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Authors: Aurelia B. Rowl
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front to hold me in place. We sat like that for a while, in complete silence, his head resting gently against the top of mine. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat soothed me, his chest rising and falling with each breath, and I began to relax. So much so, a deep sigh escaped my lungs.
‘Hey, no going to sleep, d’you hear?’
A grunt was the best response I could muster. It was all well and good being told not to go to sleep, but not so easy to put into practice when I felt as if I’d gone ten rounds with Nicola Adams and Amir Khan.
‘I could get used to this mute version, you know. Just think how much quieter the house would be, especially if it rubs off on Gemma, too.’
‘Hmph!’ I tried to shrug his arm off and sit up under my own steam, but my snappy retort turned into more of a hiss and I collapsed back onto him.
‘Christ, Lena! Are you hurt?’
Too busy biting back a yelp and in no fit state to try moving anything else, I just about tilted my head to look up at him and blinked twice.
‘Where?’ Jake had flicked into efficient first-aider mode, so I knew he’d seen the flash of panic in my eyes, which were now filling up with yet more tears. ‘Or should I be asking you what
doesn’t
hurt?’
Despite the aches and pains, the corners of my mouth turned upwards for the first time in forever. OK, slight exaggeration, but it could be ten-thirty or midnight for all I knew—I’d lost all track of time.
Jake grinned in return. ‘At least your smile isn’t broken, but can I check the rest of you? Make sure there’s nothing serious before I try and move you?’
He took my lack of grunt as a green light, and propped me back up against the counter in order to take up position in front of me. For someone with such large hands, he had a surprisingly light touch as he reached first for my right leg, then my left, until they were both extended. Starting with my right foot, he eased off my shoe and began a very thorough examination, noting every wince and sharp intake of breath as if cataloguing them.
Next was my upper body, and I wasn’t altogether sure how I felt about that. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was only Jake. It worked though, I didn’t resist when he brought me back against his warm, hoody-covered chest. He lifted the blanket off me altogether and let it fall to the floor, then examined my shoulders and back. When he reached my head, I’d slipped into some kind of daze-like trance, a bit like the time mum had let me go with her for a massage.
‘Aside from a possible sprained ankle and the whopping great bump on the back of your head, I can’t find any major damage.’ Jake’s voice woke me up again, and brought me back to my painful reality. ‘You’re going to be covered in bruises for a while, though,’ he said, leaning me back against the counter. ‘Do you want to try walking? Standing, even?’
‘Umm … I guess.’
Hallelujah!
My mouth seemed to be working again, even if no other part of my body was willing to try. ‘Can I put my socks and shoes back on first?’
‘Not yet. I need to check out that ankle first.’
‘Right. Here goes, then.’ I planted my bare feet on the cold floor, forced to stifle a groan as I did the same with my hands, all the while trying not to grind my teeth or show too much discomfort.
‘Hey, wait, let me help.’ Jake leaped to his feet and reached for my hands. I placed them into his open palms, huge compared with mine, and his paint-spattered fingers closed around my wrists, ready to haul me upright. ‘On the count of three?’
‘OK.’ I even risked a slight nod.
Come on, I can do this, nothing to it, right?
By the time I tuned back into what Jake was saying, he was already on ‘two’ and then
whoosh
, I was soaring upwards and trying to balance on my own two feet. Badly. The air must have been thinner higher up, because I went all light-headed and swayed precariously. Jake let go of one of my hands to grasp my upper
‘Hey, no going to sleep, d’you hear?’
A grunt was the best response I could muster. It was all well and good being told not to go to sleep, but not so easy to put into practice when I felt as if I’d gone ten rounds with Nicola Adams and Amir Khan.
‘I could get used to this mute version, you know. Just think how much quieter the house would be, especially if it rubs off on Gemma, too.’
‘Hmph!’ I tried to shrug his arm off and sit up under my own steam, but my snappy retort turned into more of a hiss and I collapsed back onto him.
‘Christ, Lena! Are you hurt?’
Too busy biting back a yelp and in no fit state to try moving anything else, I just about tilted my head to look up at him and blinked twice.
‘Where?’ Jake had flicked into efficient first-aider mode, so I knew he’d seen the flash of panic in my eyes, which were now filling up with yet more tears. ‘Or should I be asking you what
doesn’t
hurt?’
Despite the aches and pains, the corners of my mouth turned upwards for the first time in forever. OK, slight exaggeration, but it could be ten-thirty or midnight for all I knew—I’d lost all track of time.
Jake grinned in return. ‘At least your smile isn’t broken, but can I check the rest of you? Make sure there’s nothing serious before I try and move you?’
He took my lack of grunt as a green light, and propped me back up against the counter in order to take up position in front of me. For someone with such large hands, he had a surprisingly light touch as he reached first for my right leg, then my left, until they were both extended. Starting with my right foot, he eased off my shoe and began a very thorough examination, noting every wince and sharp intake of breath as if cataloguing them.
Next was my upper body, and I wasn’t altogether sure how I felt about that. I just had to keep reminding myself that it was only Jake. It worked though, I didn’t resist when he brought me back against his warm, hoody-covered chest. He lifted the blanket off me altogether and let it fall to the floor, then examined my shoulders and back. When he reached my head, I’d slipped into some kind of daze-like trance, a bit like the time mum had let me go with her for a massage.
‘Aside from a possible sprained ankle and the whopping great bump on the back of your head, I can’t find any major damage.’ Jake’s voice woke me up again, and brought me back to my painful reality. ‘You’re going to be covered in bruises for a while, though,’ he said, leaning me back against the counter. ‘Do you want to try walking? Standing, even?’
‘Umm … I guess.’
Hallelujah!
My mouth seemed to be working again, even if no other part of my body was willing to try. ‘Can I put my socks and shoes back on first?’
‘Not yet. I need to check out that ankle first.’
‘Right. Here goes, then.’ I planted my bare feet on the cold floor, forced to stifle a groan as I did the same with my hands, all the while trying not to grind my teeth or show too much discomfort.
‘Hey, wait, let me help.’ Jake leaped to his feet and reached for my hands. I placed them into his open palms, huge compared with mine, and his paint-spattered fingers closed around my wrists, ready to haul me upright. ‘On the count of three?’
‘OK.’ I even risked a slight nod.
Come on, I can do this, nothing to it, right?
By the time I tuned back into what Jake was saying, he was already on ‘two’ and then
whoosh
, I was soaring upwards and trying to balance on my own two feet. Badly. The air must have been thinner higher up, because I went all light-headed and swayed precariously. Jake let go of one of my hands to grasp my upper
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