Page 98 of The Hookup
She gave a subtle nod of her head, her eyes downcast. “He doesn’t want to see me. He made that perfectly clear.”
“I know something happened, but he’s not so bad. He didn’t meant it, I’m sure that whatever he said—”
“If you’d heard him, you wouldn’t doubt that he meant it.”
“Don’t be like him. He has nobody else.”
Chapter 32
She returned to the hospital room she had fled yesterday.
Marie gave her a tired smile as soon as she walked through the door. She rose from her chair. “Thank goodness you’re here. For a moment I was worried that you might not come, being busy at work and all that.” Walking towards her, she gave her a hug. “I was hoping he hadn’t scared you away. I’m glad he didn’t.”
“I had to finish some things off,” she explained, walking towards the bed. Luke had opened his eyes at the sound of her voice.
“See,” Marie said to Luke, returning to her seat by his bed. “I told you she’d come.”
Kay looked at him, and he stared back, his face impassive. Hard to read. “I don’t think he wants me here,” she commented.
“Nonsense,” replied Marie, dismissing her comment with a chuckle. “He can’t talk much at the moment, otherwise he’d tell you how happy he was to see you.”
“He can’t talk much?” she asked, beaming. “Oh, what a shame. How was the surgery?”
“According to the doctor, He’s got a sore throat, and his voice is a bit hoarse, swallowing food is going to be hard, but he should be fine in a few days’ time. Then he’ll be ready to go home and recover.” She pinned her gaze on Luke’s face. “No going into work or working from home for a couple of weeks. The doctor advises complete rest.”
Kay searched his expression to gauge his reaction. A man like Luke didn’t sit still,couldn’tsit still. He was always on the go. She wondered how he would cope. Silent rage tainted that face of his, still so handsome despite him looking gaunt and helpless.
“Is he in pain?” she asked Marie.
“The nurse says he’s on heavy pain killers.”
“He looks angry,” she said, enjoying the power she had over a silent Luke.
“I didn’t want him to be alone, but now that you’re here, I need to go. My kids will need feeding, and goodness knows we’re low on groceries.”
“Sure,” Kay replied, setting down her bag on the chair. She slipped her coat off. “I’ll stay a while.”
Marie reached for her coat and her purse, then said her goodbye to Luke who nodded.
“I’m glad you came,” she said, in a low voice, turning to Kay, and placing her hand on her arm. “Even though he can’t say it, I’m sure Luke’s glad you’re here.”
Kay doubted that. She turned to him when it was only the two of them left. “You’re not happy to see me, are you?”
His eyes met hers for the briefest of seconds and a flash of anger flickered across those cornflower blue irises. It was strange how angry a man could seem, even when lying in bed post-op.
She had to have her say. “I came because I wanted to see you,” she said, holding onto the side of the bed and as she towered over him. “I came because I wanted to know you were okay, even though Marie told me the surgery had gone well. I came, because I care, and I’m not afraid to say it. We had something. You called it a pity-fuck, I called it a connection. I’m not hard and callous, like you, and you’re not the man I thought you were, but it wasn’t going to stop me from coming to see you. I might not have come today, had Marie not guilt-tripped me into it, but I would have come in a day or so, because guess what, Luke? I’m not a bitch, and I’m not cold and unfeeling like you.” She paused, searching his face for signs of his reaction, and yet at the same time finding it odd that she was talking and he could not say anything back.
He turned his face to hers and stared, then opened his mouth, but either the pain was too much, or he was still weighing up how he was going to respond, because he said nothing.
She felt slightly silly, and yet emboldened. For too long, she had given way to this man, let him dictate the way their relationship went. For too long she had given in to him, letting him have his way, whenever he wanted. This was her chance to say it as she saw it, to let him know that she wasn’t a pity-fuck. Her esteem wasn’t that far in the gutter that she would willingly let a man use her and abuse her. She had seen something in Luke, something tortured, and dark, and understood now where that darkness came from.
She had believed she could help him get over it, and help him heal, but just as there were moments when she thought they could salvage something together, she also harbored doubts.
Now that this had happened, it allowed for some resting time. Breathing space. A time to assess things. She wasn’t going to abandon him now, not like this, but she wasn’t sure if she could save him, either.
The nurse walked in again, the same one from yesterday, only this time, she glared at Kay as if she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
“How long will he be here for?” Kay asked.
