Page 70 of Puck'n Bully
“Hayden, you can relax. I’m not going anywhere.”
A shuddering breath escapes him as he closes his eyes. He lowers his body onto mine but doesn’t fully press his weight on me.
Little by little, Hayden’s breathing slows. The tension in his body melts into exhaustion and he rests his face in the crook between my neck and shoulder.
“You were having a nightmare,” I murmur.
Hayden doesn’t respond. He just presses his lips against my neck.
Then, he shifts, loosening his hold on my wrists.
He sits back, allowing me to get up from the couch.
I scoot closer to him and gently move the dark, sweaty strands falling over his eyes. His cheeks are flushed and he looks like he’s in a lot of pain again. “You’re burning up,” I murmur.
He stays silent as he leans into my touch.
“I’ll be right back,” I whisper.
I’ve barely turned away when he grabs my wrist, stopping me in my tracks.
“Hayden,” I say, looking back at him. “Don’t worry. I’m just going to get you some Advil. It’ll help with the pain and reduce your fever.” Sitting on the couch beside him, I kiss his cheek gently. “Just relax, okay? I’ll be back in a minute.”
This time, Hayden lets me go.
I rush upstairs to my bedroom. Opening the door, I switch on the lights and head into the bathroom.
The first aid box should be somewhere in the cabinet over the sink. Opening the wooden shutters, I find it sitting on one of the shelves.
A sliver of relief flows through me as I bring out the box. Opening it, I rummage among the strips of pills and tubes of ointment, finally finding what I was looking for.
Taking the Advil pills, I hurry downstairs.
Hayden looks up as I enter the room. A faint smile lifts the corners of his lips as I step closer to him.
“Here, take these,” I say, handing him a pill and a bottle of water.
Hayden readily obeys, swallowing the pill with an exhausted look on his face.
“Here, lie down,” I say, easing him back onto the couch.
“My head hurts,” he moans, squeezing his eyes shut.
I don’t doubt him. The number of times he got hit with a hockey stick in the face was unnerving. Thank God for his sturdy helmet or those awful Bears would’ve broken his skull into pieces!
“I know, darling,” I whisper, gently caressing his hair. “Just try to sleep, okay?”
He nods and closes his eyes but he fails to hide his discomfort.
Seeing him in pain makes me feel restless. I cover him with the blanket and get to my feet.
I head into the kitchen and fill a pot with cold tap water. Next, I bring out some clean towels and go back to the living room.
Kneeling on the floor by the couch, I dip a towel in the water and dampen it fully. Then, I wring it out and lay the cold, wet cloth on Hayden’s forehead.
Hayden sighs, his eyelashes fluttering. “This feels nice.”
My lips quirk. “Yeah?”
