Page 29 of Mac
"I'm worried you might have trouble walking, even after a good soak.I don't want to leave you stranded or hurting."
It was her turn to sigh.Some of the anger fled with the exhaled breath.She'd assumed he was being overbearing and bossy.It hadn't even occurredto her he was just trying to take care of her, to make sure she was all right.
"All right.you win."She took another deep breath and tried again."I will call if I need help, but I don't think I will.I think after I rest a while, sitting on a surface that isn't vibrating and making half my body numb, I'll be fine."
"You'll really call if you need anything?"
"I can't without your number."Elyse lifted her phone from where it had been resting on her lap.Mac took it and dialed.A moment later hard rock music came from somewhere inside his vest, then stopped.He handed her phone back.
"There, now you have it.You might want to save it though."
She glanced at the phone and set it on top of the towels he'd gotten out earlier.She'd save the number later.
"I will."
"Can I get you anything else before I go?"
Elyse stared down at her hands a moment, then looked back up at him."I can't think of anything.Thank you for asking though."
"But you'll call if you need anything?"
"I will.I promise."The anger and animosity from earlier gone.
He watched her a moment, then backed away."You need to sit in that hot water for at least half an hour, an hour would be better, less and it won't do as much good."
Elyse nodded.
"You going to be okay getting out of those boots?"He gave her feet a pointed look.
"Yeah.They zip.They're a breeze to get off."She tilted one foot to the side to show him the zipper up the inside of the ankle.
"All right, I'll leave you to bathe.Remember to call if you need anything.and I do mean anything."He pulled the door closed as he left, a moment later she heard her front door close and some of the stiffness went out of her back.She leaned over and turned off the water running into the nearly full tub, then pushed herself to her feet and bit her bottom lip to keep from whimpering as she braced herself on the wall.Once she was sure she wouldn't fall, she released the wall and started stripping out of her clothes.
First, she stripped out of her jacket, hanging it on the back of the bathroom door before unbuttoning her jeans and pushing them, and her underwear, down to her knees.Now that the hard part was done, she sat back down on the edge of the tub and tackled her boots, unzipping them both then toeing them off.Once her boots were gone, she could push her jeans the rest of the way off, then she peeled out of her shirt and bra.
Finally, naked, she swung her legs over the edge of the tub and lowered herself into the steaming water.She couldn't stop the sigh of relief that escaped, and she didn't even try.
Elyse sighed and let her head fall back against the edge of the tub as the heat seeped into her muscles and started to let them relax.Over the next few minutes, she tried to think of anything else as her muscles twitched and throbbed as feeling returned to her lower limbs.She bit her lip again and fought tears at the pins and needles sensation that made her want to scream but forced herself to breathe slowly through it.The last thing she wanted was for Mac to possibly hear her and come thundering back in here.After about a minute, the sensation passed.Elyse kept her eyes closed and forced herself to remain still and slowly, she relaxed.
She didn't know how much time had passed when she woke up, but her bath water had lost most of its warmth.After pulling the plug, she stood and set her phone aside so she could pick up a towel.Shedried off then wrapped the towel around herself and made her way into her bedroom in search of clothes.Even the soft friction of her thighs rubbing against each other made her hiss at the unexpected sting.
Pulling a pair of soft cotton shorts from the drawer, she tugged them up her legs.The cloth was cool and surprisingly soothing.After adding an oversized hoodie to complete the outfit, Elyse picked up her phone and padded into the kitchen for something to drink.The way she felt tonight, and her nap in the tub, she suspected it would take a drink or three before she would be able to sleep tonight, and since she had work tomorrow, she needed to get some sleep.
Luckily, she kept a bottle of Pinot Noir in the fridge for just such an occasion.Yeah, she knew it wasn't supposed to be served that cold, but that was how she liked it, so she poured a glass and took it into the living room with her.She stood a moment staring at the dark TV, trying to decide if she might be better off reading, but decided she was more likely to end up with what she called a book hangover if she did.No, the TV was just the mindlessness she needed.So she picked up the remote, set her wine next to her favorite chair and plopped down to find something to watch.
An hour and a half later, she'd just finished her second glass and sat a moment, spinning the stem of the glass between her thumb and forefinger as she tried to decide if she wanted another glass.A glance at the clock told her it was only 8:30 p.m.
Why not?she thought as she pushed herself to her feet and headed for the kitchen.
When she made it back to her chair, glass nearly full, and sat back down, she saw her phone sitting on the arm and picked it up.There were no missed calls or voicemails waiting on her but there were a couple texts.She frowned and wondered when they'd come in and how she'd missed them.A few touches and swipes and she pulled them up.They came from a number that wasn't saved in her phone and she didn't recognize, but it didn't take her long to figure out who had sent them.
How you feeling?
Out of the tub yet?
Are you okay?
The last one was timestamped just a few minutes ago and must have come in while she was in the kitchen.She typed up a response and hit send.
