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“Everleigh?” Lucius called from the other side of the door.
My body had gone stiff, and my head spun when I tried to sit up.
“Can I come in?” he continued, his voice laced with concern. “Do you need help?”
I was too tired to call out to him. Too tired to continue fighting to get up. Maybe if I closed my eyes again, it would all turn out to be a bad dream, and I’d wake up in my bed in San Diego.
The door opened, and footsteps quickly approached. “Santino, necesitamos el doctor,” Lucius shouted to the living room.
The glass door slammed open, and he bent down, ignoring the water drenching him yet again. He lifted me gently off the tiles and held me close. My ribs groaned at the movement; my entire body did.
He sat down on the floor next to the shower and held me on his lap, wrapping a towel over my drenched body. I remained motionless, allowing him to wrap me up like a mummy and hold me.
All I could focus on were his eyes on mine. His beautiful unique eyes with the impossibly long and full lashes and the color a mix of moss and amber I’d never seen before. He brushed the wet hair out of my face. Caught in his gaze, his light touches made me breathless.
The doctor rushed in, breaking the moment. He knelt down next to us, opening his bag.
Lucius sat up. “Bonita, let him look at you.”
After checking me over and determining I was no worse or better off than before, the doctor motioned to my sopping clothes. “We need to get you out of your wet clothes and rewrap your bandages.”
I panicked at the thought of having to take off my clothes in front of him. I shrank back into Lucius, gripping his shirt as tight as I could while shaking my head.
“Please don’t,” I pleaded, my voice shaky from the effort of holding back my tears.
After a hushed conversation with Lucius, the doctor stepped outside the bathroom and closed the door.
“Everleigh. Look at me,” Lucius rasped.
I relaxed my grip on his shirt and met his eyes.
“Your bandages are wet. We need to take them off.” He looked pained as he gently swiped my tears away. “We’ll do this quickly. Santino left dry sweats and a T-shirt for you.” He pointed to a pile of clean clothes on the toilet that I hadn’t noticed until now. “You can barely move and need someone to help you. I’m here now. I promise I’ll keep you safe.”
I took a deep breath in. And out. In. Out. In. Out. I didn’t know why or how, but I trusted him. He had every opportunity to hurt me, but he’d been nothing but gentle.
With one last deep breath, I squeezed my eyes shut and nodded.
I felt the whisper of a kiss on my temple. “Thank you. Now lift your arms.”
I did as I was told, keeping my eyes firmly shut. The bandages loosened, and then he gently dried me off, his movements efficient. I still refused to open my eyes.
Soft fabric skimmed over my head, and he threaded my arms through the openings. Then he pulled the pants up my legs. “All done.”
He picked me back up and walked out. He spoke to Santino, and then I heard a door click shut. When he placed me back on the bed, I bit my lip, afraid of what was next. Tears escaped my closed eyes.
The doctor rewrapped the bandages that covered my arms, feet and midsection and put ointment on my many scrapes. Once he was done, soft sheets slid over my body.
“Everleigh.” Lucius found my hand under the blanket and held it in his. “Open your eyes.”
I shook my head; I was cold, even though he’d piled blankets on top of me again. The bed dipped and Lucius sighed, his body close to mine. “You have my word that nobody is going to touch you again.” His raspy voice did wonders to distract me. “Everleigh. Please. Open your eyes.”
“I’m tired.” I pulled my hand out of his, opening my eyes only to be hit with his pleading gaze and downturned mouth. “I want to sleep.”
He paused for a moment, studying my face as if committing it to memory. “Santino will stay with you.” With a nod, he left, leaving an oppressing silence in his wake.
It had been a week since I’d foolishly jumped off the cliff, and except when I went to the bathroom, there wasn’t a moment when I was alone.
Santino walked me everywhere and now stayed in the office with me while I was working. Lucius would then walk me back to my room after dinner and stay with me. We went to bed together, my body aching to move closer every night but never giving in. But there was no more hand holding. No more whispered conversations.
