Chpt. 5 APOV:
When I finally open my eyes, I have no idea what time it is but for the first time in months I feel rested. When I open my eyes it takes me several long minutes to figure out where I am, the memories of the last two days come rushing to the surface. The reminder again comes when I roll to my side towards the sunlight beaming through a set of large windows. Immediately my body screams in protest that I moved; not just my ankle and wrist but muscles cry from over usage. Something on the nightstand catches my eye; forcing myself to sit up, a small smile forms at the kind gesture.
Ana,
My mom said to take two of these when you wake up; it's fine to take on an empty stomach. When you're ready to come down, just yell. Or if you don't want to come down and just need something to eat yell. Or if you need help with something, yell. I left your door open so I could hear you from downstairs.
Hope you're feeling better.
~ Christian ~
I don't know what I did, but finally something feels like it's going my way even if it's only for a few days, I have a safe place to recover. Even if it's the craziest thing I've ever experienced and that no one would ever believe me if I tried to tell them about wolves who saved me from bears who then turned into men. I open the bottle of water Christian left for me and take the pain medicine before lying back against the soft pillows. I know I should probably get up, but part of me is perfectly content to just lay here for the rest of the day. Of course I don't though, I doze off for a little longer this time when I wake up I'm able to move a little easier without as much pain. My ankle is still swollen and all sorts of different colors, but the swelling in my wrist has gone down a little. I awkwardly slide from the bed into the wheel chair, careful not to put any weight on my ankle and push myself across the hall to the bathroom. I quickly use the bathroom, wash my face and brush my teeth with the new toothbrush and toothpaste Christian must have put in here for me during the night. When I open the door I nearly scream when I see Christian waiting for me.
"Sorry, I…I heard you up and wanted to see if you needed anything. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine," I assure him.
"I wasn't sure if you'd want to come down to eat breakfast…well lunch-"
"Tell me it's not that late," I groan.
"It's just after two-"
"You shouldn't have let me sleep that late!"
"Why not? I talked with my mom this morning, she said rest was the most important thing you needed right now. She said I shouldn't worry given…everything you've been through recently."
"I didn't realize how tired I was until my head hit the pillow."
"Are you feeling better?"
"The pills you left me helped, thank you."
By the look in his eye, he knows I avoided answering his question. I'm feeling somewhat better, but my ankle continues to throb, my wrist hurts when I try to use my hand to push the wheelchair around and my muscles still ache. But I'm better than I was when I first woke up which is something. There's no point in complaining about it through; right now I'm safe, even if it's only temporary.
"Let me," he quickly takes control of the chair when he sees me make a move to push myself back into the bedroom. Part of me wants to object, to insist that I can do it myself, but the other part of me that feels the discomfort in moving my wrist is much more agreeable. Christian wheels me back into the bedroom, stopping next to the bed where I notice my clothes from yesterday are now lying on the bed. "I washed your clothes this morning while you were sleeping; I didn't see very much in the bag that you had with you. Not that I was looking, I mean I was when we first found you but just for a blanket-"
"Thank you," I interrupt him. "You're right, there wasn't very much in the bag; I left nearly everything else in my larger duffel bag in the car at the rest stop."
"These are clean, but when I run into town I can pick you up some other clothes."
"I'd appreciate that."
"Are you hungry? I can make something for lunch, or maybe you want to take a bath? My mom thought the jets in the tub might help if your muscles are sore."
I can't help the moan at escapes me at the mere thought of sitting in a jetted tub right now. Christian's eyes meet mine and for a brief second I think I see heat in them, but just like that it's gone. As he turns my chair around I'm left wondering what the look in his eyes meant. God knows no one could possibly find me attractive right now; I'm covered in cuts and bruises, not to mention a broken ankle. So clearly it wasn't heat that I saw in his eyes.
"Why are we in here?" I ask as pushes me into what is clearly his bedroom. Not only is it much larger than the one I slept in, but it smells just like him.
