Page 44 of A Simple Love

I fought down my anger, refusing to upset Kassie even more. I had always hated seeing her in physical pain. My friends used to laugh at me when I would decline going out when she was ill or having her period. I would rub her back, feed her ice cream or whatever she wanted, and watch endless TV shows with her until she felt better. I rubbed her swollen feet and made sure the heating pad was close on her bad days. Unlike most of my friends, I had no problem going to the store for pads or Midol. If it made her feel better, I was all in. They jeered and called me pussy-whipped. I told them I was more a man than they ever would be.

And often reminded them at least I was getting some pussy.

That shut them up.

Today, I’d been upset, thinking I had somehow hurt her. Been too rough in the stable. When she assured me spasms happened often and confirmed my suspicion it hadn’t been an accident, I was incensed. Seeing her scar drove it home.

Someone had intentionally hurt her. I wanted to know who. When. Why.

And how to find them.

But for now, I forced myself to lie beside her in the hot water without any demands. Her closeness eased some of my anger, and I kept watching her through narrowed eyes while she let her medication and the heat soothe her pain. I could tell when it began to ease. The furrow on her brow smoothed out. Her mouth was no longer tense, and her shoulders dropped a little. A quiet sigh of relief slipped from her lips. But her grip on my hand never lessened. She appeared to slumber, her face turned slightly, resting against the padded support. I watched her carefully, wondering if she knew how dangerous it could be to take her meds and get into the tub.

As if knowing my thoughts, she opened her eyes and met my concerned gaze. “I don’t usually do the meds and the tub at the same time. If I have to take the pills, I lie down with the heating pad. Today was bad, though.”

“You could fall asleep and drown.”

“I would set a timer for every ten minutes to make sure I stayed awake.”

“I see.” I sat up, releasing her hand, and leaned forward. “What happened that set it off today? Was it me? Lifting you?”

“No. That was simply when the spasms started. I did too much. Lifting, walking on uneven surfaces, constantly on my feet without a break. Then sitting at a picnic table with no back support. That’s the worst thing. Plus, I forgot my back brace.” She shrugged. “Sort of an entire recipe for disaster.”

“Me manhandling you didn’t help, I suppose.”

“It would have happened, regardless. I had been feeling twinges, but it was so crazy and busy, I ignored it.”

“Does it happen often?”

“No, but on occasion if I forget to stretch or move right.”

I took a deep breath. “What was your injury, exactly? That scar was surgical.”

She nodded, looking away before she responded. “A fractured vertebra and some nerve and muscle damage.”

“Car accident?” I asked through tight lips.

“No.”

“How, Kassie?” I asked, focusing my gaze on her face. I’d know if she lied. She was a terrible liar and had been her whole life. Her eyes became unfocused, and the right one twitched a little when she tried to fib. Her ears went bright pink every time.

She shifted in the water, then sighed. “I was pushed and fell backward. I caught the edge of a cement block that held a statue and fractured my spine. It did a lot of damage that they were able to repair surgically, but some of the nerves and muscles never healed properly, and I get these spasms at times.”

I was horrified. “Someone pushed you? On purpose?”

“It depends who you ask. They maintained it was an accident.”

I stood, the water pouring off me. Steam rose around me, reflecting the fury tearing through my body. “I want to know the whole story. Are you ready to get out?”

“Yes.”

I kept my touch gentle as I helped her out. I was pleased to see she didn’t grimace. I grabbed a towel from the stack by the tub and wrapped it around her. I stepped back and looked at the scar closer, surprised when she allowed me to do so without protest. It was neat and clean, hiding what I was certain was an incredibly painful injury and recovery.

That I hadn’t been around for or known about.

All at once, my anger bubbled over, this time not only directed to the faceless person who was the cause of this, but myself and the circumstances that had kept me from her. But I didn’t want to take out my anger on her. She didn’t deserve that.

“Get dressed,” I said calmly. “I’ll go grab some fresh clothing and be back in a few minutes.”