AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Freya, stop it.” I nudged her with my elbow. “This is nobody’s fault but the maniac who took me.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“If you don’t shut up, you’ll have to find someone else for yourTwilightmarathons.”
Freya gasped but stopped crying. “You wouldn’t dare. It’s one of the requirements of being best friends. Besides, you secretly love watching sparkly vampires.”
“And I wouldn’t miss them for the world.
We pulled up to Liam’s apartment building, and Freya leaned between the front seats. “Why are we at your apartment? She needs to go to a hospital.”
Liam pulled into the underground parking garage and expertly backed into his spot. “I called my doctor. She’ll receive the best care money can buy. A hospital is too risky at the moment. If she needs an X-ray or ultrasound, we’ll take her to one of the smaller clinics. They’re easier to secure.”
We both just gaped at him.
Not giving us a chance to come up with a snarky comeback, he was out of the car and opening my door. He undid my seat belt, then lifted me out of the seat, taking extra care not to jostle me too much.
I relished his attention as much as I despised it. He was sending my feelings into a tailspin of hurt and confusion.
Why is he doing this for me?
Freya followed us, her gaze never wavering, taking a particular interest in the spot where Liam’s hands held on to me.
He didn’t let me go, carrying me all the way into his apartment and to his bedroom. Placing me on his bed, he stayed close. “Do you need a blanket?”
Playing with the edges of my makeshift bandage, I shook my head. “I’m okay.”
After another charged moment where neither of us seemed to know what to say or do, he left, leaving a gaping Freya in his wake. “What was that?”
Falling back into the pillows, I closed my eyes. “No idea. But my brain is too tired to overanalyze Liam’s actions right now. Maybe tomorrow.”
She climbed onto the bed, rolling onto her side to face me. “You sure you’re okay? You can talk to me.”
I’d never felt more exhausted. Opening my eyes was about as much as I could muster. “I’ll probably fall apart tomorrow when I can do more than blink. But for now, I need to get clean and get someone to stitch me up. And maybe a tetanus shot wouldn’t go amiss.”
Jumping up, Freya skipped to the bathroom. “I’ll draw you a hot bath. Probably a good idea to get clean now. I heard you’re not supposed to get fresh stitches wet.”
I listened to her moving things around in the bathroom, and then the noise of running water filled the room. The sound lulled me to sleep.
A hand on mine brought me back to consciousness with a violent jolt.
“I didn’t mean to startle you,” Liam murmured. He was kneeling beside the bed, holding my hand. “Your bath is ready, and the doctor is here. But he’ll wait for as long as you need.”
After placing a kiss to the back of my hand, he straightened back up.
Pushing up on my elbows, I heaved myself out of bed, feeling ninety years old. Everything hurt, and my eyelids were still half closed.
Freya came out of the bathroom, rushing up to me as soon as she saw I was up. “You shouldn’t get up by yourself.”
I let her help me into the bathroom but drew the line when she lifted the hem of my shirt. “I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine taking my own clothes off.”
Biting her bottom lip, she backed off.
I mustered a weak smile, hoping to reduce the sting of my words. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt her feelings. “Thanks for getting the bath ready. I won’t be long.”
She left but didn’t close the door all the way. I could hear her pacing in the bedroom, a huff filling the air every few seconds. After first peeling off my T-shirt, then my pants, I had to take a break, the movements sending fire shooting up and down my arm.
My panties and bra followed, and I lowered myself into the hot water with a deep sigh. My ribs ached, and my body was one big bruise. But I was still alive and hadn’t lost any fingers or toes.
