Page 81 of Solanum

"Can I sit with you?" I asked, proceeding with caution as always.

She nodded, though her eyes welled up immediately. I lifted the tablet and set it on the table before climbing into bed with her. Her eyes never left me, and I leaned against the headboard, holding my arm out to her. She covered her face for a moment, then leaned into my arms. I pressed my lips to her cheek, now without the marks she carried a week ago, and she cried softly. As always, I kept my breath steady, and focused on remaining mindfully calm for her.

"I'm so worried about you, Nor." I brushed my knuckles over her cheek. "I know you're sad and scared."

She sniffled, listening to me with her head resting on my shoulder. Her hand fell to the center of my chest, and I noted the soiled bandages she kept on her wrists. Without asking, I began peeling them off, one after the other.

"We need to take care of you today, Kitten." The nickname left my lips without an ounce of pause that time.

Nora's entire body melted against me as if she finally breathed after spending minutes under water. One after the other, I freed her wrists, inspecting the healing abrasions and rope burns left behind. It wouldn't scar. I'd been around ropes to know enough. My insides cooled, comforted by her response to my direction. I nudged her chin up so that she'd look at me, and her sad eyes, emeralds dulled to sea glass, stared back at me. I held her hand in mine, then lifted her arm up to kiss her wrist.

"Will you let me help you?"

Tears streamed her cheeks and she choked on a sob when she nodded.

"Okay." I kissed her wrist again, and she squeezed my thumb. "Will you drink a little juice with me?"

She sniffled, again nodding and glancing to the bottle beside us. I lifted it, cracked the top, and held it to her. She accepted a few sips, then dropped her head back on my shoulder.

"Does it hurt when you talk, Nor?" I pressed my lips to her forehead, holding her hand to my chest while she gripped my thumb.

"My ears," she whispered, her voice excessively raspy. "Throat."

"I understand." I kissed one cheek, then the other, and a small smile made it to her lips. Sali told me what Nora suffered, how Perkins tortured her with waterboarding, exposure, and stringing her up. The humiliation of it, how he degraded and shamed her, destroyed me to know she suffered so badly. I would have killed him, if Sali hadn't. And although she and I were at odds at times, I would always be grateful for her violence that ended the man who hurt someone I loved.

"What else do we need to do to take care of you today?" I implored, offering her another sip of the drink.

She accepted it again, drawing more deeply on it that time. A shrug left her, and she sniffled.

"Phone?" she whispered, clearing her throat after. "Maya?"

"I have your phone and Maya's okay. She doesn't know anything yet. Anita told me that you didn't want her to know."

Nora nodded, sniffling and resting her head on my chest again. Her sweaty body under the blankets dampened her shirt and sweatpants. I nudged the blankets off her, and she shook her head.

"I got you." I wrapped her up in both of my arms now and she snaked hers around my middle. "You're too hot under there."

She closed her eyes, her forehead against my chin when her breathing picked up.

"Are you in pain, honey? Let me see your side."

She tugged up her shirt to show me the welted spot along her ribs that healed up pretty well, same with most of her bruises.

"No pain. Sore."

"Looks better. Your arms are still sore?" I asked and she nodded. "Understandable. Will you shower with me if I go in with you?"

She shook her head, her nails digging into my arm briefly.

"How about a hot bath? Just the two of us in Sali's fancy tub. I promise to hold you the whole time."

That got her thinking it seemed, and eventually, she agreed. "Okay."

"Okay." I kissed her cheek and slipped my hands under her knees when I hoisted her up. "Bird bones."

She hissed out a soft laugh, wrapping her arms around my neck when I carried her to the bathroom across from the bed. Fresh towels lined the sink, along with a clean pair of sweats that I imagined Maggie set down in here for when Nora was ready to change.

I sat her down on the counter beside the sink, then closed the door. She watched me turn on the faucet and pull the stopper to begin filling the tub when the water ran hot. Her eyes never left me, watching every move I made no matter how deliberate or accidental. I came to stand in front of her, and she smiled when I shrugged out of my half-buttoned shirt. I tossed it on the floor and undressed the rest of the way. A small smile curved her lips, less cracked than before, and her eyes lingered on my visible piercings. I flicked my fingers over them, and she chuckled softly.

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