"The jetted tub is in my bathroom," he gestures to the bathroom door.
"Oh."
"Let me grab some towels," he disappears into the bathroom which gives me a chance to take in his room. I don't know what I was expecting, the room seems…normal. The dark blue walls give a warm feeling to the room without making it feel too small. His large bed dominates the room and before I can question it I picture myself lying in it.
"Expecting it to look like a cave?" he chuckles leaning against the bathroom doorframe having clearly caught me looking around.
"No…maybe…I don't know," I admit.
"I don't mind camping out, but when I'm like this," he gestures over his body, "I prefer a soft bed just like everyone else. My wolf on the other hand could care less and would be fine in a cave if we were out overnight."
"Oh."
"So…I can start the water in the tub for you, if you want to undress in here-"
"What?"
"When I talked to my mom this morning, she said the most important thing was to make sure that you didn't put any weight on your ankle. She's worried that if it is broken, even the slightest amount of weight could cause further injury."
"She mentioned something about that yesterday."
"I figure if you get undressed, you can wrap a towel around yourself. I'll wheel you into the bathroom and lift you into the tub, with the towel hopefully still around you."
"Oh….that makes sense."
"If you'd rather…if you'd feel better with someone else, I could ask Gail and maybe Kate, my brother's wife, to assist-"
"No," I quickly argue. "I…I mean, I don't want to bother anyone else."
I don't want anyone else seeing me like this; I don't want to see the pity in anyone else's eyes when they see the bruises. It's not like I can hide them and I know that my story of falling down the stairs doesn't explain my split lip or bruised eye. Christian is already doing so much for me, I don't want to bother anyone else.
"I won't…I mean if you're worried, you don't need to. I wouldn't…"
"I know," I assure him knowing what he's trying to say.
It doesn't make any sense and I probably shouldn't, but I trust Christian. I should probably be more cautious, be more concerned that Christian could shift into a wolf at any moment and hurt me…but I'm not. I don't know how to explain it, but some part of me knows that Christian won't hurt me; that I'm safe with him. I should probably be leery about trusting my own instincts considering how badly Tony duped me, but some part of me isn't even letting me consider that Christian is anything but genuine.
"It would probably be easier to get undressed on the bed right? I mean, you'd have more room…"
"It was easier that way last night," I go to stand on one foot to move to the bed but before I can even get completely up Christian has me in his arms and sets me on his soft bed.
"I could have gotten up here by myself."
"I know," he smirks and sets the towels on the bed beside me. "I'll go start the tub, just yell when you're done or if you need help or something."
He goes into the bathroom, leaving the door open a small crack which I know is just enough that he can hear me. Getting undressed takes so much longer than it used to, but after several minutes I'm sitting naked on Christian's bed wrapped in only a towel. Thankfully the towel is large enough to cover everything, however I can't secure it as tightly around me as I would like because that's near impossible to do while sitting down.
"I'm done," I call out and before I can even finish the word Christian has the door open. I don't miss his glance over me as I sit on his bed in nothing but a towel. Without saying a word, he simply lifts me in his arms and carries me into the bathroom. I hold the knot tightly at my chest, hoping like hell it doesn't suddenly come open. Once in the bathroom, he sets me down on the tile surrounding the large tub.
"I'm going to climb in-"
"Wait what?" I did not just hear him correctly. He does not think that I'm going to take a bath with him…does he?
"Shit, I didn't mean it like that," his cheeks blush when he realizes what I thought he meant. "I can't safely lower you into the tub from up there. I'm going to step into the tub and lower you to where the jets are. Then I'll get out."
"I'm sure I can do it myself," I argue.
"If your wrist wasn't sprained you could probably hold onto both sides of the tub and lower yourself, but I don't think you'd be able to do that right now without hurting yourself more."
