Page 28 of Take Me to the Valley

Skye runs off to her room, and Calista turns to me.

“I'm going to get her settled, but then we need to change your bandage and get you settled for bed. Then I’ll get you your meds because it's time and we need to stay ahead of the pain.”

“Okay,” is all I say. I have no intention of fighting her and making all this harder than it needs to be.

I listen as best I can as Calista gets Skye into bed for the night. She tucks her in and answers all Skye's questions, and as Calista steps into the hall, Skye calls after her.

“I really like having you here,” Skye says, and her words squeeze my heart.

“Well, I really like being here. Now get to sleep,” Calista says before turning off Skye's light and coming back to my room.

“Let's get you to the bathroom and brush your teeth, too.”

Calista says this in a teasing voice that makes me smile and breaks the tensions that are all piling up in my head.

She helps me out of bed and to the bathroom and, thankfully, leaves me to pee on my own. I’m able without too much difficulty to wash my hands and brush my teeth before she helps me back to bed. I'm grateful she isn't hovering over my every move, like I know her parents would be doing if they were taking care of me, which would be the case if she wasn't here.

“Okay, let’s change this bandage and get it cleaned up. Then I'll get your medicine, and you can properly pass out for the night,” she says with a smile.

Then she grabs a basket of supplies from my dresser that I hadn't noticed were there until now and helps me remove my shirt. There is a sharp take of breath from her, and her eyes roam over my body like they did when she helped me get dressed earlier today. Taking a deep breath, she gently peels off the tape, holding my bandage in place. She doesn't take her eyes off the wound on my shoulder she is working on, but I can't take my eyes off of her. As she cleans the area around my stitches, she isgentle and careful. Finally, she pats it dry, rewraps the wound, and takes more care than my nurse at the hospital did.

Once she’s done, she puts everything away.

“Alright, it looks like you are all set. What else do you need?” she asks.

“Well, that's a loaded question,” I say before I get a chance to think about it and stop myself. “Sorry, I shouldn't have said that,” I cringe.

“It's okay. I've heard worse from some of my other patients,” she says with a small smile and seems to shrug it off.

“I'm not just another patient. I shouldn't have said it, and I'm sorry this whole situation is making me uncomfortable,” I say honestly.

“I get it. But we are friends, I hope, and that's a good place to start. I can handle the jokes, and they make things more interesting, don't you think?”

Finally, I can relax. I didn't offend her, and I don't think I showed my hand in regards to what I’m feelings either.

“I think so. We will get into a good routine, and I promise not to make your job too hard either,” I say.

“Then I can promise not to cause you too much pain.” She winks before turning and heading out of my room, closing the door behind her.

My dick is hard, and I haven't been this turned on in a long time.

I'm in so much trouble. And what's worse? I can't tell anyone about it, especially my best friend, her brother.

Chapter 14

Calista

While Skye is at school, Evan and I have fallen into a nice routine. If you can call it that, since it's only been one day. I got Skye ready for school, and my mom picked her up. We figured that for the first few days, until Evan was steadier on his feet, it would be best not to leave him alone. So, Mom agreed to take her with the promise that Dad would let her go home and take a nap since she had to be up so early. Dad happily agreed because it meant he could head out and have coffee with his friends and the other men and gossip about all the manly things like weather, hunting, and ranching. All the way around, it's a win-win.

After school, either Mom or Cody will pick her up and bring her home for the next few days. If someone is here with Evan, I will do it. At a time like this, it's really nice to have a big family to help out, and since Evan is considered family, everyone is happy to help.

While Evan is checking in at work, I clean up the kitchen where I made lunch. I’m lost in my own head when there is a knock on the door, and I about jump from my skin. If it was Mom or Cody with Skye, they would just walk right in, but she isn't even out of school yet, which I confirm by checking the time.

When I peek out the window beside the door, I spot Axel and Emelie on the porch. Opening the door with a welcoming smile, I see Emelie holding a large casserole dish.

“I hope it's okay. We stopped by because Phoenix and Jenna are watching little Noah, and we wanted to check in on Evan and see how he’s doing,” Emelie says as I step aside to let them in.

“How thoughtful of you! One meal I don’t have to cook. Evan is awake, but let me go make sure he is up for visitors,” I say.

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