Page 8 of The Moonstone Hero
Caden wrapped the bedsheet around his waist. “I’ll make certain to stay modestly covered.”
The boy took off with the empty tray and dirty nightshirt.
Caden washed himself as best he could. Perhaps he ought to have allowed the boy to help, because he yelped in pain every time he raised his arm. The ribs poked into him, and those acute stabs shot straight into his head. Also, he was bandaged and needed to use extra care around those sites. Head, leg, ribs, wrist.
He removed the bandage around his head in order to wash his hair. The doctor had told him the blow to his skull was healing nicely and that the binding would be removed today. Still, he used care.
Washing his legs and chest was not too difficult. Nor did he have much trouble washing his left arm. But with a broken left wrist, he found it difficult to keep hold of the soap or wet cloth in order to wash his right arm.
Scrubbing his back proved impossible. That would have to wait until tomorrow, with Elmer’s assistance.
He was struggling into his fresh nightshirt and cursing, as he had difficulty lifting his arms high enough to get his head through the opening, when he heard a light trill of laughter.
Ella.
Blessed saints.
Was the sheet covering his privates?
“Let me help you,” she said, and marched to his bedside.
“Get out!” he roared as she ignored him and took the nightshirt from him. Her soft hand burned into his skin as she placed it over his heart to calm him. Of course, it had quite the opposite effect and—Lord help him—ignited a fire below.
“For pity’s sake! Must you shout in my ear?” She took his injured arm and held it very gently. “Stop struggling.”
“Ow!” He grabbed his pillow and shoved it onto his lap for good measure. Was the girl out of her senses? To barge into his hospital room unannounced? And him not dressed. “What a bloody nuisance you are. Get out!”
“You are going to bring everyone running in here if you do not stop howling. Then Fionn will hear about your being undressed in my presence and come here to punch you. Not to mention, Uncle Cormac will gut you and have your entrails thrown to the dogs. I did not realize you were sitting here naked underneath the sheet. Did you just bathe?” She inhaled by his neck. “Ooh, nice. Much better than yesterday.”
“Ella!”
“It isn’t as though I saw anything unmentionable.”
“All of it is unmentionable,” he said with a growl, for his arms, chest, and shoulders were exposed. So were his legs below the knee. Not that he was in any way prudish, but this was Ella. He wanted to seehernaked, not the other way around.
“I’m glad you were attempting to bathe yourself, although you’ve obviously had a hard time of it. And an even harder time getting your nightshirt back on. You really ought to learn to accept help when it is offered to you. Your chest is bandaged. Because of your broken ribs, I suppose. Oh, dear. You are bruised all over your chest.”
“I am acutely aware.”
“It must hurt every time you breathe. But it does not seem to prevent you from shouting in my ear. Here,” she said after getting the shirt over his head, “put your arm through the sleeve. If you resist, it will only hurt more, and you still won’t be able to get the shirt on by yourself.”
He sighed and stopped struggling.
“That’s better, you stubborn clot,” she said with a soft laugh, and helped him on with his other sleeve. She then tugged the shirt down as far as she dared before turning away and walking across the room to stare out the window. “Caden, can you draw your nightshirt down further? Let me know once you have it properly fixed about yourself.”
He growled again.
“Stop complaining. The worst is over. You smell very nice, by the way.”
“So you’ve mentioned. I feel like I’ve rolled in a field of lavender,” he grumbled.
“It is better than the alternatives.”
“Such as blood and vomit?”
“Must you be so annoyinglyyou?”
“Yes, I must,” he said with a chuckle. “Leave if you find me too insufferable.”
