Page 28 of Flirting With Forever
And time to lock the memories back in their box to open another day. Or maybe never.
Gage inhaled but nodded. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right. Okay. But use the guest bath down the hall. Meet back here when you’re done or I’ll come looking for you to make sure these get taken care of. You don’t want them getting infected.”
“I can go downstairs. It’s no problem.”
“Sloane, no offense, but you don’t look like you’re up for taking the stairs right now.”
He had a point. She couldn’t see herself, but she became more aware of her quivering response with every second that passed.
Gage tilted his head toward the hallway. “Bathroom’s the second door on the left. You head that way while I grab you a change of clothes.”
She stared at him, smart enough to recognize the stubborn set of his jaw that said she wasn’t going to change his mind. And since he was right and she really didn’t feel like traipsing down and back up the stairs, given the way her body ached, she got to her unsteady feet and tried to hide her grimace and the limp that came when she put her weight on her injured leg and ankle.
Gage grasped her elbow and helped her as they made their way down the hallway. He left her outside the bathroom and continued on, and she’d barely made it inside when he returned with a folded T-shirt and pair of draw-string gym shorts.
She nodded her thanks and accepted the towels he retrieved from the closet, then watched as he flipped the faucet to warm and left, closing the door behind him with a murmured, “Be careful.”
Her body screamed as she undressed, but the hot water felt divine on her chilled skin. Still, the sting of the cuts took away any pleasure.
She quickly and carefully bathed, gasping as she removed quite a few leaves and bits of grass and muddied, sandy smudges from where she’d face-planted into the ground. The water tinged with red and stayed that way for a while.
She twisted and grimaced at the long line of broken skin wrapping around her thigh. The cut wasn’t deep and didn’t need stitches, but the next few days were going to be painful until it scabbed over and healed.
Shower done, she forced herself out of the hot water and wrapped her hair in a towel while she stood in front of the mirror, taking a full assessment of her injuries. Thankfully the towels Gage had given her were dark since she still bled on them, but other than more shallow scrapes and cuts, darkening bruises on both knees, her elbows and shoulder, chin and the cut on her lip, she was whole. Had the force of the limb hit sooner, it would have struck her higher on her body, her back and head, and she could have wound up concussed or worse.
The image of her mother’s car blasted through her mind again, and Sloane stood gripping the edge of the quartz countertop until her knuckles popped.
The memory was almost like…like the past tried to warn her of impending danger? Was that possible?
Her body shook as she got dressed, and she pulled the T-shirt to her nose to inhale because she couldn’t help herself. It smelled freshly washed but also like Gage, and right now, the scent comforted her.
She took a few more breaths, focusing on her breathing to try to calm the hurricane raging within her.
When she couldn’t put off exiting the bathroom any longer, she held the towel around her leg as she walked to make sure she didn’t drip blood on the floor and made her way back to the kitchen.
Gage was already there, looking impatient as he swung to face her. “Aww, Merida. You look like you lost a fight.”
She huffed out a laugh. “I think I did. The tree limb definitely won.” And then some, she mused.
“Sit down. Let’s get you cleaned up. Here,” he said, setting a bottle of pain reliever on the counter. “Take two of those. Should help.”
A glass of water appeared just as she settled atop the stool where he’d positioned her earlier. She held the towel in place with a squeeze of her thighs and downed the pills, hoping they’d kick in sooner rather than later.
Since the cut ran up the back of her leg and wrapped to the front from where the limb and branches had wind-whipped around her, she shifted on the stool to give him better access.
Embarrassment brought a hot flush to her face, but she was smart enough to know she couldn’t take care of the wound by herself, and she didn’t want it to get infected. Not only could that mean missing work and the money she’d make, but it could mean a hefty doctor’s bill she couldn’t afford. Best to do this now and do it well, regardless of the fact it meant Gage’s—her boss’s—hands on her. She would do the same for him if he had been injured so…
Pills swallowed, she unwrapped the towel and braced herself for the sting. She’d cleaned the wounds as best she could, considering she couldn’t see them well, but Gage wasn’t satisfied. He grimaced along with her as he dabbed at the cut on the back of her thigh, making soothing noises and even blowing on the skin during the worst of it.
“I’m sorry. I know it hurts,” he murmured.
“It’s fine.”
“I’m almost done.”
He wasn’t, but she knew he tried to make her feel better. The entirety of the cut ran from the back of her calf all the way up and around to her inner mid-thigh. And she knew she had to bring up the cuts and scrapes on her back as well since she couldn’t reach them.
At least they’re not on your rear, she thought. Score some points for the protection of her shorts.
