Page 6 of In the Cover of Darkness

Without waiting for my response he leaves the room and comes back a few minutes later with a pile of blankets, closely followed by a nurse with a trolley full of tapes and bandages. Assisting the nurse, Dr Johnson makes quick work of administering pain relief and supporting the woman's wrist while they stabilise it. In what feels like only seconds have passed he asks if I'm ready, and starts cutting the last of the woman's clothes off.

I can't help but stare at her again. She's covered in bruises, all in different shades of blue, green and yellow. Instantly I know that this is not a one off and she's been Trevor's punching bag for a while now. The bruises, cuts, and scrapes are all in various stages of healing, and as I look back up, I see both the doctor and nurse staring at her with sorrow etched on their faces.

Taking a long sigh Dr Johnson seems to regain his composure and starts glaring at me.

“Quickly Dante, I have other patients I need to get to, and I can't very well warm her myself,” he snaps.

I feel like I've just been told off by the school principal over how matter of fact he is, like this is an everyday occurrence.

“Okay,” I say, “you're sure this is what I need to do?” I ask, with a touch of hesitancy in my voice. I don't know why I'm struggling with this so much. Both Dr Johnson and the nurse seem satisfied with this being the best way to treat herhypothermia. His explanation even jogs my memory of some basic first-aid training I received several years ago. It just feels I don't know … intimate. Something better left to someone else who won't make a big deal over it, like a friend or loved one.

It's been several years since I slept next to a woman for a night, and even that was always after having sex. Then, it just seemed an unnecessary part of the night. I didn't need to physically sleep with them, so I started making excuses of needing to get back to base, or a mission to prepare for. Eventually, the excuses dried up and I set the expectations from the start. It didn't seem fair to create a sense of false intimacy with any woman I was having sex with. Sex had become a transaction for me. One night stands or no strings attached. I was clear with what I could offer, and that wasn't much. A couple of hours of fun, that would get me through the next few months, before my hand just didn't cut it anymore, and I sought out a new woman to keep me company.

Under the glare of Dr Johnson, I undress down to my underwear and fold my clothing, placing it in a neat pile on the spare chair in the room. Standing next to the bed I look down and see this woman utterly helpless, battered and bruised, needing someone to care for her, if only for a few hours until her family can be contacted.

"Should I just spoon her?'' I ask the doctor. I feel so stupid right now, I don't even recognise the voice coming out of my mouth. I have fought in wars. I've killed men, rescued children, and looked death in the eye more than once, but this, this makes me more nervous than the time I stole my dad's bourbon to go get drunk with my friends as a kid. More nervous than losing my virginity in the back of my car when I was 16. More nervousthan when I looked down the barrel of my gun and took another man's life for the first time.

“Yes Dante,spoonher,” he rolls his eyes and uses finger quotations when he says the word spoon. I officially feel awkward as fuck. I'm standing in my underwear with a middle aged man watching me, and a nurse trying not to look directly at me, while they ask me to get into a bed with an unconscious woman.

“Get comfortable and have as much of your skin touching hers. It could take several hours for her to come back to normal body temperature. Take a nap if you can, it will make time go faster. Try not to get out of bed too often and ring the buzzer if she wakes up or anything changes. I'll check on you both regularly.”

Moving the sheet aside, I slide gently into the small hospital bed behind her, both Dr Johnson and the nurse laying several blankets over us.

She is fucking freezing and it feels like I'm hugging a block of ice, goose bumps have broken out over my body as I try and figure out the best position to lie in. Gently, I lift her head putting my arm underneath, letting her use my bicep as a kind of pillow. My head rests just above her and I take a second to marvel at how this woman fits perfectly against my body. With my free arm, I pull her back firmly against my chest, edging her soft hips toward me, moving her ass against my cock so she's forming the perfect little spoon.Now is not the time for any funny business, I mentally tell my cock. It's been so long since I've been with a woman, he's no doubt going to be confused over this current situation. At the same time, she is so cold I think he's shrunken right back to get away from her. Regardless, this situation is so far out of my usual, that the last thing I need is forher to wake up when she's warm, and find my hard cock jutting into her ass.

It takes me almost 30 minutes to relax a little into my current situation. Dr Johnson has come by once to make sure we're both okay, telling me that either he or a nurse will pop by every hour from now on to check for changes. By the time I fully relax, it's almost midnight. The clock on the wall is my only source of entertainment. I've been lying next to her for three hours.

