Page 23 of Until Tomorrow Comes
However, after all her flailing about, that deep breath comes at a cost, and she flinches, her free hand immediately gripping her sore ribs.
“Here, how about you sit up, and I’ll grab your pain meds from… the bathroom?” I question, assuming that’s where she would have kept them.
Kat only nods again, and I reluctantly release her wrist and help her into a sitting position against the headboard, using the pillows to help prop her up.
A blush stains her cheeks, and when she straightens her tank top, I take that moment to grab her medicine and a glass of water.
When I come back to the bedroom, Kat’s head is thrown back against the headboard, one hand covering her mouth while the other rests against her ribs. As I get closer, I notice the tears streaming down her face, before she scrambles to wipe them away.
I gently sit next to her on the bed.
“Take these.” I hand her two tablets and the water, which she gulps down. Before she can chug the whole thing too fast, I reach out and tip the glass away from her mouth.
“Easy Tiger, you’re gonna upset your stomach,” I try to joke, not sure if I’m overstepping.
Kat fidgets with the hem of her sleep shorts, refusing to make eye contact with me as she finally speaks.
“I’m sorry I woke you up.”
“You don’t need to apologize.” I say sincerely.
She finally tilts her head up to look at me, but she stops short. Her gaze lands on my bare chest, and I’m suddenly aware that I didn’t have time to throw on a shirt before running in here.
But Kat doesn’t appear to be upset by this. Or even bothered. In fact, if I didn’t know better, I’d say she was checking me out, especially when I catch her cheeks reddening.
“I’m…uh…still sorry,” She stammers, tearing her eyes from my chest. “You need sleep too, Jackson.”
I smirk.
“Well, it’s not like I sleep much myself anyway,” I state with a shrug. “You wanna tell me about it?”
She shakes her head.
“I don’t think it’s that hard to guess what that was about,” she whispers.
If she doesn’t want to talk about it, I’m not going to push her. I stand, awkwardly wiping my hands on my gym shorts.
Just as I turn to leave, I feel her hand on mine, clutching me tightly and staring up at me.
“Can you st—” But she stops herself, clearing her throat and shaking her head as she quickly releases me. “I’m sorry, never mind.”
Turning back to face her, my heart races while I study her, seeing the evident panic written on her face, and the anxiety causing her to tremble.
I swallow hard, trying to will myself to speak.
“Do you want me to stay?” I ask cautiously. “You know, for a bit?”
Her head jerks towards me at my question. Clearly caught off guard, her mouth opens, then shuts only to open again. No words come out as she stares at me like a deer in headlights.
“Having someone in the same room helped lessen my nightmares. Overseas, I always had a bunkmate to keep me company but…” I trail off with a shrug, scratching the back of my neck as I shuffle my weight to my other leg. “I could stay, if you want some company while you try to sleep again.”
She stares at me in silence, and for a second, I think she’s going to say no. But then she finally speaks up.
“Yes,” She says, fidgeting with the splint on her finger as she answers. “Please.”
Knowing how hard that must have been for her, I say nothing and only nod in response. Instead, I turn to close the bedroom door, even with no one else here, it’s a habit.
When I come back to the bed I pick up the tablet and set it back on the nightstand. Just as I’m about to lower myself to sit on the ground beside the bed, Kat speaks up.
