Page 11 of His Gift
Freshly showered and fully dressed, I lean on the doorframe, watching her wake up. I removed the drip as soon as I arrived and now I want nothing more than to lie beside her. But I can't risk triggering my sweet girl.
Her blue eyes flutter open a few times before she bolts upright, clutching the sheets and looking around, noticing me almost immediately. Then she takes in the bedding and runs her hands over her body. I've dressed her in long-sleeved pajamas. I hate to see my sweet girl all covered up, but again I can't risk triggering her.
At last, her hands fly to her face. "Oh my God, what happened? I'm sorry. It was so gross! I was so gross!" That's my cue. I stalk toward her and sit on the bed.
"You'll never be gross to me. You were ill. How do you feel?"
She touches her head gently. "Tired. Confused." Then she gasps and tries to stand, but I block her.
"Don't. You need some time to recover."
"I need to shower. I need to brush my teeth. I don't know what happened. What happened?" She fights my hold, but I don't let go.
"I've already done all that, sweet girl. You're clean. The sheets are clean. Lie down. You'll make yourself ill again."
She looks at me and slouches against my chest, only to start fighting again. "It's your fault. You kidnapped me and brought me here and I can't leave. You must let me go. It's your fault. It's you. You made me crazy." Over and over she shouts at me, fighting like a lioness even though she has the strength of a little lamb. No matter what I say, she grows more and more agitated, her body thrashing in my hold. It's heartbreaking to see her melt down like this. It's not what I want. It's not how it should be. I should be her refuge, not her enemy.
"Harper." Hearing her name, she stops fighting, sweat running down her face mixed with tears that are starting to fall. "Calm down, sweet girl. Let's talk." I coax her back to lie down and hug her tightly.
"Just let me go." It's a whisper. And as loud as if she was screaming. Time stretches while my thoughts race.
"I will, if you give me a week. Just one week. Nothing will happen unless you ask for it, but it'll be a chance to get to know each other better."
"What are you talking about? You won't even tell me your name."
"You want to leave. I can't give you a way to trace me."
"Then it's impossible to get to know each other better."
I pause a second, but she's right, and I've already done something I despise. Will she choose to leave in a week? If so, do I really care if she sends me to prison? Yes. Yes, I fucking do. I won't be stuck in a place crawling with people on top of losing her. But it's a bridge I'll cross if we come to it. I won't lose her. She'll see I'm right. She has to.
"Conrad. My name is Conrad. And I own a biopharmaceutical company. Yesterday there was a problem with a product and it took the whole day to solve it from here. It would have been faster if I were there, but I didn't want to leave you."
She lets out a sigh and loosens up a bit.
"You won't hurt me if I choose to go?"
"I won't hurt you, ever."
"Even if I report you to the police?"
"Are you going to do it?"
"I'm not sure, but you must think I will, so I want to know." This time I'm the one who sighs.
"I'm sure I can convince you I'm right. But if you leave, no harm will come to you, no matter what. And you've not lost your job or your apartment. I thought it was better to gain time before someone started looking for you. You're on leave for personal reasons, and your lease on the apartment is paid for the next two months." I had no idea that what I did would give her another reason to go. I never thought she'd want to go. "That said, will you give me one week?"
"If I say no, can I go now?"
My heart plummets to my gut. "No. You can't."
ten
Harper
No, you can't.
His eyes change. He withdraws from me. And his body feels distant even though he's still hugging me.
