Without saying a word of warning, Jamie slipped Louie’s shirt off my shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. He pulled at the strings of my bikini, peeling the pieces that covered my skin away. I was as naked as the day I was born. My mind was too numb to care.
He grabbed my hand again and put his other at the small of my back, carefully helping me into the bath. The water was hot but not scalding. Just enough burn to feel good as I sank into it.
Jamie plucked a washcloth from a stack of many on the shelf and dropped it in the water. He knelt next to the tub after turning off the water. Sitting in the center of the tub, I bent my legs, bringing them to my chest. I felt Jamie reach into the water, scooping out the washcloth. Water dripped onto my back before the warm cloth slid down my spine. My eyes closed, relishing the sensation of it scrubbing gently against my skin.
“Do you need anything?” Louie’s voice broke the silence in the room. I opened my eyes to find him standing in the doorway. Gone was his normal carefree smile. He seemed tense while holding a Jamie-like stoic expression.
“She’s going to need an ice pack for her face and some clothes to sleep in. I’m putting her to bed after this,” Jamie replied. Louie nodded and left.
“Something’s wrong with Louie,” I mumbled.
Jamie’s head jerked back to me, seeming surprised. “He’ll get over it,” he replied.
I didn’t understand, nor did I have it in me to ask him to explain.
Dropping the washcloth into the water, he sat back on his heels.
He brushed the back of his fingers over the bruises forming on my arm. They were dark, already taking the shape of fingers. He looked angry, staring at the marred skin, but his touch was gentle.
“Are you ready to get out?”
I nodded and took his offered hand. Water and bubbles sluiced down my body as I stood, splashing into the tub below. Turning toward him, I caught him watching a cluster of bubbles making its way down my stomach. He fixated on them just before they reached the top of my mound, then his eyes dropped to the floor. He took a step back, giving me room to get out.
Once my feet hit the plush rug, Louie entered the bathroom carrying some clothes. He stopped in his tracks, eyes wide as they traveled along my wet body. He recovered quickly, schooling his expression. “I got her a big shirt and underwear.”
“Thanks, man. Can you toss me that towel hanging on the hook behind you?”
Louie grabbed the towel before tossing it to Jamie, who then wrapped it around my body.
“I can do it.” My voice was low, but Jamie still heard me.
“Do you want me to stay?”
I nodded. “Out there.”
Understanding, he left to wait in my room. Louie lingered behind, handing over my clothes. I took them and held them to my chest.
“I’m going to get you an ice pack and something for the pain. Can I get you anything else?”
I shook my head. Louie’s eyes dropped to the towel around me, his expression turning pained before he turned on his heel to leave.
Slowly drying off, I slipped on the shirt and underwear Louie had brought me. The gray T-shirt had one of my favorite bands' logo on the front. It was baggy, soft, and the hem ended at mid-thigh, hiding the purple boy shorts I had on underneath.
I took a long look in the mirror. Bruises had already formed on my cheek bone and there was a little bit of swelling. The corner of my lip was split and also slightly puffy. Overall, it wasn’t that bad. I’d looked worse.
“You alright?” Jamie’s silky voice filled the room. He was standing in the doorway with his hands stuffed in his pockets, watching me.
“I’m seeing how bad it is,” I said, sounding more like myself, and he seemed to notice, too.
“It’ll fade in a week.” He was trying to reassure me. “Louie brought you an ice pack and pain killers.”
I turned around and walked over to him. Without stopping, I wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my nose into his chest. “I’m sorry.” I didn’t say what for because I meant it for everything. For the way I'd acted this morning and by the pool, and even for freaking out. Despite our fight and the unsureness between us, he'd still been there for me like always.
“Me too,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me and pressing his lips to my forehead. He gave me a tight squeeze before releasing me and stepping away. “You need to lay down, even if it’s just for a little while.”
I didn’t argue. The covers on my bed were already pulled down and I climbed right in. Jamie handed me two pills and a glass of water. I swallowed them but refused the ice pack.
“Can you stay until I fall asleep?”
“I’ll stay as long as you need me,” he said. I patted the bed next to me with my hand, gesturing for him to lie down. He hesitated at first, then toed off his shoes and pulled his gun from the back of his pants. He slid it under his pillow before he lay down next to me.
Staring up at the ceiling, everything that happened that day started to replay in my mind.
“Don’t think. Just close your eyes, Maura.”
Letting out a heavy sigh, I did as he said, and I drifted off almost instantly.
“Maura, wake up.”
I startled awake and almost jumped out of my skin when I saw a blurry figure hovering above me.
“Shh, it’s okay. It’s just me.”
I blinked a few times and Jamie’s face came into focus. His hand cupped my face and he wiped my cheek with his thumb. “You were crying.”
I quickly wiped at my face. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were saying some weird shit.”
I tensed. “Oh?” I didn’t want to talk about my dreams, ever. Internally, I prayed he wouldn’t ask.
“How are you feeling?”
Relieved, I relaxed. “Sore. Starving. I don’t think I ate today. How long was I out?”
“About six hours. It’s dinner time. Think you might be up to going downstairs or do you want to eat up here?”
“I’m not ready to face the world yet.”
“By world, do you mean Stefan?” he asked, already knowing the answer.
“We could watch a movie while we eat. I’ll let you pick,” I said, deflecting.
He sighed and rolled over to pick up the phone on my nightstand. He only hit one button, which I assumed was the pre-programmed number for the kitchen. Someone picked up and he told whoever it was, likely Jeana, that we’d like dinner brought up to my room. The food arrived shortly after he hung up. It was Italian and smelled delicious. We ate on the couch as we watched TV.
“You’re the only one Stefan allows to get away with shit. He’d never let anyone else avoid him because we weren’t ready to talk. One time, he sent me to some dude’s hospital room, demanding to know what happened. The guy had just gotten out of surgery after being shot in the chest.”
“He’ll interrogate me when he finds time to check on me,” I argued, sounding bitter. The last time I got hurt like this, five days had passed before he'd come to check on me and that time I had been raped. This time I wasn’t going to hold my breath.
“He came to check on you an hour after you fell asleep,” he said. He must have seen my surprise because he gave me a tight smile. “He’s trying.”