Page 68 of Need Him Like Oxygen

“Got nowhere else to be.”

That was good enough for me.

I turned and made my way toward the closed door, knocking, but getting no response, save for the rapid breathing on the other side.

“I’m coming in, Cin,” I said, pushing open the door to find her sitting off the side of the tub, head ducked, breathing even more unevenly than before.

“I can’t breathe,” she gasped between breaths, making my heart ache for her as I moved forward.

“Okay,” I said, moving up to her, then stepping into the tub, and lowering down, pulling her with me, her back against my chest, her whole body between my legs. “It’s gonna be alright,” I assured her, letting my hands drift over her. Down her arms, up her legs, over her stomach, over her jaw, her hair. Trying to ground her. To distract her.

“What’s the matter with me?” she asked, sounding dangerously close to crying.

“Nothing’s wrong with you,” I assured her. “It’s just adrenaline,” I added, since she was too rational to bullshit her.

“I’ve had worse fights,” she said, still sucking in her breath too quickly, but she wasn’t so stiff against me.

“Not in your own home,” I reasoned. “And you never had a kid to protect,” I added.

“Joel!” she gasped, trying to sit up, but I wrapped an arm around her middle.

“He’s okay. He’s waiting in the living room.”

“He’s hurt.”

“Just a cut. He’s fine. Just sit with me for a minute,” I said, resting my face against the side of her head. “Say okay.”

“Okay,” she agreed, melting into me, taking a slow, deep breath. On the exhale, more of the tension left her body.

“Taking another deep breath for me,” I said, nuzzling into her neck, feeling her pulse against my lips, still fast, but not frantic. “There you go. Told you it was gonna be okay,” I said as her breathing began to return to normal.

That was the wrong thing to say, it seemed.

She tensed and pulled away, then moved to stand, climbing out of the tub entirely, and going to the sink, scrubbing at the blood on her hands.

“I, I have to check on Joel,” she said, not even bothering to dry her hands as she grabbed her first aid kit then she rushed out of the bathroom and away from me.

On a sigh, I climbed out of the tub and followed.

Joel was exactly where I’d left him, surprisingly calm, considering what he’d been a part of.

“Here, let me see,” Cinna said, moving to sit on the coffee table in front of the kid, opening her kit, then using some antiseptic spray and gauze to clean the kid’s neck.

I’d seen her take care of many injured men over the years. She’d always been kind of rough about it. But she was surprisingly gentle as she took care of Joel, wincing as she wiped at the cut even though the kid showed no reaction.

“Are you okay?” she asked after slathering on some triple antibiotic and pressing on a giant bandage.

“I’m fine.”

“You were really fucking brave,” she told him, cleaning up her kit. “Stupid. But brave.”

“Couldn’t stand by and let him hurt you,” Joel said, shrugging.

“You could have. Plenty of others would.”

“He’s dead,” Joel said, glancing over at the body.

“Yeah,” she agreed, nodding.

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