Chapter 21 #2
He leans down, resting his hands on his knees, to be eye level with me. “Just give it a go. Plus, I want to see and hear what you saw.” I do as he asks. When he is satisfied, we return to my room, where he leaves me so he can attend to the recruits, promising someone will come by shortly.
Charlie arrives sometime after lunch. He shows me a notebook with thin scrawled handwriting. He says that I inspired him to write a song. Reading the lyrics, I give him a tight-lipped smile and point to his guitar.
With his sinfully charming smile, he obliges and plays some chords, but it just doesn’t fit.
Charlie wants it to be a slow song. To me, though, my instincts scream the lyrics fit better with a faster tempo, more upbeat, one that matches his personality and his style.
Together, we change the music chords and rearrange the lyrics until it finally all clicks together.
Charlie chucks my chin. “You got some real talent, Little One. It makes me wonder if you ever played before.”
I lift my left hand and wiggle my fingers.
He rubs his thumb over my fingertips. “No calluses,” he confirms, gazing at me with a serious expression. “I hope you get your voice back. It would be nice if you and I could sing a duet together.”
I huff and wrinkle my nose, pushing my glasses up simultaneously.
He raises his brow and smirks. “Don’t give me that look. Call it intuition. I think you are musically inclined.” He shrugs. “You know everything and could probably sing, too.”
I roll my eyes.
“I’m serious. I think we could make a great duet.
Look at what we just did in a few hours.
” I stare at him blankly. “I guess in time we’ll find out.
” He winks, and just like that, he resumes his flirty, joking ways and begins to pack up his belongings.
“I can’t wait to show the guys what we put together,” he gushes, clapping his hands together.
“I will see you tomorrow and let you know how it went.” He leans over and gives me a hug.
“Get some rest, Little One.” He kisses my cheek.
Liam walks in just as Charlie pulls away. Wearing his regular sour expression, he lifts his chin in Charlie’s direction and retreats to his usual post.
Charlie smirks, watching Liam, before collecting his guitar and notebook to leave. Liam is earlier today. I assume Sodie will stay with me tonight then.
Sighing, I gather my bag of toiletries—a gift from Shakti—and head to the bathroom. When I return, I put everything back in my nightstand drawer. On the bedside table sit a little medicine cup full of vitamins and supplements and a tall glass filled with my meal replacement shake.
“The nurse just came. She said she will be back with your injections in a few minutes.”
I nod without turning to look at Liam. I grab a beanie from my nightstand and notice a notepad and pen next to it. Sliding the beanie on my head, I don’t disturb the tablet.
“Charlie returned not long after you went into the bathroom and brought a notepad. He said in case inspiration hits you and you want to write more song lyrics.” Smiling to myself, I pick up the notepad and pen.
Liam rarely talks—this is the most he’s spoken to me since I met him. I like the sound of his voice. That slight accent—wow. It’s soothing, sexy even. If he talked more, I wouldn’t mind listening. I blush and quickly scribble a question on the paper, holding it up for him to read.
Slowly, he reads the paper and then looks at me, then back to the paper. “No. You’re stuck with me until morning.”
I offer okay sign and walk away to my bed. Nervously, I glance at Liam in the corner of the room when Mimi enters with the injections. She asks to see the wounds on my back and the surgical incision on my throat, and I freeze.
I forgot about dressing changes. Usually, Sodie is here for this part.
With his expressed interest in the medical field, he tends to help the nurse.
It never bothered me for some reason with him around for my regular check-in.
Mimi passes her wound care kit to Liam and chastises me, discovering I haven’t taken my meds yet.
Embarrassment warms my cheeks. I have to change into the clinic gown that exposes my backside.
Dr. York arrives shortly after Mimi leaves to conduct his routine assessment and ask his questions of the day.
I probably should tell him about the new pain in my back and the stomach discomfort.
But I don’t want to endure more tests, scans, and another treatment plan.
I’m sure, with a short nap, I will be fine.
I’ve been pushing myself, which Dr. York warns me about.
With another cross over my heart, I promise to sleep tonight after I finish my shake. I really can’t wait to get this stupid tube out of my stomach. Maybe it is causing some of the discomfort. If it’s still there tomorrow, I’ll tell him then. After Dr. York leaves, I lift the glass and drink.
Frowning at the pale-yellow concoction, I only manage to swallow a third of it. I already feel full.
