Page 18 of Stand: Part One

With the covers pulled back, Darren carefully eased me down onto the bed, gently tucking my legs under the sheets. I held my breath as the pressure over my pelvis shifted. Closing my eyes, I leaned back against the pillows and waited for the discomfort to pass. When I opened my eyes again, everyone in the room was staring at me expectantly.

“What?” I said, cocking a brow. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” Darren asked me, his big body leaning down to tuck my loose hair behind my ear. “You don’t need anything else to make yourself more comfortable?”

I couldn’t help but eye him suspiciously. He was being uncharacteristically delicate with me, and it was making me nervous.

I shook my head. “No, I’m okay for now.”

He nodded, a satisfied look on his face as he straightened back to his full height. “Good.”

“Yes, that is very good,” Sid commented, taking a step forward. “My staff will stop by every few hours to check on you, administer your medications, and bring you anything you might need. Do you have any questions? Concerns?”

That seemed a little excessive, but I shook my head either way, ready to lose my awkward audience.

“Okay then, rest easy.” Sid ushered his staff out of the room, leaving Darren, Carla, and my bodyguards behind.

Carla then walked around and placed my books and tablet on the table next to my bedside. “I’ll just leave these here for you. I’m going to go back and get the rest of your art supplies. Do you want them to be set up here for you as well?”

My eyes shifted to Darren to see if he would object, but he said nothing as he stared back at me, waiting for my answer. I was surprised he was being so lenient.

“No, they can go back in my studio for now. I’ll let you know if I want them.”

She nodded with a smile. “Okay then, I will take care of it.”

When she left the room, Clive and Owen took up their space on two sofa chairs set up for them near the door. That left me and my now brooding husband staring intently at each other.

“Something wrong?” I asked him.

He sighed heavily before shaking his head. “No. I’m just glad to see you back in our bed where you belong.”

I lifted my chin and nodded in acknowledgment. “It is definitely preferable to the infirmary. But I still hate being bedridden.”

“I know,” he said, his voice surprisingly solemn. “Give it two more weeks and we can start getting you out on the wheelchair more often.”

I smirked at him. “That’s a long way away. You can’t always be around to carry me up and down the stairs.”

Darren’s gaze darkened as he dipped his chin. “The hell I can’t.”

I shrugged, shaking my head at his intense determination. “If you say so.”

He then stepped closer to me, leaning down to cup my jaw in his big hand. “I have a few things I need to take care of, but I’ll see you at dinner.” Pressing his lips to mine, he kissed me in a way that left me aching for something more, and I hated him for it.

“Be a good girl,” he warned and headed for the door, pausing for a single glance back at me, his eyes flashing with something I didn’t initially recognize. Relief maybe? But then he left the room entirely before I could assess further.

After I watched him go, a deep longing echoed in my chest as I leaned back into the pillows. This past month had left me empty inside, an unbearable weight pressing against my heart as I internally urged my body to heal itself. As much as I hated the man, I felt neglected because Darren could barely stand to be around me in the infirmary. And now that I was back in our bed, I wondered how his treatment of me would differ. If at all.

Time would tell tonight.

8

Found

Seeing Jaden back in our bed brought a small sense of warmth and stability into my life. I needed her up here where I had better access whenever I wanted. It pained me to keep her down in the infirmary, but it was the best place for her. Especially since it meant she would be far away from me.

The last time she’d been this injured, Sid had recommended that I stay away from her. We both agreed that my presence often brought her anxiety, and stressing her out in any way during such a vulnerable state was not conducive to her recovery. As much as I loved to terrorize my wife on the daily, it was only enjoyable when she could actually fight back.

So like last time, I stayed away…at least as much as I could withstand.