Page 18 of Wildflower Hearts
“Please let go of my wrist.”
“Not until you answer me first.” He squeezed her wrist. “Who are you?”
“I’m a nurse.” She leaned her weight onto the bed without touching him any further. “My name is Lyla. See?” She pointed to her name tag. “I work here as an RN. I’ve been looking after you since you arrived.”
He released her, and she stepped away, rubbing her wrist. “For a man in recovery, you have a strong grip.”
“I-” He moaned, leaning back against the pillow.
His jaw clenched, and it was at that moment she noticed a thin sweat of perspiration on his brow. “Are you feeling okay?” She reached out to place a hand on his forehead, and studied his vitals. “Breathe and try to relax; you’re having a muscle contraction. Does this hurt?” She pressed against his stomach, and he shook his head. She shifted her hand and pressed her fingers gently against his side. “Does this?”
He shook his head, eyes watching her. “No.”
“Are you breathing for me?”
“Of course, I’m breathing. I-” He flinched again, and her eyes narrowed. She let her hand hover above the right side of his pelvis. “What the hell are you- Hey!”
“There?”
“Yes! Ow, stop!”
She removed her hand, and glaring at her, he shifted uncomfortably on the bed.
“You need to urinate,” she looked away, “and whatever else you feel is necessary. I’ll call in a male nurse to help you.”
He was ignoring her by this point, a faint blush coating his cheeks. She chose to say nothing else and exited the room without another word.
Thirty minutes later, Lyla found him propped up against his pillows, a frown on his handsome face. She cleared her throat, shoving a lock of hair behind her ear. “Is everything okay, Mr. Kingsley?”
“My name is Noah.”
“Do you need anything, Noah?”
“I definitely don’t need another male helping me piss and shit. Who the hell invented the fucking bedpan?”
“I’m afraid I don’t know the answer to that. I can get you something to eat, or…”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Surely, you must-”
“I said, I’m not hungry.”
“Listen to me, Noah, and listen very carefully. You will eat, whether you like it or not, and yes, it will be nasty cafeteria food. Your brothers have been here all day and night since you arrived worrying themselves sick over you. So, yes, you will eat!”
He was staring at her with that same suspicious look, and she paused at the intensity of it, shifting nervously on her feet.
“What are you-”
“I know your voice.”
“I told you who I was. I sat with you…”
“I thought I was crazy, but you were real all along. You told me to come back.”
“You found your way through the darkness, Noah.” She disagreed with a shake of her head. “I just happened to be at the end of that tunnel, along with your family.”
He scoffed. “You told me to come back to you, and I did… only to find no you.”
