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Even when the disturbing nightmares returned, they were far easier to cope with than my fucked-up reality.In my dream, I heard the gunshot, smelled the bitter scent of copper pennies, and saw the blood on my hands.The sound of someone calling my name saved me from reliving the horrific events again.When I opened my eyes, a sandy haired man with twinkling blue eyes stood by my bed.
“Hello, Leagh.It’s nice to finally meet you.My name is Dr.Coleman.I’ve been taking care of you for the past two days.
Two days.It didn’t seem possible I’d lost twowholedays.Looking around the room, a dark-haired nurse stood at the foot of my bed, wearing a reassuring smile.On my left, Tony stood, gazing down at me.The stubble on his face was thicker than normal.He looked as if he hadn’t left my side.Tony hadn’t been taking care of himself, and I worried as I gazed at the even darker circles that resembled bruises around his tired eyes.But the level of comfort from just having him near made me realize Tony was my beacon of calmness.
He stepped up alongside the bed and cupped my cheek.“Everything is going to be okay, sweetheart.”
I gave him a quick nod, and that breathtaking smile of his spread across his lips.
“You’ll be back on your feet in no time, Leagh.Both of them,” the doctor chuckled.“I think you’ll feel a lot better once we got this vent off you.We’ll let you suck on some ice chips and maybe say a few words.Does that sound like a good idea?”
I nodded, anxious to get the damn tube out of my throat and feel human again.
Dr.Coleman and the nurse hovered over me as Tony stepped away.Following the doctor’s instructions after he lowered the bed, I coughed as the tube scraped free of my esophagus.It hurt to swallow, but it was a blessed relief not having that nasty thing blocking my airway.
“All done.Does that feel better?”Dr.Coleman asked with a smile.
“Yes.”My voice sounded brittle and raspy, but I didn’t care.I could finally talk.
“I’ll be back later to check in on you,” the doctor announced with a reassuring smile.
“Thank you,” I whispered, wincing as I swallowed again.
“Don’t let her talk too much,” he said to Tony.“Ice chips will help her sore throat.”
“I’ll take good care of her.Thank you,” he smiled, shaking the doctor’s hand.
After they left the room, Tony turned his attention toward me.Doting on me like a mother hen, he spoon-fed me crushed ice, shushing me each time I tried to talk.I couldn’t have asked for a better nurse, or a more infuriating one.I wanted to talk!
The next day, a steady stream of visitors started bringing flowers, and food, and smiles.Reed was the first to come, full of apologies and burdened with remorse.I did my best to assure him the accident wasn’t his fault.Worried he would start discussing Paula again, I was grateful he didn’t and neither did Tony.It was only a matter of time before the good doctor gathered up his figurative scalpel to probe and start digging deep into my psyche, but Tony seemed content letting me gain back my strength and start physically healing.Besides, I wasn’t mentally ready to tackle the anger or pain I felt toward George.
The day I got released from the hospital, the whole gang showed up to whisk me back to my little room at Genesis.Mika looked haggard and tried his best to be patient and understanding with Julianna’s snippy, miserable mood.I wanted to tell her she’d be back to her happy-go-lucky self soon, and that I remembered how I’d once felt as big as a house with legs.But that was from another lifetime none of them knew about.So, I simply lent support to her as best I could with a bittersweet smile.
Drake and Tony began to argue about which one of them was going to lift me from the bed into the wheelchair.Evidently, the nurse filling out my paperwork had dealt with overbearing, testosterone-laced men before.With a heavy sigh, she shoved them out of the way before helping me out of bed.It was a good thing she’d had her back to the fuming Doms, because the caustic scowls that lined their faces frightened even me.
Dylan, Nick, and Savannah had loaded up the numerous vases of flowers onto a push cart.Trevor held all the balloons.With my belongings stowed in a white plastic bag, we paraded out of the hospital.En mass, we loaded into the bevy of vehicles parked at the hospital entrance and headed home.Stretched out in the back of Mika’s Escalade, I leaned against Tony’s wide chest.Tilting my head, I smiled up at him.
“Thank you for…everything.”
“You don’t need to thank me, angel.I’m going to take good care of you.”He leaned down and pressed a kiss on the top of my head.
By the second day home at Genesis, Tony had moved in with me.And over the weeks that passed not only did he manage to juggle work and fulfill his duties at the club, but he cooked my meals, gave me sponge baths—which were so awkward for me, I sent him to the drug store to buy adult bath wipes.He washed my hair, dressed me, and taxied me to every doctor appointment.Tony even took me out to lunch a couple times a week.The man was a saint.Even when I’d become grouchy and snarly for not being able to care for myself, he ignored my crabby moods, only threatening to spank me half a dozen times.
I couldn't help but admire the man, not only for his compassion and constant care, the way Tony seemed to always put my needs above his own; but also, for his strength.The man was a damn Boy Scout.He slept alongside me every night, and except for a chaste kiss on my cheek or forehead, he didn’t once touch me in a sexual way.The nightly ache for more was a frustration all its own.
He coddled me to the point of madness, and every time I tried to reject his care, he’d caress my cheek, my arm, or my hand and remind me, “It’s a Dom’s job to care for a sub.”Tony had taken root in my heart.No matter how much I wanted to distance myself from the emotions he roused, I couldn’t stop itching to wrap myself around him and never let go.
While my road to recovery was long and bumpy, Doctor Coleman seemed pleased with my progress.After being fitted with a shorter cast, I was given the green light to start putting weight on my ankle, but I still had to use a crutch.My mobility improved, but my anger and resentment that George had kept a secret mistress remained a constant, stabbing sting.The letter Reed had given me, the day of the accident, had stayed inside my purse…unopened.Convincing myself that the note was filled with bullshit lies, I couldn’t find the wherewithal to read the damn thing.I wasn’t ready to forgive him.
Several times, Tony tried broaching the subject of both the restraining order and George and Paula, but every time, I cut him off, refusing to open the box of my stormy emotions.Tony never forced the issue.He’d simply suggest that I think of ways to come to terms with my resentment toward George.I knew Tony was right, because ignoring my unresolved anger kept making the elephant in the room grow larger and larger.
I sat in bed watching him straighten his tie as he dressed for work.The man was captivating in his dark suits.I imagined his female patients had a hard time focusing on their issues as they stared into his piercing dark eyes and perused his scrumptious hard body.A sophomoric surge of jealousy swept through me.
Tony stepped to the edge of the bed and cupped my chin in his palm, forcing my gaze to his.A flutter of excitement swirled in my stomach.
“I have a pretty light schedule today, but if you need something before I get back, call Trevor or Savannah, okay?”
“I’ll be fine.I’ve got books to read, and there’s always five hundred channels of nothing to watch on TV if I get desperate.”I smirked.
