Page 81 of Sanctuary

He’s spent the two weeks after the attack trying to get better enough to travel. He’s still not there yet.

We took over the hotel after the assault on it was over. Maria had found as many nurses and doctors and healers as our region could provide and had them ready for the aftermath. We set up the first floor of the hotel as a makeshift hospital. A number of folks have either died or gotten better enough to go home by now, but there are still a few patients here including Aidan. And some of the rescued women and others from the nearby settlements have moved in to take advantage of the hotel’s safe position and the food and supplies its previous residents stockpiled.

So there’s a lot of activity here throughout each day, and I find myself going to Aidan’s room quite often to find some peace.

And to see him.

When I enter the room this afternoon, he’s waking up. It takes him a minute to clear his mind and pry his eyes open, but when his gaze settles on me, he smiles. “Hello, love.”

“Hi.”

“You okay? You look tired.”

“I am,” I admit. “I didn’t get a lot of sleep last night.”

“Why not?”

“Does there have to be a reason?”

“No,” he replies, searching my face as if he can see right into my soul. “But there usually is.”

I shift uncomfortably in the chair I keep right next to his bed. “It’s nothing major. The couple in the room next to me were really going at it. Very loudly. With a lot of dirty talk. It…” I repress a shudder. “I don’t know why. I know it’s not fair. But it bothers me.”

He nods and reaches over, fumbling until I give him my hand. “It wasn’t Cole and Del, was it?”

“No! Of course not. They’d never be that loud if they knew someone else could hear. It was a couple we don’t really know. They weren’t doing anything wrong. It’s not their fault I have trauma connected to the rougher kind of sex. But I didn’t get much sleep.”

“I’m sorry. You should have come down here with me.”

“I thought about it. But I didn’t want to wake you up. You’re still getting better.”

“Next time, you wake me up. All right? In fact, tonight come and sleep with me from the beginning.”

I look at him. His hair and face are clean because I wash and shave him regularly. He’s wearing a white undershirt and a pair of loose sweats that are covered by the sheet on the bed. He’s lost a lot of the tan he had, and he’s also lost some weight.

He’s still Aidan, but he’s not well yet.

“You’re not going to disturb me, sweetheart. And I hope you know I have no wayward intentions—”

“I know that! Of course I know you’re not trying to make a move on me. I just worry about you, and I want you to be able to sleep.”

“Then you definitely better sleep here with me. Because if you don’t, I’ll stay awake worrying about you all night.”

I let out a dry huff at this and then give him a nod of acquiescence. “All right. I might do that. It’s a big bed, so there should be room.” It’s a queen-size bed, and Aidan is lying on the right side. There’s no reason why we both won’t be able to sleep here without any awkwardness or discomfort.

Aidan pats the empty side of the bed. “Why don’t you lie down next to me right now? I have absolutely no idea what time it is, but there’s got to be time for you to rest before dinner.”

I hesitate only briefly. Then I walk around the bed and stretch out beside him, adjusting on my side so I’m facing him.

He turns his head and smiles at me.

I reach over to stroke his face, using that opportunity to feel his forehead and make sure he doesn’t have a fever.

He doesn’t. His skin is cool and dry.

He knows what I’m doing because his expression turns dryly amused.

“You’ve got three different injuries, and all of them could have been serious. You lost your hand. I just want to make sure you’re not getting an infection.”

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