Page 41 of Falling for the Beast

He dismounted his motorcycle and immediately fell to his knees, removing his helmet. He coughed, a deep sound, and then blood dripped from his mouth.

A fresh, new panic enveloped her and she bent down. “What happened? Where are you hurt?”

He waved his hand at her, his face drawn up in pain. “I’m fine,” he said, but it came out more like a croak.

“You’re not fine!” She wrung her hands, unsure if she should even touch him. “Can you stand?”

He nodded, reached up to his bike seat, and pulled himself to a semi-standing position. She put his arm around her and helped him limp into the house. Her mind swirled with all of the things she wanted to say. Most of them sounded nagging and accusatory, so she kept her mouth shut. She had to remember that whatever had happened, he had done this to save someone else. She needed to stop reprimanding. That wouldn’t help.

She sat him down on the recliner and eased the seat back. “I’ll get you some water.”

“Thanks,” he said, his voice nearly a whisper.

Nerves and worry fought inside her as she grabbed a glass and filled it from the tap. What was wrong with him? She shook her head. That wasn’t the question she needed answering. It didn’t matter what was wrong. He was injured and would keep getting injured unless she convinced the old woman to break the curse.

Slipping a straw into the glass, she walked into the living room and held it out for Thaddeus. He took a couple of sips and laid his head back. His breathing was labored. A thin sheen of sweat covered his forehead. It physically hurt to see him like this. She turned away.

He wouldn’t be well enough today to take her to see Catherine, that much was obvious. Had he done this on purpose? She immediately felt guilty for the thought. He’d gotten upset after their kiss, but he wasn’t the kind of man to do this to spite her. He was a healer. A protector.

He coughed up more blood and she handed him a box of tissues and a trash can. She couldn’t stand there all day watching him in pain. “You rest. I’ll clean up the house.”

She left him to sleep while she fixed herself some breakfast, knowing he wouldn’t be eating anytime soon. The rest of the day she spent doing laundry and cleaning and checking on him occasionally. He slept most of the day. When she entered the living room late in the afternoon, he was sitting up in the chair, gulping down the rest of the water she’d left for him.

“You must be feeling better.” She didn’t want to admit the relief she felt. He healed quickly. She shouldn’t worry so.

He set the glass down on the end table. “Yes.”

“Do you want any dinner? I’m making soup.” She hadn’t been planning on soup, but now that he looked like he could eat something, she figured that would be best for him.

“Sure, I’ll eat your reheated canned stuff.”

She gave him a sour expression. “I’ve come to realize that when you tease me about my lack of cooking skills, you’re really complaining.”

He shook his head, a hint of a smile on his lips. “Not complaining. Wishing I felt up to making us a real meal.”

He probably wasn’t lying about that. “Sorry.” What else could she say? He had made his own bed by deciding to go out last night and find someone to heal.

Man, that sounded selfish, and she hated herself for it. But that was how she felt. If he would ignore that side of him, he could live a normal life. Well, almost normal.

She fixed the soup and brought it out to him in the living room.

“Thank you,” he said, his eyes apologetic. “Sorry I didn’t take you to Catherine’s today.”

She decided not to make a big deal out of it. “It’s okay.”

“I’ll take you tomorrow.”

She nodded, hoping he meant he wasn’t going out tonight. They ate in silence for a while until her curiosity got the better of her. “What happened last night?”

He didn’t meet her gaze. “Car crash. Little boy wasn’t seat belted in.”

“What was wrong with him?”

“Don’t know. Apparently a lot of internal injuries.”

She hated thinking of what might have been broken inside of him. “How long until you’re healed?”

Shrugging, he said, “Tomorrow. Maybe later tonight.”

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