I fall into a resting state, not quite asleep but definitely not awake, until I hear soft whimpering. It almost seems like someone's trying to escape a nightmare. Which jolts me fully awake when I register the sounds are coming from her. She is not moving, but lifting my head above her I can see tears sneaking out of her closed eyes. Her face is scrunched up as if she's in pain.

“Shhhhhh, you're okay,” I say gently, putting my head back above hers.

“You're safe now,” I continue.

“I found you on the roadside ... you were hurt pretty bad … you have hypothermia and I'm warming you up … my name's Dante by the way,” a small grin breaking out over my face. I don't know if she can hear anything I'm saying, but I just don't want her to freak out and do any more damage to herself if she wakes up, so I continue to talk gently to her. I tell her how I grew tired of the Army, of needing a better purpose in life. I talk about the plot of land I hope to find and go into way too much detail about the house I want to build with a wrap-around porch. I tell her my secrets of wanting to find someone to share my life with, and if I'm lucky, to have a couple of kids. I'm halfway through telling her about the dog or dogs I want to get when I feel her arm reach out on top of mine and she snuggles further into me. I smile to myself and repeat the words that I've said every sooften throughout the night. "My name is Dante. I found you on the roadside. You're safe, he can't hurt you anymore. You have hypothermia. I'm warming you with my body. You're safe.”

Chapter 5 - Mila

Poison & Wine - The Civil Wars ?

My skin feels like it's on fire. A mild fire. I don't know how to explain it. Like my body is covered in that pins and needles feeling but it's not painful. It's uncomfortable but the pain feels weak and subdued. I can't bring myself to open my eyes and see where I am.

I'm definitely not sitting outside anymore and I can hear the soft beep of a machine somewhere. It feels like I'm being weighed down by a heavy fog and I'm not sure what to make of it.

I try to move but instantly realise I can't. Not because I'm being restrained, I just don't have the energy. A small sound escapes my mouth and my throat instantly feels dry and itchy. I’m resigned to the idea that if I don't try to move and don't try to talk, I'll remain in a state of mildly uncomfortable bearable living as I drift back into the comforting darkness.

???

I'm not sure how long has passed when I slowly become aware of a voice talking to me, at least I think he's talking to me. It's likea one sided story but it's his voice that's hypnotising. It's deep and gravelly like he's been yelling all day and night at someone, a man's voice if I ever heard one. The type that if he read the dictionary out loud in public, there would be a sea of women ready and waiting for him to take them.

I picture it belonging to someone rough and ready to work, someone blue collar. Like the men in the romance books I read where a lumberjack rescues a lost lady who turns out to be his soulmate. Or when the single dad, who’s naturally also a billionaire, falls in love with his nanny. Can I be swooning any harder right now? Gods, wouldn't that be the dream to finally get away from Trevor and be rescued by some hunky mechanic.Me man … you my woman … touch her and die, umm, yes please Mr Manly Man, can you take me to your cave to live happily ever after. I can't help but make a small smile, my mouth hurting as I do, before dipping back into the darkness.

???

I feel warm, I think. Well, I don't feel cold and my skin is not on fire anymore. Victory! Whatever Mr Manly Man is doing is working, so I'm happy to just lie here and listen to him. This is what babies must feel like in the womb. I'm wrapped in this comfortable warm cocoon. I feel safe and secure like no one can hurt me. I think I'll stay here forever. There's a faint smell of sandalwood and spice, which only adds to the relaxed feeling I have. In fact, I have a general feeling of peace for the first time in a long time. I try to snuggle down further into this pocket of warmth, as I finally have the energy to listen to what the voice is saying.

“You're safe,” he says gently, and I believe him. I feel so content at this moment that I wish it would last forever. I want tocry over how happy I am to have this feeling, safety, oh how I've missed you.

“My name is Dante and I'm keeping you warm.” Mr Manly Man's name is Dante … Well hello, Dante! Gods, I hope you're a fireman that looks like Henry Cavill. Regardless, I want to call you every night and have you read me bedtime stories because I'm never giving up listening to your voice. I think maybe I hit my head too hard somewhere because I don't think it's normal to be lusting after your hopefully hunky rescuer, so soon after escaping your abusive ex. I'll have to ask the Doctor about it sometime.

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