposed to be so painful.”
“It is,” she rasped. “At least this is how it felt before. Nathan said I need to do it as much as possible.”
She repeated the breath, dragging as much air as she could into her lungs for as long as she was able, then blowing it all out.
Yuri gripped her forearm, then placed her hand on top of his own arm, giving her something warm and solid to grip when she drew the next breath.
A tear slipped down her cheek, but she just squeezed her eyes shut and kept going, in and out, in and out, trying to get the trapped, foul air out of her lungs.
“Ros, stop. You’re hurting yourself. I don’t like this.”
She shook her head. “I have to. I’m not going to let myself get pneumonia.”
“Then use my other arm too.” He slid his second arm beneath her free hand, and she gripped it before dragging in another breath, and another.
“How long are you supposed to do it for?”
“As long as possible. My breaths are getting deeper. Can you tell? It’s like I can get more air into my lungs now than before.”
“The only thing I can tell is that your pain is getting worse.”
He wasn’t wrong. Fire engulfed her ribs, but the pain would pass. It was only for a few weeks. It didn’t have the ability to kill her the way pneumonia did.
Yuri didn’t say anything more, only stood beside her as she finished the final set of breaths, his arms still beneath her hands.
When she was done, she sagged forward and pressed a hand to her ribs.
Yuri stepped behind her and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “That’s enough for now. Come lie down.”
She didn’t move right away. Her chest ached too much, but she eventually let him guide her to the bed. She climbed onto the mattress with slow, careful movements, wincing as she lowered herself onto her side.
Yuri pulled the covers over her, then hesitated, hovering at the edge of the bed. “Do you need anything before I go? Some food or water, perhaps? Maybe a snack?”
There was something she needed, though it had nothing to do with food, and she felt like a fool for asking it.
But what was a little more embarrassment after Yuri had already undressed her? So she forced the words out. “Will you hold me?”
“You want me to . . . to get into bed with you?”
“Like on the ship, yes.”
“But you’re on land. You’re not moving.”
“That’s not why I’m asking.” With her back to him, she couldn’t see him to even guess what he was thinking.
He stood beside the bed for so long, she was certain he’d refuse her. But then she felt the bed dip.
Little rustling noises sounded next, likely him untying his boots.
A moment later, she heard them drop to the floor with a thud.
Then he crawled into bed behind her, moving slowly as he scooted closer and curled one arm around her middle.
His chest pressed lightly against her back, warm and strong and steady.
She let out a shaky breath, tears leaking from her eyes, even though she had no reason to shed them.
“I have you now.” His breath brushed the back of her neck. “You don’t need to worry about anything anymore. Just rest and get better. I’ll take care of the rest.”
Tears flooded her eyes anew, because she knew she could believe him. Knew he’d do everything he’d just promised.
But the tender, loving man who was holding her was still planning on dropping her off in Texas, then filing annulment paperwork and walking out of her life forever.