Chapter 24
Xander
It’s late at night when Charlotte gets discharged. She only gets released because I sign a waiver saying that I’ll look after her and take her as a patient in my care.
They want to keep her for observation, but I can do that, and she keeps saying she wants to go home.
She hasn’t brought up Billie, or Club D, or the coffee shop.
I don’t know what the last thing is she remembers, but I don’t want to ask her in the hospital.
At some point, it will come back to her, if it hasn’t already, and we will have to talk, but now is not the time. Plus, she’s on a lot of pain medicine.
Chase and Jamison returned to the airport. Quinn and Vivian took them after they saw Charlotte. It was a quick visit because Charlotte is in a lot of pain and seems to want only me by her side.
Noah and Piper saw her, too, and left a few hours ago, but Noah sent his driver back to the hospital to take us to Charlotte’s.
Piper took my hotel key. She packed a bag for me and dropped it off at Charlotte’s. I already told Dr. Sear not to expect me for at least a week, so I don’t have any reason to have to leave her side.
When we get to Charlotte’s, it’s after midnight. I carry her upstairs because she’s weak and dizzy from her concussion. She nuzzles into my neck and murmurs, “You always smell good.”
I smile and kiss her head as the elevator doors open. When I get into her apartment, I take her right to her bedroom, give her a glass of water and her pain pills, then go into her closet and find a pair of pajamas for her.
“I need a shower,” she whispers.
“Tomorrow. Just rest tonight.”
“I feel gross. I’m going to take one.” She tries to sit up and throws her hands to her head. “Ouch.”
“Whoa. You need to move slow.”
She sits for a minute then stands and ambles into the bathroom.
“Where are you going?”
“Shower,” she mumbles.
I follow her into the bathroom, making sure she doesn’t fall. I point to her vanity bench. “Okay. Sit down, and I’ll get the shower ready.”
She lowers herself carefully and winces. “Why does my ass hurt so bad?”
“Because you were hit by a car,” I tell her.
She softly laughs.
I join her. “Why are we laughing? It’s not funny.”
She laughs harder. “I don’t know.”
I kiss her on the head. “Stay put.”
I turn the water on and get naked.
“No offense, Xander, but I don’t think I’m up for shower games tonight.”
I chuckle and grin at her. “Don’t worry. Your virtue is safe. But you can’t go in there alone. You’ll fall, and even the shower pressure will hurt your bruises.”
She smiles at me. “So, you’re going to scrub me down?”
“Yep.” I undress her, trying to avoid her bruises and lead her to the shower. After I test the water, I step between her and the spray. I hold her against me. “Tell me if you get too hot or dizzy, okay?”
She tips her head back and kisses me on the lips. I try to contain my growing erection, but it’s pointless. I can’t stand next to Charlotte naked and not have one.
Taking the sprayer, I wet her hair, shampoo and rinse it, then do the same thing with her conditioner.
“The answer is still yes,” she mumbles.
“What’s that?”
“That you want to shower with me.” She grabs my cock and sways.
Realizing her drugs have kicked in, I soap her up, rinse her clean, and turn the water off.
After I dry her, I wrap a towel around her and have her sit on her bench so I can comb her hair. Then, I dress her in pajamas and tuck her into bed.
I climb in next to her, and she giggles then runs her finger down my nose. “Are you sure you remember me?”
I put my face on the pillow, next to hers, and stroke her hair. “Yes. Don’t worry about that.”
“Do you remember you’re a doctor?”
I kiss her. “Yes, I remember I’m a doctor.”
“Are you still searching for Billie?”
My face falls. “No. I only love you, Charlotte.”
“Good. It’s about time you remembered me.”
“Yes. I’m sorry I took so long.” I kiss her again.
She pushed up on one elbow. “Let’s play dirty doctor.”
Amused, I lower her to the pillow. “Dirty doctor?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“And exactly how does one play dirty doctor?”
She grabs my cock. “You’re the doctor, and you get to be dirty while you examine me.”
“Yeah? How dirty does the doctor get to be?”
Her eyes light up, but I know it’s the medicine. “You get to be very, very, dirty.” She squeezes my cock, and I know I’m going to have blue balls all night. “And I have to do whatever you say.”
“I’ll tell you what. Let’s start now.”
She claps. “Yay.”
“The first thing you have to do is go to sleep.”
She pouts. “That’s not dirty.”
“I’m the doctor, and I’m in charge. My patients who do what I ask get very dirty examinations when they least expect it.”
“Hmm. I feel like you’re tricking me.” She squints at me.
“Oh, but I’m not. Filthy, full-body, examinations are only for my patients who go to sleep.”
“And you sure you aren’t tricking me?” She yawns.
“I’m not tricking you.” I will definitely cash in on this when she’s not all drugged up and in pain.
She smiles at me. “Okay. I’ll go to sleep, then. But I want you filthy.”
“I’ll be really filthy with you.”
She closes her eyes and says, “‘Don’t forget, I love you, Charlotte,’ you told me. Then I said, ‘I won’t. Don’t forget, you love me.’ But then you forgot me.”
I don’t know if this is the drugs talking or something that happened, so I ask her, “What are you talking about?”
But she’s already asleep, so I wrack my brain all night wondering if it really happened or not.
“Xander, I can’t move. Can you move?” Charlotte says in a panicky voice.
I wake up and realize she is talking in her sleep.
“Xander, talk to me. I can’t move. Please. I’m scared.”
Putting my hand on her cheek, I stroke it. “Charlotte, wake up.”
“Xander,” she cries out louder, and tears fall down her cheeks.
“Sweetheart, wake up.” I wipe her cheek with my thumb.
“Xander, please, say something,” she sobs.
“Charlotte, wake up.” I raise my voice and rub her shoulder.
“Xander,” she sobs louder.
I pull her into me. “Charlotte, come on. You’re dreaming.”
She slowly opens her eyes and relief fills them. “Xander,” she sobs and wraps her arms around me.
“Shh. It’s okay. Everything is okay.” I kiss the top of her head and hold her tighter, trying not to hurt her bruises.
“I can’t get it out of my head,” she cries.
“What’s that?” I whisper.
“The accident. I can’t get it out of my head.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Guilt shoots through me that she remembers it, and I don’t. Not that it would stop her nightmares, but it doesn’t seem fair.
I scoot back down on the bed and hold her in my arms, stroking her hair until she falls back asleep. I glance at my phone to see what time it is and see she has another few hours till her next dose of medicine. My alarm is set, but I don’t sleep.
So much has happened in the last week.
It’s only been a week.
In that time, I found Charlotte again, and I can’t lose her. When she’s not drugged up and feeling better, we need to talk. I need her to understand I will never have eyes for anyone but her—she is my everything.
I wonder if she will wake up tomorrow and everything that happened at Club D and the coffee shop will come flooding back.
Better to tell her first chance you get, so when she remembers it, she doesn’t flip.
I vow, as soon as she is not heavily medicated, that I’ll tell her exactly what happened. I only hope I get to tell her before she remembers it again and freaks.