Page 69 of Through the Water

13

Ariana

“Forget them Wendy. Forget them all. Come with me where you’ll never, never have to worry about grown up things again.”

-J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

“Hey, Ariana,” Bess sang out as she pushed the door to my room open with her hip. “You ready for your meds?”

I nodded and stuffed the magazine beneath the covers, but not before the head nurse saw what I’d been reading.

The corners of her eyes crinkled as she hooted, “Don’t hide that gorgeous man on my account! If I was thirty years younger, you can bet I’d be leaving my phone number all over this building for him to find.”

A wave of heat crept up my neck, but Bess didn’t seem to notice as she began mixing my medication into a container of applesauce.

The night tech shared a chuckle as she retrieved her purse from the small wardrobe. “I’ll be right back, Bess.”

“Sure thing. Take your time,” the nurse responded, before wheeling the table over to the bed. “Alright, Miss Ariana, eat this while I find something for you to watch on TV.”

My lips puckered with the first bite, the tartness sending shivers down my spine. I’d never particularly cared for applesauce and liked it even less with the medicine added in.

I’d just choked down the last bitter spoonful when something in the air shifted. I didn’t need to turn my head toward the door to know what that something was, either. I could see his reflection in the window just fine.

Killian.

The hat on his head was backward, but I imagined the logo matched the one on his shirt. In his sweatpants and house shoes, it was almost easy to believe he was a regular guy and not a ‘major-league superstar’ as the magazine had called him.

I was officially in uncharted waters. By accepting Killian’s offer, I’d essentially rejected any notion of a life of obscurity. And without a blue-eyed savior to smuggle me out of the city, I was back to square one with no real plan of escape. But I had time.

And I wasn’t capable of walking away from Killian. Seeing him incited a strange physical reaction within me, one that sent goosebumps racing across my skin and a flush across my cheeks.

“Hey, girl. You up for some company?” He asked, meeting my reflected gaze with a smirk. “I brought snacks.”

Bess dropped the remote back onto my bed and whirled around with a startled squeak. “You about gave me a heart attack, sugar! I’d love a snack. Come on in here!”

Killian cocked his head to the side in confusion. I turned away before he saw the smile tugging at my lips. I had a sneaking suspicion snack meant something entirely different for the nurse.

“Uh, well, I was actually here for Ari.”

She let out a booming laugh as she gathered up the empty applesauce container and spoon. “And here I thought it was my lucky day. Miss Ariana has just had her meds, so she’s gonna be drifting off to dreamland here shortly, but if you’d like, you can sit with her until then.”

I straightened against the pillows and gave a soft, wordless nod.

Please.

Killian caught my reaction, and the corner of his mouth quirked up. “I guess it’s settled then. Oh, Tsega said to mention that I did the training.”

“Did you now?” Bess asked with a cryptic smile. “Well, will wonders never cease? Alright, well, I’ll slip out and leave you two alone then. Just dial the extension on the board when you’re ready to leave. I’ll send someone in.”

She gathered up her things and headed for the door, but not before wagging her eyebrows at me, or Killian’s backside. It was hard to tell.

He leaned his crutches against the wall and handed me a plastic bag with another crooked grin. “I heard these were your favorite.”

I opened it up to find one of the giant frosted brownies from the cafeteria. The plastic container was warm to the touch, too. It was almost as if it had just been pulled from the oven, seemingly impossible as the cafeteria had closed over an hour ago.

“Thank you,” I said, my voice hoarse and grating. “But how did you—”

“Oh, a good magician never reveals his secrets.” Killian waved his fingers mystically, his body tilted at an awkward angle to keep the weight off his knee.

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