He held it to Delilah, one hand on her shoulder as she lurched sideways and gagged, but managed to bring nothing more than a dribble of saliva. With gentle hands, he wiped her mouth and disposed of the bag, grabbing another one just in case. When the tears escaped her closed lids, he wiped them with a tissue and offered her a sip of water.
“Hey, it's going to be okay.” Blake hooked his foot around a chair, dragged it closer and sat down. He rested his arms on the bed near her pillow so he could stroke her cheek with a finger. She reached up and grabbed his hand, hanging on tight for comfort.
“This is terrible. I'm supposed to be helping you and…look at me.” She hiccupped on a sob and screwed up her face.
Helen took hold of her other hand and spoke. “Delilah, your pain. On a scale of one being none and ten being more than you can bear, what number would you give it now?”
“Eight or nine, I guess.” She sniffed and took the tissue from Blake wiping her nose.
“Let me clear it with the doctor to get you some pain relief, and then we'll call the x-ray team and see if we can get you straight in. Back in a jiffy.”
Blake grinned and gripped her hand. “This is a good place to be. They will sort you out in no time, promise.”
“But—”
“No buts. Shh now, let's worry about getting you better and stop thinking about the farm. Bluey has it all under control.”
“Okay, here we go.” Helen closed the curtain and walked over to the bed, placing a dish on the trolley. She ripped open a swab. “Lift up your shirt. This is going in your stomach, works faster that way.”
Delilah gripped Blake's hand, her nails digging into the skin. “No, please. Can't I just take a pill or something?”
“Ah, that would be a no. It won't take a minute.” Helen stood with a syringe in her hand and waited.
Blake grabbed hold of her hands and leaned down to her face until they were nose to nose. “Look at me and breath. It will relieve the pain and you'll be thankful in a few minutes.” He nodded at the nurse. “Go, Helen.”
As Helen lifted her shirt, exposing bare stomach, Blake touched Delilah's lips with his, softly teasing, trying to take her mind off the impending injection. She relaxed under his touch and a small smile lifted the corner of her lips before she groaned and opened her mouth, giving into his diversion tactics.
He locked his lips over hers, taking the small cry and smothering the noise with a deeper kiss. A small moan filled his mouth and he flicked his tongue over hers before slowly drawing away and sitting back.
“That's a novel way of approaching injections.” Helen put the syringe in the sharps container and washed her hands. “I'll just get onto x-ray and be right back.”
With a swish of curtain, she was gone and they were alone. Blake looked into her eyes and smiled. “That wasn't so bad now was it?”
Her lips twitched and a light gleamed in her eyes. “Thanks, that was good.”
“I certainly hope you were talking about my rusty skill of kissing and not the injection. Don't go blowing my self-esteem too much here, not sure I could take it,” he teased. Blake twined his fingers through hers and waited for Delilah to speak.
“The injection was awful actually. I never could cotton on to why people do it willingly.”
“So…”
“Yeah, you aren't that rusty and I appreciate your attempt to distract me when we hardly know each other.”
“Nice. Thanks.” He lifted her hand and ran his fingers over her knuckles, his rough working-man skin contrasting to her softness.
“Blake, I'm not in a position for romance. I have to go back home soon, I have a career in the city.” The color raced up her pale cheeks and he pushed down the quick pang of regret. He wasn’t about to let this go that easy.
“I know, but how about we enjoy each other's company while we can? I'm not asking for something you can't give me, Delilah.”
The curtain ripped open and the orderly walked in. “X-ray wants you downstairs.” Blake let go of her hand and stood, moving the chair out of the way and letting the orderly take over. He kicked the brake on the bed and pulled it out into the hallway. Blake walked beside it, holding her hand until they got to their destination.
“I'll wait out here for you. Be good.” He gave her an encouraging smile.
They whisked her inside and shut the door. He stood outside in the hallway, hands in pockets. He was desperate for this woman in his life. It had been four years since his wife died, and the thought of an affair had never crossed his mind—until he had laid eyes on Delilah outside Sue’s shop. Now, the most unsuitable woman he’d come across was the one who attracted him. Go figure.
Soon the door opened and the orderly wheeled Delilah out. Blake followed her back to the cubicle and waited for the doctor to arrive with his verdict. It took nearly forty five minutes for him to make an appearance and Delilah had slept for most of that time with Blake holding her hand. The drugs had worked wonders. Some of the colour had come back into her face now she had some pain relief, and for that he was grateful.
“Hi, Blake, long time since you've been in here.” The doctor swished the curtain closed and stepped into the cubicle. The noise woke Delilah and she watched warily as he lay a chart on the end of the bed.
“Yes it has, thankfully. Nice to see you again, Neal. Is her ankle broken?”
“Luckily no, a bad sprain though. I’ll strap it up and so
