thing,” Aiden said, stopping the doctor at the door.
“Yes?” he asked, turning to face Aiden.
“Do you know what time they will be changing her dressings?”
Chelsea’s face turned pale. “Say what?”
The doctor looked uneasy. Apparently, the patients’ family members usually steered clear during dressing time. He studied Aiden’s face for a moment before saying, “We will be changing the dressings around this time tomorrow… then every day thereafter until her wounds have closed over.”
Aiden looked the doctor straight in the eyes, probably doing some mind-control shit. “Can someone let Chelsea know before they start?”
“Of course,” he said, his thoughts completely void of any animosity. “I will make sure one of the nurses calls her at least half an hour before. Will that give you enough time to get here?” he asked Aiden, not Chelsea.
“That should be fine. Thanks.”
The doctor turned around and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Chelsea gulped. “I have to be here while they do that to her?” Her voice shook with worry.
Aiden relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “You only need to be here so that I can.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you want to make sure she doesn’t feel any pain, don’t you?”
Her eyes lit up. “You would seriously come here every day to help her?”
“Ah, yeah,” Aiden said as if it wasn’t half-obvious.
She looked at Aiden with a heavy smile and eyes that threatened to spill tears. “Thank you.”
***
An hour later, the three of us were back in England. Chelsea was upstairs, asleep in the bedroom down the hall from ours, while Aiden and I were curled up in bed. We were both beat, but I had too many things on my mind to let him go to sleep without being able to get them out of my system first.
Aiden also decided he had a few things to discuss. “When are you going to give your mum a chance to tell her side of the story?”
“When I’m good and ready,” I said, so not wanting to discuss anything to do with her. But he pressed on.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what she has to say? Why she’s been hiding that part of her life from you?”
“No,” I snapped, realising it was unfair of me to take my frustrations with my mother out on him. I reached over and placed my hand on his bare chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just…”
“I get it. You don’t want to talk about it,” he said, pulling at a strand of my hair that had come loose from my hair tie. “But I think it would be good for you to talk to her.”
A mischievous smile spread across my face. “But there are so many other things I would rather be doing,” I said, tracing the lines down to that oh-so-sexy v-line.
He drew in a sharp breath. “You are so lucky I’m so easily distracted.”
“I think you’re going to be the lucky one.”
Chapter 6
A warm breeze brushed past my ear. With my eyes still closed, I pulled the sheet up around my neck and snuggled back to sleep. “Jade,” a voice whispered at the same time as I felt another puff of warm air against my cheek.
“Just five more minutes,” I mumbled, pulling the sheet up over my ears.
The sheet was slowly pulled off my face. Then the voice whispered, “Jade.”
I was about to roll over when a noise boomed through the speakers on either side of the bed, making Aiden and me jerk to a sitting position. We both looked at each other, hoping for an explanation of the creepy music blasting through the speakers. Aiden slowly averted his eyes to look down the length of the room. His eyes widened, and he drew in a sharp breath.
I slowly turned my gaze to follow Aiden’s, and then I stopped breathing.
The TV above the bed was on, showing footage of the very bedroom we were in. The camera moved unsteadily towards the bed, until we could see ourselves sleeping. Aiden was sprawled on his back with the sheet covering him from his hips down, and I was lying on my stomach, my face
“Yes?” he asked, turning to face Aiden.
“Do you know what time they will be changing her dressings?”
Chelsea’s face turned pale. “Say what?”
The doctor looked uneasy. Apparently, the patients’ family members usually steered clear during dressing time. He studied Aiden’s face for a moment before saying, “We will be changing the dressings around this time tomorrow… then every day thereafter until her wounds have closed over.”
Aiden looked the doctor straight in the eyes, probably doing some mind-control shit. “Can someone let Chelsea know before they start?”
“Of course,” he said, his thoughts completely void of any animosity. “I will make sure one of the nurses calls her at least half an hour before. Will that give you enough time to get here?” he asked Aiden, not Chelsea.
“That should be fine. Thanks.”
The doctor turned around and walked out, shutting the door behind him.
Chelsea gulped. “I have to be here while they do that to her?” Her voice shook with worry.
Aiden relaxed his shoulders and smiled. “You only need to be here so that I can.”
“Huh?”
“Well, you want to make sure she doesn’t feel any pain, don’t you?”
Her eyes lit up. “You would seriously come here every day to help her?”
“Ah, yeah,” Aiden said as if it wasn’t half-obvious.
She looked at Aiden with a heavy smile and eyes that threatened to spill tears. “Thank you.”
***
An hour later, the three of us were back in England. Chelsea was upstairs, asleep in the bedroom down the hall from ours, while Aiden and I were curled up in bed. We were both beat, but I had too many things on my mind to let him go to sleep without being able to get them out of my system first.
Aiden also decided he had a few things to discuss. “When are you going to give your mum a chance to tell her side of the story?”
“When I’m good and ready,” I said, so not wanting to discuss anything to do with her. But he pressed on.
“Aren’t you the least bit curious to see what she has to say? Why she’s been hiding that part of her life from you?”
“No,” I snapped, realising it was unfair of me to take my frustrations with my mother out on him. I reached over and placed my hand on his bare chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you. It’s just…”
“I get it. You don’t want to talk about it,” he said, pulling at a strand of my hair that had come loose from my hair tie. “But I think it would be good for you to talk to her.”
A mischievous smile spread across my face. “But there are so many other things I would rather be doing,” I said, tracing the lines down to that oh-so-sexy v-line.
He drew in a sharp breath. “You are so lucky I’m so easily distracted.”
“I think you’re going to be the lucky one.”
Chapter 6
A warm breeze brushed past my ear. With my eyes still closed, I pulled the sheet up around my neck and snuggled back to sleep. “Jade,” a voice whispered at the same time as I felt another puff of warm air against my cheek.
“Just five more minutes,” I mumbled, pulling the sheet up over my ears.
The sheet was slowly pulled off my face. Then the voice whispered, “Jade.”
I was about to roll over when a noise boomed through the speakers on either side of the bed, making Aiden and me jerk to a sitting position. We both looked at each other, hoping for an explanation of the creepy music blasting through the speakers. Aiden slowly averted his eyes to look down the length of the room. His eyes widened, and he drew in a sharp breath.
I slowly turned my gaze to follow Aiden’s, and then I stopped breathing.
The TV above the bed was on, showing footage of the very bedroom we were in. The camera moved unsteadily towards the bed, until we could see ourselves sleeping. Aiden was sprawled on his back with the sheet covering him from his hips down, and I was lying on my stomach, my face
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