Page 91 of Shattered

Before I can fully implode, Asher grabs me by the arms, pulling me up towards his lap. I sit on his good leg, my legs resting betweenhis. His arms warmly surround me, grounding me and bringing me back to earth.

“You’re okay, Sunshine.”

“I panicked,” I cry.

“I know. It’s gonna happen. We’ll work through it.”

“How am I supposed to wash my hair?” I weep.

Asher kisses my forehead, stroking my hair sweetly. “We’ll figure out another way. For now, breathe.”

It takes me ages to calm down enough to stand up. When I finally do, Asher squeezes my hand gently to keep us connected.

“What do you want to do?” he asks.

My hair needs to be washed. But with my head spinning and my pulse as high as it is, I can’t even think straight. All I know is I’m absolutely not doing that again.

“I don’t know. I just wanna lay down again.”

Asher nods. “Want me to come with you?”

“You were gonna shower too, weren’t you?”

“I can wait.”

“You shower. I’ll be fine.” I could use a breather, alone.

He nods in understanding. “Before you go, could you help me in?”

“Of course,” I say, my voice a little stronger. Asher asking for help? What a twist.

To my surprise, we get him in there fairly easily by working together. He uses the rail in the tub to hold his weight while I pull downhis pants, and then he sits in the chair. Once he’s seated, I remove his pants the rest of the way, eyeing the two small bandages on his leg from his surgery.

I almost expect some backhanded insult from him about how he doesn’t need help. Instead, he turns to me, his eyes filled with nothing but relief and gratitude.

“Thank you,” he says softly.

“You’re welcome,” I say sweetly. Since he can’t reach the shower head, I pull it down for him and give him my bottles of soap, shampoo, and a cloth. I make a mental note to have Neela or Macy pick some men’s products up for him. In a pinch, mine will do.

“Do you want some help? You can’t get those wet,” I say, motioning to his bandages.

“I think I’ve got it from here, Sunshine,” he says gently, removing his shirt so he’s completely naked.

After getting an idea, I head into the kitchen, nodding a hello to Macy sitting at the table. I grab a garbage bag from the pantry and bring it back in to Asher. I place it over his bad thigh to protect the bandages.

“That should help, at least.”

He smiles slightly. “Thanks, Sunshine.”

I remove his walker and bring his wheelchair back in, parking it beside the shower. Then I grab his clean clothes and place them on the chair under a fluffy towel so everything he needs is within reach.

“Just holler when you’re ready to get out.”

“Will do.”

After Asher’s finished in the shower and back in his wheelchair, Macy helps me with my hair. She washes it for me in a big salad bowl in the kitchen, with no running water on my scalp. I opt for cold water to help with the cruel bite of the heat. Having my scalp submerged in any water at all makes me feel physically ill, but for a few minutes, it’s manageable. Once it’s clean, she also washes the back of my neck, making me feel so much better. Asher stays with me the whole time, squeezing my hands.

Macy shows Asher how to blow dry my hair, and while he starts, Macy looks up some braid tutorial videos. Once it’s dry, Macy puts in a crown braid so it’s secure and off my neck. Asher watches her do it, and Macy teaches him how. They end up taking my hair down so Asher can do it himself. I can’t see the result, but it feels less secure than Macy’s. He redoes it twice before he’s happy with it, and it feels perfectly secure on my head.

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