Chapter 70 #2
Kai must’ve sensed it, because he shifted just a little closer - not crowding, just… there. Solid. Steady. A quiet reminder that I wasn’t alone.
Kate opened the kit and pulled out a few things - saline, gauze, antiseptic, dressings. All of it looked far too clinical for a kitchen counter.
“This might sting,” she warned softly.
I nodded, bracing myself.
She cleaned around the burn first, her touch careful, almost feather-light. Even so, the moment the saline hit raw skin, a sharp sting shot up my arm. I sucked in a breath, trying to keep my face neutral.
“You’re doing really well,” Kate murmured, dabbing gently. “I know this isn’t comfortable.”
I nodded again, jaw tight. “It’s okay,” I whispered, even though it wasn’t.
She worked slowly, methodically, cleaning away the dried blood and the loose scabs. Every now and then she paused, giving me a moment to breathe. Her eyes kept flicking up to my face, checking I wasn’t about to bolt.
When she finally reached for the antiseptic, she hesitated. “This part will sting a bit more.”
I tensed before she even touched me.
The antiseptic burned - sharp, hot, immediate - as if I was being burned all over again. My breath hitched, and I felt myself flinch despite trying not to.
Kai’s hand pressed a little firmer against my back, steadying me. “You’re alright,” he murmured, voice low and warm.
I didn’t look at him, but I nodded, focusing on the sound of his voice instead of the pain.
Kate worked quickly after that, covering the burn with a clean dressing, smoothing the edges down with gentle fingers.
“There,” she said softly. “All done.”
I let out a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding.
Kai’s hand stayed on my back a moment longer, like he wasn’t ready to let go yet.
And honestly… neither was I.
Kate had just finished smoothing the dressing over my arm when her gaze drifted - not sharply, not in a way that made me flinch - just a slow, instinctive sweep. The kind nurses do when they’re checking for things you haven’t said out loud.
Her eyes softened. Then narrowed. Not with judgement - with recognition.
“Alex…” she murmured, her voice dipping into something quieter, heavier.
I followed her gaze before I could stop myself. Down to the edge of Kai’s jumper where the sleeve had ridden up a little. A bruise bloomed there - dark, ugly, impossible to miss now that the blood was gone.
I tugged the sleeve down quickly, heat rushing to my face.
Kate didn’t reach for me. She didn’t crowd me. She just looked - really looked - and I could tell she was seeing more than I wanted her to.
Her eyes lifted to mine, soft and unbearably kind.
“There are more, aren’t there?” she said gently.
My throat tightened. I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to.
Kai shifted beside me, his whole body going tense. I felt it before I saw it - the way his breath hitched, the way his hand hovered like he wanted to touch me but didn’t know if he should.
Kate’s voice stayed steady, warm. “Sweetheart… I just want to make sure you’re alright.”
I swallowed hard, staring at the counter. “I’m fine,” I whispered, even though the lie felt thin and brittle.
Kai exhaled sharply - not angry at me, but at the situation, at the truth he was seeing piece by piece. His hand finally settled on my back, gentle, grounding.
“You don’t have to pretend,” he said quietly. “Not here.”
Kate nodded, her expression softening even more. “I just want to help.”
She set the used gauze aside and wiped her hands on a clean cloth, her movements slow, deliberate, giving me time to breathe.
“Alex,” she said softly, “would it be alright if I check the other bruises?”
My stomach tightened instantly, and I looked down at my lap, fingers curling into the fabric of Kai’s joggers. I didn’t answer. I didn’t know how to.
She didn’t move closer. She didn’t reach for me. She just stayed where she was, her voice warm and steady.
“You’re in control,” she said. “I won’t touch anything you don’t want me to. I just want to make sure nothing needs urgent attention.”
Kai shifted beside me, his hand brushing my back again - a silent you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to . I felt him watching me, waiting, not pushing.
I swallowed, my throat tight. “They’re just bruises,” I whispered.
Kate nodded gently. “Bruises can be painful. They can hide things. I’d like to make sure you’re not more hurt than you realise.”
I shook my head, but it wasn’t a real no - more like a reflex, a flinch of habit. She seemed to understand that too.
“Sweetheart,” she said, her voice softening even more, “you’ve been through something awful. Letting someone help you doesn’t make you weak.”
My chest pulled. Tight.
Kai leaned in slightly, his voice low, meant only for me. “Alex… let her help you.”
There was no pressure in it - just worry. Real worry. The kind that made something twist in my chest. I could see it all over his face: the tightness around his eyes, the way he kept glancing at my arm, the way he was trying so hard to stay calm for my sake.
He wanted me to be okay. And I’d already put him through so much.
I exhaled shakily, the breath trembling out of me before I could steady it. My shoulders sagged, the last bit of fight draining out of me like air from a punctured balloon.
“Okay,” I whispered.
Kate nodded immediately, relief and respect flickering across her face. She stepped closer - slow, careful, giving me every chance to pull away. I didn’t.
“Do you want to stand?” Kate asked, gesturing gently.
I nodded and pushed myself up, trying to hide the winces that kept threatening to break through. The kitchen felt colder when I wasn’t sitting, like the air had more room to touch the bruises under my clothes.
Kate waited until I was steady before her hands moved - slow, careful - reaching for the hem of my jumper.
Kai shifted beside me the moment she did. I didn’t even have to look to know it. His whole body changed - not tense in a way that scared me, just… alert. Protective. Like he was bracing himself for what he already suspected.
I didn’t want him to see me like this.
But I didn’t want to hide from him anymore either.
Kate’s fingers brushed the fabric, giving me one last chance to pull away. I didn’t. So she lifted the jumper, inch by inch, slow enough that I could breathe through it.
The cold air hit my skin first.
Then the silence.
The bruises bloomed across my chest and ribs - dark, mottled, ugly. They looked worse under the kitchen light, like someone had painted violence across me in colours I didn’t choose.
Kate’s breath caught softly. Kai’s caught harder.
I stared straight ahead, heat crawling up my neck, shame prickling under my skin. I felt exposed, raw, like every mark was a confession I hadn’t meant to make.
Kai stepped closer - not touching, but close enough that I felt the warmth of him at my side.
He didn’t say anything. He didn’t need to.
His silence was loud enough.