Before I can argue he steps into the tub which is already more than half filled with water; in one quick move he has me in his arms and lowers me into the warm water of the tub. As he promised, as soon as I'm settled he's out of the tub and drying off with a towel he had left on the steps. The water is heavenly; I hadn't realized how much I needed this bath until right now. Even though I haven't even begun to wash up, I can feel the evidence of the last two days leaving my body. The dirt and dried blood that I couldn't reach yesterday finally washing off; my muscles starting to already relax in the warm water.
"Thank you Christian," I whisper and lean my head back on the tub.
"No problem," he's about to walk out of the bathroom when he turns around. "I won't come back in here, not until you call for me and tell me you're ready. I don't want you to…you can take off the towel while you're in there. If you want I mean, you don't have to if you'd feel better leaving it on. There's a clean towel next to you, when you're ready, just cover yourself with it and I'll lift you out."
"Thank you," I blush at his nervousness but thankfully he's out of the room before he can notice.
"Oh, the button to turn on the jets is to your left. Just wait until the water level is above them before turning it on."
"Okay."
Whereas Christian's bedroom was very masculine, the bathroom is completely different. It's bright and so much larger than I had expected. In addition to the large jetted tub, that could easily fit two, there is an equally large walk in shower plus a double vanity. When the water is over the jets, I press the button the Christian had indicated would turn them on and I vow to never leave the tub again. As Grace told Christian, the effects of the jets is almost immediate. I can feel some of the soreness in my muscles ease and in other areas, knots begin to loosen. I have no idea how long I sit there, letting the jets work their magic, but when I feel the water start to become cooler I realize I should probably get out even if it's the last thing I want to do. Using the washcloth and soap Christian left me, I quickly wash my body even though most of the dirt and dried blood has already come off. A bottle of shampoo catches my eye and before I can think of the logistics, I grab it realizing it's been days since I've been able to wash my hair.
"Ow!" I drop the bottle into the tub as pain seers through my wrist.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?" Christian rushes into the bathroom, coming to a dead stop when he sees me. I quickly wrap an arm over my chest in complete and utter embarrassment. The movement must catch Christian's attention because he quickly turns around.
"Are you okay? You sounded hurt?" he asks.
"I…it's stupid," I sigh.
"What happened?"
"I wasn't thinking; I wanted to wash my hair but when I tried to open the lid on the bottle my wrist apparently disagreed with what I wanted. I guess it was the way I moved it or something…"
"If you want…I can help you."
"I couldn't ask you to-"
"You didn't; I offered. Use the towel I left to cover yourself; I can use the hand held attachment to wash your hair with."
"Are you sure you don't mind?" I feel horrible asking any more of him than I have already.
"I wouldn't have offered if I did."
I quickly grab the towel, which until he mentioned it I had completely forgotten about, and wrap it around me. It's awkward because I can't lift myself, but it covers just about everything. There's enough suds from the soap that I don't think Christian can see anything the towel might not cover under the water.
"I…I'm covered," I can still feel the heat on my face but to Christian's credit when he turns around his gaze doesn't go below my head.
"You have the shampoo?" he looks around.
"Oh yeah," it's not easy but I manage to find it while holding the towel to my chest with my injured hand. "It fell when I…"
"Can you lean forward a little?"
The moment I do as he asked I hear a catch in his breath, no doubt taking in the bruises on my back and sides from the fall. His fingers lightly graze over them sending chills through my body which I swear is always present whenever he touches me. He doesn't say anything but a few moments later he withdrawals his hand. His fingers gently massage my scalp, so thoroughly I'm convinced I could fall asleep.
"Are you okay like this?" he asks.
"Yeah…but if you keep doing that I might fall back to sleep," I giggle.
He continues a little longer before rinsing the shampoo from my hair; he steps away from the tub drying his hands off as I lean back against the tub.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better; your mom was right, the jets really helped."
"You can come in here whenever you want; it's the first time the tub has been used-"
"You've never used it?"
"No….can't say I'm much of a bath person," he chuckles.