“You have some of it on your upper lip.” Jumping at the sound of Liam’s voice, I look over at him.
I swipe at my lip with my fingers. He chuckles, stands, and pulls a paper napkin from the dispenser on the wall near the sink.
Dragging the chair Dr. York sat in earlier closer, he straddles it and resumes reading.
Seriously, is he going to sit there in front of me while I drink this crappy-ass drink?
But he doesn’t move, nor does he look up from his book.
Looking down at my hands, I don’t know what to do with myself.
Even if Sodie can’t hear my thoughts, he talks to me about various topics.
Glancing around the room, like I haven’t done it a million times already, my mind wanders back to Liam’s fight.
Did he learn how to fight in the program?
Gods, to think I tried to stop it myself because Ean wasn’t doing a damn thing.
Like I could ever protect someone like Liam.
I didn’t exactly do a stellar job protecting myself, obviously.
I wonder if I will be able to stay here?
Would Anders teach me how to fight like Liam.
If whoever hurt me found me again, then I could fight them off, or at least defend myself.
I chance a peek at Liam, only to find him staring at me. Shit! Quickly searching for a distracting task, I attempt to finish my shake. Making sure I wipe my face with the napkin, I set the glass down and scoot into bed, feigning interest in my book.
“I worried that I scared you off, after you watched that fight,” he confesses.
I frown. I was overwhelmed at first but mostly concerned about him. I was more frustrated with Ean for not interfering. Swiveling around to face him, I shake my head, dropping my gaze to my lap.
“I heard you went straight to Anders, and you shared what you witnessed to him.”
Still averting my eyes, I nod.
A soft laugh escapes him. I blush at the sound. “I also heard you tried to stop the fight, and Ean stopped you.”
I want to bury my face in this mattress and suffocate myself with the blankets right now. Gods, hearing him say it makes me feel like a complete idiot.
His large hand rests on my knee. “Thank you for having my back. I don’t encounter that very often. It meant a lot to me that you would even try, especially knowing what you’ve been through.”
Nodding briskly, I stare at his hand. His thumb gently brushes the fabric of my pants a few times before he removes it. An uncomfortable silence surrounds us. I shift back, leaning against the mattress, and take a final sidelong look at him before picking up my book again.
“You should get some sleep,” he proclaims.
The clock on my wall indicates it’s barely eight o’clock. I narrow my eyes. I don’t intend to fall asleep this early.
He sighs, stands from his chair, turns on the lamp near my bed, and switches off the overhead light. Returning to my bedside, he holds out his hand. “Book.”
I shake my head. He motions with a “gimme” gesture. Pouting, I plop the book in his open palm. He places it next to his on the table. Hmm, he’s reading The Art of War. I read that two nights ago.
“Glasses.”
I cross my arms over my chest and wrinkle my nose.
He chuckles and repeats, “Glasses.”
I roll my eyes, remove my lenses, and hand them over. He presses the button that lowers the head of my bed, grabs his book, and returns to his chair.
Lying flat on my back is uncomfortable, but I don’t want to turn my back to him or face him.
Why is he sitting there? My face feels warm.
I like it better when he isn’t so close.
I squirm, trying to find a more comfortable position, but I can’t take it.
Finally laying on my side, I avoid looking directly at him.
“Most people close their eyes when they sleep,” he mumbles.
I sigh. Suddenly, a sharp pain tears through the center of my body. I tuck my knees up to my chest, but this time, the pain doesn’t dissipate. I squeeze my eyes closed and will the pain away. That doesn’t work either.
A warm hand grasps my shoulder. Before I can open my eyes to look up, a wave of nausea hits me. Pushing myself up into a sitting position, everything starts to spin. I feel myself fall forward or sideways, unsure which direction is up or down.
As the dizziness starts to recede, I slowly open one eye.
Liam stands in front of me, holding me upright.
Another sharp pain rips through my body, more intense than the first. Resting my head on Liam’s chest, I attempt to regulate my breathing, but the pain is unbearable.
Nausea overcomes me, and my stomach clenches.
I try to push Liam away, but it is too late.
I cover my face, mortified, when another rush of pain and nausea begins again. It feels like someone is stabbing me through my back into my stomach.
Liam rubs my back. “Breathe. Just breathe. I got you. The doc or the nurse should be here any minute.”
My head spins, and the sound of rushing water fills my ears. Muffled voices murmur around me, but I can’t decipher their words. Then, I succumb to silence and darkness.