Alpha Male Romance(45)

Now I wasn't so sure.



* * *



As the weekend wore on, I began to think that my parents were right and this was a giant mistake. I didn't see X again until Saturday morning when Father O'Toole told me at breakfast that I should go to the therapy room to meet with the temporary nurse who would be filling me in on the progress X had made in the week since I'd seen him last.

Hador Kotcheff was a straightforward, competent nurse who seemed to be impervious to the insults X was heaping on him even as I walked into the room. They both looked up as I got closer, and I couldn't have gotten more different responses. X's entire expression hardened, his azure eyes going cold. Hador gave me a professional smile and came over, holding out his hand.

“You must be Nori,” he said.

I nodded as I shook his hand. “I am. I understand you're going to tell me what I need to know?”

“I've been here the past few days, but I heard you were one of his nurses in Texas, so you're at least familiar with his previous treatment.”

“I am,” I started to say.

X cut me off. “I'm sitting right here. You two might try talking to me instead of about me.”

I looked over at him, keeping my tone cool as I spoke, “If you have anything to add that isn't a complaint, I'm listening.”

Hador's lips twitched as X glared at me for a moment before looking away. Apparently, he wasn't going to be any more well-behaved today than he was yesterday.

I turned back to Hador. “Any complications in the past week?”

He shook his head. “Nothing except the sloppy dressings he applied himself after taking a shower.”

Right. The shower. The image of X's lean body, those defined muscles, the water...

I gave myself a mental shake and hoped that my cheeks weren't as red as they felt. I shouldn't have been thinking about X that way, not even if I intended to leave at the end of two weeks. Granted, I wasn't exactly going to be his nurse, but I still needed to maintain a professional distance.

Except the fact that I was here said that I was already caring too much.

“The room is really well stocked,” Hador continued. He stepped around the hospital bed where X was sitting, jaw clenched, face stony.

“How do I order more supplies?” I asked, forcing myself to look away from him.

Hador gestured toward a computer at the end of the counter. “It's set up to record all of the stats you take so you don't have to count on a paper or your memory. Father O'Toole also has an account set up for medical supplies. It automatically charges the trust for whatever you order.”

I wondered if Father O'Toole had measures in place to prevent anyone from mis-using the account, or if he was just that trusting. I hoped it was the former, even if it had only been a week that he'd had things set up. Someone could seriously take advantage.

“Anything that needs refrigerated or frozen, that goes here.” Hador tapped the small mini-fridge. “It's mostly ice packs.”

I nodded, not saying anything as I made mental notes about where things were. I knew I wouldn't remember them all, but I'd, at least, have an idea.

“I was just getting ready to finish putting on the bandages,” he said. “If you'd like to take a look.”

I wanted to say no, to leave X in his sullen mood and hope that he'd be better on Monday when it was just me and him. I couldn't balk though, and I knew it. I had to face it head-on, so I nodded.

By the time we were finished, the polite smile I'd kept on my face felt like it was going to crack. Hador had kept his professionalism and hadn't reacted to any of the nasty, snide things that X had said. I supposed it was a bit easier for him since he knew he wouldn't have to deal with X for much longer. Me, on the other hand, was getting a good look at what I had to look forward to if I decided to stay.

I walked with Hador to the door a half hour later. When we reached it, I expected him to leave with a polite farewell, but instead, he paused and looked down at me with a concerned expression on his face.

“I worked at a hospital for ten years before moving to home healthcare,” he said. “And it's a completely different thing. At a hospital, you have staff to support you and you make rounds and have shifts, but here, from what I understand, you're going to be on your own, living here.”

“I am.” I twisted my fingers together. The nerves I'd been trying to keep down were threatening to burst out.

“I don't know how well you knew him at the hospital,” Hador continued. “But he's in a dark place, Nori. He's not going to be easy to care for alone.”

My stomach tightened and I suddenly felt sick. I'd been sixteen when Logan had come home, unrecognizable. I knew all too well how bad things could get. Mom and Dad had tried to shield me, but I'd known more than I should have. And then...occasionally at work, I'd had flashes of memory, but this...what was happening here was feeling too much like deja vu.