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And with that he turns around and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

* * *

I endedup taking the pain meds, and it wasn’t long after that I fell back asleep. By the time I woke up again, the sun was setting through the blinds. My body is stiff from falling asleep sitting up; I roll my neck to try and ease some of the tension.

I lie still for a long time, staring at the ceiling, trying to hear any movement outside the room.

It’s not until I take a deep breath that I catch a stench of something awful. I cringe, realizing it’s coming from me. I can’t even remember the last time I took a shower, let alone brushed my teeth.

Disgust rams into me. I can’t lie here any longer.

I gingerly swing one leg over the edge of the mattress. Pain travels from my left shoulder down to my toes. Sitting there for a minute, I catch my breath before doing the same with my other leg. With my feet planted on the hardwood floor, I stand, feeling a little uneasy. The pain was relentless, a searing throb that pulsed through my left side.

One step at a time, I make my way to the bathroom. Once inside, I flick the lights on and close the door behind me. Gritting my teeth, I slowly remove the sling around my left arm—or try to. The moment I pull on the fabric, agony shoots up my neck and down my entire left side. A sharp hiss escapes from my mouth, willing myself not to crumble.

My vision swarms, white dots invading my vision.

“What are you doing?” Reed growls from behind me. I hadn’t even noticed the door open, but there he stands.

“Uh.” I feel like a little kid being caught with their hand in the cookie jar. I want to state the obvious. But I keep my mouth shut, unsure about his mood. I know I’ve already been pushing my luck. I don’t need him kicking me out,yet,anyways.

“Noah.” Reed snaps.

“Well, you see, I was—I need to shower,” I start, unable to look at him. “I sort of took a deep breath and realized how bad I smelled. And well, I’m—you have running water here, right?” Realizing I had no idea if this place even had running water. It’s probably something I should have thought about before dragging my ass in here.

“It does.”

Another simple answer. One that I should be fine with, but somehow I’m not. I want him to talk more.

“Okay, well, great.” My lips formed into a line, not sure what else there was to say. “Well, I’m going to shower, so if you don’t mind…”

“You can’t get your shoulder wet.”

I nod. “Got it.”

While that might make things a little difficult, I’m sure I can still work around it. Somehow.

“Let me help.”

“What?” My eyes snap up to his. I expected the corner of his eyes to be creased, showing some sort of sign that he’s joking. But I don’t see any, not even the smallest hint that he might be joking.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

I swear the moment those words leave his mouth, I’ve died and gone to heaven. Because there is no way in hell I’m getting naked and in the shower. Not in front of Reed, and sure as hell not with his help.

CHAPTER25

Reed

I’m not sure who is more shocked that I offered to help. I’m not even sure why I offered.

But one glance at his left shoulder, and I’m reminded. The guilt sits heavy against my chest. It presses against my ribs, squeezing my lungs, making it hard to breathe.

He shouldn’t be standing there in a sling with a bullet wound to his shoulder. He shouldn’t have been hurt.

“You’re not helping me shower,” Noah squeals. Reminding me that I have a job to do. One that, while I’m not entirely sure why I offered, I’m slightly glad. I want my hands on him, even if it’s helping him through the shower.