Page 77 of My Heart To Heal

‘Thanks, Kacey.’

‘How is she?’ she asks softly, and I shrug, not wanting Missy to hear herself being discussed, and Kacey gets it. ‘Take care of her, okay? I’ll take care ofthe salon. Tell her not to worry about a thing down there.’

‘Thank you. I appreciate that.’

As Kacey backs away and heads down the stairs, I fish Missy’s keys out of the side pocket in her purse, where I know she keeps them because she hates them getting lost at the bottom.

‘Miss, honey, where will I find the Tylenol?’ I ask, and she inhales deeply.

‘Bathroom.’

I nod and head out of my apartment and across to hers.

In her bathroom, I grab her toothbrush and Jonah’s, the medicine, and some toiletries for her. Then I head to her bedroom and get her some pajamas, underwear, and fluffy socks, which I know she loves to sleep in. I make my way into Jonah’s room and do the same, getting him PJs, underwear, clothes, and his favorite stuffed toy before heading back across the hallway.

I see her startle as I enter the room, but she settles when her eyes meet mine.

‘I got you some things.’ Placing them down on my table, I take my spot in front of her once more and open the bottle of medicine. ‘I thought this would be easier to swallow than pills.’

A grateful expression turns up her lips the tiniest bit, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. She swigs straight from the bottle, and I ignore my years of training in drugs and dosages. She needs pain relief, and I need to know she’s okay.

Opening the first aid kit, I take out an alcohol wipe and start to clean the cut on her lip so that I can see if she needs any stitches.

There’s already a lot of swelling, and as I clean away the blood, I can see that the cut, while not good, is pretty clean. She doesn’t need suturing, but she does need ice.

‘Honey, you need some ice on this swelling.’

‘Can I take a shower?’

I exhale and nod. ‘Of course.’

Standing, I hold out my hands to her and help her up. Then, not releasing her hand, I lead her to the bathroom and turn on the water.

‘I got you some things from your place. Hold on.’ I run to grab her stuff, and when I come back, I find her undressing. I look away, knowing her boundaries with her body. ‘I’ll leave this here for you, okay?’

She doesn’t respond, so I back away and let her shower. Picking up my phone, I prepare to call Doug when there’s a knock at my door, and I hang my head. I need a minute to process what the fuckhappened tonight, but that minute doesn’t seem to be coming.

Opening the door, I find Doug and Cara in the hallway, and I glance back to make sure Missy isn’t in earshot.

‘Guys,’ I breathe, relief at seeing them pouring out of me.

‘How is she?’ Cara rushes out.

‘Mama told us what happened,’ Doug adds.

‘I’m going to kill him,’ Cara says, tears in her eyes and a tremble in her voice.

‘She’s okay. She’s in the shower, and not before I get my hands on him.’ I shake my head, then remember they are supposed to be taking care of Jonah. ‘Where’s Jonah?’

‘Mama said she’d watch him and Bo while we came over.’

‘Do you have a key to her flat so we can get him some things?’ Cara asks, and I remember the stuff I picked up.

‘I got it already. Hold on.’ Handing over the things, I meet Cara’s gaze, and she smiles so softly, so small.

‘Thank you for taking care of her, Nick.’

‘Always,’ I answer without hesitation. ‘I’ll call y’all tomorrow.’

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