"And…no one else…ever used it?" It's none of my business, but I'm sure one of his girlfriends would have used it if they stayed over. I can't explain it but for some reason I need to know his answer.
"No."
"Oh."
"Is there someone you want to call-"
"No!"
"I'm not talking about that Tony fucker; but family that would want to know you're safe?"
"No….I don't have any family," for as many times as I've said those words, you'd think they would have become easier to say but they never do.
"None?"
"I grew up in the foster care system, bounced from house to house until I eventually aged out of the system."
"I'm sorry; I can't imagine…"
"When that's all you've known," I shrug.
"Speaking of Tony-"
"He's not here is he?" I sit up quickly, my eyes immediately go to the open bathroom door as if I expect to see him there. As soon as his name is mentioned all logic disappears; logically I know he shouldn't have been able to find me out here, that I'm too far from Vegas for his reach, but that's still where my mind immediately goes.
"No," he lifts my chin with his fingers until I'm looking up at him. "He will never find you; he will never hurt you again."
"But you said-"
"All I did was mention his name," he reminds me. "I was going to ask you for his last name so we could-"
"No."
"If we know who he is, we can keep tabs on him. We can monitor where he is to make sure he doesn't get even remotely close to you."
"You can't," I shake my head adamantly. "If he knows you're looking for him, he'll find me."
"Ana, we have some of the best IT people in the world at our disposal; he won't know that we're watching him."
"No, I can't….I can't risk it."
"Okay," he runs his hands through his hair. "How about if you give me your last name? We can at least make sure no one is looking for you."
"I don't know…"
"Trust me Ana, trust me to keep you safe," he says softly. "No one will ever hurt you again, I promise."
"You're sure?"
I want to trust him, God I want to trust him so much. I want to trust that all the way out here, half way across the country, that Tony won't be able to find me and that the security measures that Christian said the pack has in place will protect me. But I still can't help but worry that somehow he's going to find me; I can't put Christian and his family at risk. I can't-
"Ana, stop," he says firmly. "You are safe here; you will always be safe here. Trust me…please."
"Steele."
"What?"
"My last name…is Steele."
I hope like hell that I didn't just sign my death certificate; that I can trust Christian to find a way to check without Tony finding out. If Tony somehow did manage to find me, there's no way he would let me walk out on him again. A shiver runs through my body at the thought of him finding me.
"You're getting cold, let's get you out of here," I nod, letting him think the reason for the shiver was the cool water.
Christian moves around the bathroom, gathering a couple of towels before setting them on the side of the tub.
"I figure we can do this the same way we did earlier. I'll lift you up set you on the towel; I'll step out so you can wrap a dry towel around you and then I'll bring you into the bedroom to get dressed. I have towels on the bed already so don't worry about completely drying yourself right away."
"Okay."
Christian steps into the tub and slips his arms under me. I try not to think about the fact that I'm naked except for a wet towel loosely wrapped around me, even so I can feel the heat rush to my face when I feel his arms against my bare thighs. I close my eyes as he lifts me, bringing me to his chest-
"Oh!" he gasps and I feel jolted for a second before he sits down on the side of the tub…with me on his lap.
"Are you okay?" I ask.
"Yeah," he chuckles. "I banged my ankle on the jet-"
"Are you bleeding? Are you hurt?" I try to look down but his grip tightens on me keeping me snug against his chest.
"I'm fine; just wasn't expecting it there."
"You're sure you're okay?"
With one hand still wrapped around me, he slips the other one out from under my legs and lifts my chin so I'm looking at him. His grey eyes immediately find mine; there's so much warmth in them but in other ways it's like he can see right through me. As if he can look past the bruises and cuts and see….me. The person I was before Tony; the person I was before I had to walk on egg shells everyday out of concern that the slightest thing I do will upset him.
"Ana," his thumb glides over my jaw.
"Christian," my breath hitches at his touch.