AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Tell me if it hurts when I press down.” He continued probing here or there, watching her face for any indication of pain. Aside from the bruising, she was certain nothing was broken and the pain was bearable. She shook her head each time he touched somewhere else.
Then he examined her neck, gently tilting her head one direction, then the other.
“Sore throat?” he asked.
“A little.”
“Does anything else hurt?” While Rhys’s tone was calm, she could see the emotions swirling in his eyes, and she was touched to know he cared so much about her.
“No. We fought and then Tony broke down the door and you guys stormed in. That was the end of it.”
“Good.” Rhys took her other hand, using it to help her sit up. Then he handed over her shirt, turning toward the desk while Tony took the shirt and pulled it back on her carefully.
Rhys lifted a penlight and checked her pupils one more time. “Not dilated anymore.” He grabbed a bottle of pills from the counter. “Ibuprofen. I don’t think you need more than this, but if you’re still in pain after taking two of these, let me know and I’ll give you something stronger.”
Tony helped Jess stand. “Why don’t you go on up, get a hot shower, and afterwards, we’ll plow through that plate of cookies?”
“Okay.”
Tony had told Jasper that the two of them would be spending the night here, and Jess was so grateful for one more night. She didn’t have the mental or physical strength to fake her way through a night at another shelter with Jasper, pretending everything was okay when it wasn’t.
With Aunt Berta, Rhys, and Tony around, she wouldn’t have to work so hard to hide how fucked up she was right now. With other people around to distract Jasper…
“A shower,”and a long, hard cry,“sounds great.”
Rhys sat up in bed and sighed. He’d crawled into bed at eleven, sleep eluding him as he tossed and turned. Now it was well after one a.m. and he was finished trying to pretend sleep was going to come. He couldn’t settle his mind, couldn’t push away the dark thoughts swirling.
Jess had taken them up on the offer of a hot shower after the exam. She’d locked herself in the bathroom for well over an hour, and when she’d emerged, her red-rimmed eyes told him she’d been crying.
He hated the thought that she’d shed those tears alone, away from them.
Rhys had dedicated his life to helping people who were hurt. And while that meant he attempted to heal their bodies, with Jess…he wanted to offer more. To hold her as she cried. To comfort her. To be there for her.
Always.
That was a new emotion for him, one he wasn’t quite sure how to handle. Not just because it wasn’t something he had a lot of experience with—but because he knew Tony was struggling with his own budding feelings for her.
He and his roommate were both falling for the same woman.
He’d never felt so out of control. His kid sister, Penny, had teased him most of their lives, given him the nickname Tin Man because even throughout high school and college, he’d chosen his books and education over girls and love every single time. He’d told her countless times he’d been fortunate to know from a very young age what he wanted to be in life and that becoming a doctor came with certain sacrifices.
Of course, Penny had never let that excuse slide, pointing out that many doctors were married and had kids. Rhys knew that. Most of his colleagues fell into that category, but he also knew that their spouses were the ones carrying the family while the doctors were constantly on call.
Like with his practice, Rhys knew that if he ever proposed marriage, he’d want to be all-in. And in his mind, he couldn’t see how working sixty, sometimes seventy, hours a week as a doctor would allow him to be a good husband and father.
Rhys rose, sliding his feet into his slippers, wondering if there were any of those cookies left. He wasn’t getting any sleep tonight.
Quietly, he walked from his bedroom to the kitchen, but a soft sound from the living room caught his attention. Changing direction, he found Jess standing by the large window, looking down at the street below. The slight tremble in her shoulders told him she was crying.
“Jess,” he whispered, not wanting to alarm her.
She turned to face him, quickly swiping at her eyes and sniffling, attempting to hide her tears. Again.
“I’m sorry if I woke you up.”
“Don’t,” he said.
“Don’t what?”
