As I reached for the door, there was a dainty little knock.
“Are you going to be much longer, Mr. Noll?” came the nurse’s muffled voice from the other side.
“No, I’m done,” I said as I opened the door. I watched her eyes as my exposed chest and stomach registered and distracted her.
“Good,” she said, still not looking me in the eye. Her eyes settled on my hips, where my pants were hanging loose, showing her I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
“What’s up?” I asked her, content to stand like that all day and let her look at me.
Her eyes jerked back up to my face, and she blushed slightly.
“I’m sorry,” she excused herself.
“Don’t be. I like knowing I’m attractive. It’s flattering.” I gave her a little wink.
“Well, come in here, Mr. Noll. I think she’s about to wake up, and I figured you wanted to be here when she does.” She stepped back and started to walk over by the bed, where I could hear Julia starting to groan.
Her eyelids fluttered as her eyes tried to open. She made a couple more groaning noises and reached for me. I took her hand in mine.
“I’m here,” I said as I kneeled down next to the bed. “I’m here, Julia. It’s okay.”
She squeezed my hand and pulled me closer.
I looked at the nurse, who just nodded. I took that as an indication that these were promising signs.
Chapter 34
Julia
When I opened my eyes, I didn’t know it had been almost five days since the incident on Ivan’s yacht. I didn’t even remember what had happened, at least not right away. When I opened my eyes for the first time, I felt like I was waking up from a good night’s rest with long, strange, spiraling dreams.
I knew something was wrong when I saw Gage’s face almost right in front of mine. He was kneeling down next to the bed, and he glowed. He radiated hope, joy, relief, and the look of someone who felt their prayers had finally been answered. The kind of exultant joy I saw in his eyes didn’t come without some kind of trouble.
Golden afternoon light spilled into this bedroom. It wasn’t morning. I hadn’t been asleep for the night. And there was a nurse standing in front of him near the end of the bed. I felt my brow furrow.
“What’s she doing here?” I barely mumbled.
Gage laughed and embraced me.
“You’re back,” he said enthusiastically.
“And I need something to drink,” I told him. “My throat is parched.” My words barely came out as more than groans. I felt them rattle deep down in my chest.
“Here you are, dear.” The nurse handed me a cup of water almost right away.
As the wonderfully cool liquid poured down my throat, it soothed what I could best describe as an intense burn. I handed the cup over to Gage gently. I started to ask him what happened, but I caught something in his eyes that reminded me of what happened on Ivan’s yacht, and what happened just before that series of events.
I covered my mouth. I could feel my eyes trying to work up tears, but my body was so dry and brittle that nothing came out.
“Oh God, Gage,” I sobbed. I grabbed him and pulled him back to me, crying tearlessly on his shoulder as I realized how lucky I was to be waking up to his enraptured eyes, the dying golden light of the day, and the strange nurse standing at the end of the bed.
“It’s okay,” he tried to comfort me. “You’re here. You’re awake. You’re back with me.”
I pulled back and looked into his troubled eyes.
“What happened?” I asked. “Tell me everything. My memory’s choppy.”
He looked up at the nurse. “Could you give us a few minutes?” he asked her.
“Sure. Would you like for me to go out and pick you two up anything for dinner? I can get anything you need, and don’t worry about the bill. It’s taken care of.” Her young voice was so sweet and kind.
Gage looked at me, and I suddenly craved a cheeseburger. Or pizza. Chili dogs. Oh God, I wanted junk food. It was all I could think about.
“Chili dogs,” I blurted out. “And fries.”
Gage looked up at the nurse. “Is that okay for someone in her condition?” he asked.
“If her system is used to it, her body will take what it needs and process the rest just like normal.” She turned to me. “Do you eat chili dogs often?”
“Often enough that it’s the first thing I wanted after I don’t know how long I’ve been out,” I said clearly.
“Chili dogs and fries,” Gage agreed, laughing. “I can’t think of anything better to celebrate with,” he added.