AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER TWELVE
I didn't even hear him when he came in.
When I next opened my eyes, I heard Drake in the bathroom, showering. The sun was rising and beams of light filtered in from under the drapes. I sat up in bed, surprised that he didn't wake me up.
He came into the room, a towel around his waist and went to his chest of drawers.
"What time did you get in? I didn’t even know you'd come to bed."
Drake dropped his towel and slipped on a pair of navy boxer briefs. His hair was still wet.
"That's because I slept at the hospital."
"Drake… Not because of what happened?"
He shook his head. "There was a seven car pile up on the Mombasso Road and we had a multiple casualty event. I was in charge of three patients and had to watch them until they were stable so I stayed and caught up with some paperwork. I fell asleep in the resident's room and came home to shower and change clothes."
I glanced at the bed beside me where Drake usually slept. It was still neat, the covers tucked in.
"That's too bad," I said, and for a moment, I couldn't help but think of Drake spending the night with Sam. I pushed that thought out of my head and instead, watched Drake dress, pulling on a clean pair of trousers and shirt. "Why are you up so early? You have this weekend off."
"We're taking call for Keith."
I sighed. "I hope you got some sleep at least or your day will be a pain."
"A few hours."
He came over to the bed and leaned over me, his hands on either side of my body. He stared at me for a few moments, his eyes dark under a frown. Then, he took in a deep breath.
"I'm sorry I wasn't home last night," he said, his voice finally warm. "I can't really promise to make it up to you tonight, but I'll try."
I forced a smile and pressed my fingers against his lips. "Don't promise me anything. I know you have to do this. I'll have to learn to amuse myself when you're working late."
He sat beside me on the bed, his arms still on either side of me as if he was trying to keep me lying there, under his control.
"I'm sure this wasn't what you expected when you came with me. I'm sorry. This is important to me, helping Michael, teaching. But you are my love." He seemed really concerned, as if he thought I was unhappy.
I shook my head, but in truth, I didn't know what I expected. All I knew was that I missed him terribly, but I didn’t want to upset him.
"It's all right," I said, trying my best to sound nonchalant. "Things will get better soon enough once you're no longer Michael's shadow."
He leaned down closer and kissed my cheek, then my chin and then the tops of my breasts, pressing his nose between them and inhaling.
"You smell so warm and delicious. I better go quickly or I won't be able to drag myself away from you."
I smiled when he kissed my breasts once more and then he was off, grabbing his suit jacket from the hanger in the closet. He stopped at the door before leaving and looked back at me.
"If I can't make it up to you tonight, tomorrow night for sure," he said, raising his eyebrows.
I shook my head. "No promises, Drake. We'll do what we can when we can. That's good enough for me."
He stood for a moment longer as if he was afraid to leave, but finally, he nodded and was gone.
I sighed and lay still under the covers, a mix of disappointment and sadness in me. I didn’t have class, so I planned on spending my day working on the painting of Drake in the bath.
There was a bit of unpacking left to do in my studio, but other than some laundry, I was a free spirit. Sadly, my spirit wasn't as free as I was, and I didn't look forward to today, for I could tell Drake was not happy either.
Claire called around eleven, asking if I wanted to go for lunch to a local hotspot where all the expats liked to eat, since Drake and Michael were on call.
