Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
The door creaked opened. A flick of a switch and everything became alive with movement.
Moments later the darkness, for which Eden had succumbed to, changed to a muted red behind her closed eyelids. She cracked her eyes open, blinded by the overwhelming light above her, and stirred.
The atmosphere in the room darkened when Declan stepped in. His steely gaze bore holes into her body.
Doped up on pain meds and still tied to the bed of the medical room, Eden's hands had long ago grown numb. Her arms and shoulders ached from fighting against the ropes all night.
"Are you ready to listen?" Declan paused at her side.
Eden tried to lift her throbbing head but couldn't.
"Water." She croaked.
"What was that?" He pulled up the stool and sat next to her, grinning like a madman. "Was that you trying to tell me you're ready and willing to behave like an adult?"
It took more effort for Eden to nod than it would have been to speak the word he was looking for. Saying yes to him would destroy the last bit of hope she had of getting out of this place. Speaking that word would have shown him her weakness, and she wasn't having that.
"Very well then." Declan pulled a paper cup down from the cabinet above the sink and filled it. "Don't drink too fast." Slipping a hand behind her head, he lifted it and brought the cup to her parched lips.
Greedily, Eden gulped down the water.
"Would you care for some more?"
Eden nodded as her throat burned for more.
With his back turned, Eden began to cough, then chock. Her stomach heaved. The water she had drunk was coming back up. Panic ensued when she could roll her head. Her arms were blocking either side of her face, and her neck was too sore.
"Shit!" In Declan's hast to get to Eden, he dropped the cup he had just filled. It fell to the floor at his feet, sending water everywhere. He rolled Eden onto her side, twisting her arms painfully across each other, so she didn't inhale her vomit.
Her stomach heaved again, expelling the last bits of the water, stomach acid, and pain meds onto the floor. Her lungs throbbed, as did her stomach, yet she was left staring up at him, wondering again why he helped her. He worked at the ropes at her wrists, loosening them before tugging her hand free.
"I told you not to drink so fast." He brushed some matted puke soaked hair off of her wet cheek. "All better now?" His hand rubbed soothing circles over her back.
"More." Eden coughed.
"Water?"
She nodded.
His hand paused in mid-circle. "Are you going to listen to me this time and not drink too quickly?"
Eden nodded again, wincing in pain as her arms became pins and needles, now that the ropes were gone the life was coming back into them.
Declan helped her up when she struggled to sit up on her own. He held both of her hand in his, frowning at her raw and bleeding wrists. "You're quite the fighter, Eden. Look what you've done to yourself."
Eden couldn't bring herself to look up at him. Her eyes were glued to her wounds. For the first time, she saw the stitches running up the length of her hand. Tiny threads held the cut closed.
Moments later, Declan appeared with another cup in hand. "Slowly this time." He warned before bringing it to her lips.
The urge to gulp the drink down was overwhelming, but she forced herself to follow his demand and drank at a snail's pace until she reached the bottom of the cup. In the end, she found that her hand came to rest over his, guiding the cups tilt.
His skin was warm against her cool fingertips. When she glanced up at him, she noticed that his hardened features had softened. There was a slight curve to the corners of his mouth, and his eyes never left hers.
"All better now?" His words were soft, almost kind. He seemed to be an entirely different person now.
She released his hand in response.
Declan tossed the cup into the trash and went about searching through the few drawers and cabinets for peroxide, gauze, and medical tape.
"Shall we clean you up?" He glanced at her from over his shoulder and caught her staring at him.
Heat built up in her cheeks. She could only imagine the red hue of humiliation illuminated on her face under the harsh lights.
He steered clear of the puddle she had made and sat on the stool.
"This may sting a bit." He dabbed a cotton ball, soaked with peroxide, gingerly over her wounds. She hissed, clenching her jaw against the pain of the touch and tried to pull her hand out of his.
"It's okay." There was that almost caring tone again, the one that seemed to hate the idea of hurting her. He blew gently on her wrists and glanced up at her. "I may not be a doctor, but I make a mighty fine nurse."
The laughter that crossed her lips surprised them both. She hadn't seen it coming.
The side of his mouth lifted. "I've got some emotion out of you yet. You have a beautiful laugh." His lips widened into a full-fledged grin.
For the first time, Eden noticed the slight creases of laugh lines around his eyes and mouth. She imagined what it would feel like to run her fingers through his hair, to kiss him again.
Eden abruptly stopped laughing, remembering why she was here in the first place. No amount of charm would sway her way of thinking. He is a monster, plain and simple. But a part of her wanted this side of him to be real. She wanted this side of him to stay, if only for a little while longer.
"I've lost you again, haven't I?" And just like that the coldness of his stare returned, and he focused on wrapping clean gauze around her wrists, binding it with medical tape. "Are you ready to go upstairs to get cleaned up? I had Matilda run you a bath."
Eden nodded and shifted to the end of the table, but he stopped her before she could stand.
"Do you want me to carry you up?"
Eden shook her head, no. She didn't want him touching her any more than he absolutely needed to.
Declan stepped back, allowing her to move. "Then, by all means, lead the way."
She stepped down from the table and collapsed into Declan's chest. He swept her up into his arms. "You're too prideful, Eden. It's okay to admit when you need help."
Eden gripped at his shirt, thinking at any moment the other foot was going to fall and he'd drop her.
"What are you thinking?"
I'm thinking about how it would feel to kiss you, to have you hold me until I fall asleep. But most of all I want to know why you chose me. Those were the things Eden tried to get herself to tell him, but this was what she said, "Nothing."
Without another word, Declan carried Eden from the medical ward and entered into the labyrinth of tunnels underneath the mansion, heading up toward the main floor. Without pause, he carried her up to her room.
They found Matilda turning down Eden's bed and laying out some clothes. Her crisp accent rang out. "The water is hot and ready for her. Shall I stay and give her a proper scrubbing?"
"That won't be necessary, Tilly." His hold tightened around Eden, "I'll be doing it myself." Her body tensed at the thought of him bathing her. It was bad enough that he was holding her so close.
Matilda offered him a curt nod. "Very well then, Sir. I'll see to my other duties." With that she was gone, closing the door behind her and leaving them alone.
"This is no time to be modest, Eden." Declan grinned at Eden's reddening cheeks. "Let's get you clean."
The bathroom was spectacular and clean. There wasn't a shard of glass to be found anywhere on the floor or countertop. The spot above the sinks, where the mirror had been, remained a blank white wall. As for the window, a wooden plyboard covered the length of it and, to her surprise; the bathroom door was missing.
"What happened to the door?"
"There will be no more mistakes made." Declan lowered Eden's feet into the water, holding her hands as she lowered herself down.
When the water reached Eden's chest, she settled back, breathing in the strong aroma of peppermint.
Declan knelt at the side of the tub and dipped a rag into the water. "You know I still have to punish you, right?" He ran the soapy cloth over Eden's chest.
And just like that, her moment of comfort ceased to exist. Her pulse quickened, her heart pounded.
The cloth dipped beneath the water, stopping between her legs. "But I want you clean before we start."
