Page 5 of Hiding Rose
Chapter Two
The chair was uncomfortable and I fidgeted in the seat. My leg was aching after a long day and I wanted to cry. I kept the smile on my face, but I didn’t know how much longer I could do it. We hadn’t eaten yet and I was already in bad shape. Chances were good by the time they brought the food out I wouldn’t be able to eat it. The pain always stole my appetite and drove me to bed. Working alone today was too much. Winifred wouldn’t be back tomorrow either, and I didn’t know what I was going to do. I rubbed my temple to make sure no tears were leaking out of my eyes.
“I was thinking if we put a small, but efficient kitchen in this area,” he paused and held up a finger. “Hang on a second, I forgot something in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
He stood and I smiled, nodding my acknowledgement, but as soon as he was gone, I leaned over on the table and tried to relieve the pain in my hip. It spasmed and I sucked in a breath, the pain something I was used to after all these months, but when I was tired, I couldn’t always pretend it didn’t exist.
A hand settled on my shoulder. “Rosie, are you okay?”
It was Sarafina, I didn’t have to look up to recognize her unusual accent. “I’m fine,” I promised.
She raised a brow. “You don’t look fine,” she said, squatting down near the table. “I’ve seen this expression before. You’re in pain.”
I lifted my head slightly and held my finger to my lips. “Please don’t make a big deal about it. I don’t want Sawyer to know. He’s being nice by helping me with the daycare.”
Another hand settled on my other shoulder and I closed my eyes. It was Sawyer. “If you think I can’t see how much you’re hurting, you’re delusional. The pain is etched across your face.”
I sat up and grimaced again when fire burned through my hip. “I’m tired. Once we’re done eating, I’ll go to bed,” I promised, putting on a brave face.
He addressed Sarafina. “I’m going to take her up to her room. Radley will bring our food up when it’s ready. Can you man the restaurant if he’s gone for a few minutes?”
“Absolutely. Take her home. These chairs aren’t exactly comfortable.” She smiled encouragingly at me and I thanked her with my eyes.
He pulled my chair away from the table carefully and handed me my purse and the two crutches. I was about to put my hands in them when he scooped me up off the chair. I let out a surprised, ‘hey’, as I grabbed his chest, holding on for dear life.
“You’re safe, beautiful. You’ll never make it all the way up there on your crutches. Let me carry you,” he said. Sarafina handed me the crutches I dropped and I grasped them, thanking her with a smile.
“I hope you feel better by morning,” she said, then pointed toward the elevator. “Dinner will be up in short order.”
Sawyer strode with me to the elevator and using one finger poked the up button. Thankfully, it was already at the basement level and the doors opened, allowing us entrance. He stepped in and pushed the button for the employee floor.
“You can put me down now,” I whispered, my cheeks heated to the color of a Red Hot candy. “You’re going to throw your back out.”
He laughed, shaking his head as he did so. “Rose, I lift boxes of fish heavier than you are. Relax and I’ll have you home in a few minutes.” I grimaced when he shifted me and he froze. “You’re in terrible pain, aren’t you?” he asked as tears leaked from my eyes.
“My hip is spasming,” I hissed through clenched teeth, not even able to suck in a full breath of air. “I need to take some meds and get ice. Then I’ll be okay.”
The doors started to slide open and he rammed one foot in, forcing it open the rest of the way. He hurried to my apartment door and I swiped the card until the lock clicked open. He pushed the handle down and we awkwardly made our way into the small space. He went to the side of the bed and lowered me down slowly until I was leaning up against the pillows. The crutches went in the corner and he motioned around the space. “Where is the medicine you need?”
I leaned my head back on the pillow, taking a shallow breath. “Kitchen cupboard, second one from the fridge. The bottle will say for muscle spasms on it, just one.”
He strode across the apartment to the kitchen and opened the cupboard finding the bottle. He took the lid off and shook one out before he put it back. “Anything else?” he asked, his back to me.
I sighed. What did it matter? Like I was going to see him again in anything but a professional manner after tonight. No sense suffering out of some kind of misguided pride or idea he might stick around and be part of my life.
“There’s a bottle with a yellow lid. I need one of those, too,” I answered. I closed my eyes and waited while he opened the fridge and took out my water bottle, carrying it all to the bed.
“Hold out your hand,” he said and I did. He laid three pills in it and handed me the water bottle. He pointed at the thick white pill. “It said to take one for pain. If you already took one, don’t take another. I thought it might help.”
I looked down at it and shrugged. “Can’t hurt.” I tossed them all on my tongue and washed them down. He took the bottle from me and set it on the bedside table, then retrieved an icepack from the freezer and handed it to me. While I fixed it to my hip, he sat on the end of the bed, expectantly. Whatever he thought was going to happen, wasn’t. Especially if he expected me to talk about my leg.
His phone rang and he tugged it from his pocket and answered. There were a bunch of yes and no answers, as well as a few ‘not a bad idea’ responses before he hung up. He smiled, and mine rang a second later. I rolled my eyes; it was Kate.
“Hi, Kate,” I answered, forcing my voice into a chipper tone.
“Hello, Rosie. I hear from Sarafina you aren’t feeling the greatest.”
“Just the usual,” I answered, to avoid telling her the truth.
