Clearly, he was being careful not to hurt me, but every time he kissed me, he stole my breath, and when I was already having trouble taking deep breaths… I gasped, each inhale razor sharp, but I forced myself not to let him see my pain.
“I am so sorry, Chloe.” He trailed his finger down the side of my face, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, then traced my jaw. “I should’ve been more careful.”
“I don’t blame you for what happened, so stop blaming yourself, okay?” I wanted nothing more than to wrap my arms around him, but I couldn’t.
He nodded, but it was clear by his expression that he was going to keep blaming himself no matter what I said. Sure, he was the reason I had a few broken ribs, but he was also the reason I wasn’t splattered on the road amidst the shards of his windshield.
“I left the aspirin on the kitchen table. You get changed, and I’ll be right back.” He kissed my forehead, then left, closing the door behind him.
Unhooking my bra proved to be difficult, and after a handful of attempts, I gave up. The stupid thing could stay on. I eased onto the mattress and stared at my sneakers. I couldn’t bend over to untie them, nor could I lift my leg to do it. I toed them off, still tied, and kicked them across the room. Getting my pants off was just as difficult, and by the time I finally got my clothes off and Trent’s shirt on, I was sweating and winded.
I found a position that was comfortable and settled back against the pillows Trent had organized for me. He returned with my water and the bottle of aspirin. I popped three of them, then closed my eyes, letting the day’s events slip from my mind. I could deal with everything tomorrow.
“Do you need anything else?” he asked.
“You.” I opened my eyes, which were filling with tears, though I had no idea why. “I just want you to be next to me.”
Without hesitation, Trent climbed into bed next to me, and after a few moments of careful maneuvering, I managed to get myself into a mildly comfortable position that allowed him to wrap his arm around me. I rested my hand on his chest, right over his heart, and yawned.
“I love you so much,” he whispered, his lips featherlight against my forehead as he spoke. “I wouldn’t survive if anything ever happened to you.”
“Nothing’s going to happen.” I yawned again. “Just… don’t leave me, okay?”
“Never,” was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep.
“CHLOE, HONEY.” TRENT’S SOFT voice seeped into my mind like a pleasant dream. “Isach’s here, and he has something that’s going to make you feel better.”
Groaning, I snuggled closer to Trent, and debilitating pain stabbed at my ribs. I let out a high-pitched cry. Okay, I was awake now.
Abby sat on the foot of the bed, staring at me with concern. Isach stood near my side of the bed. With Trent’s help, I eased up into a semi-sitting position. There was no way I’d make it six full weeks with this type of constant pain.
“What time is it?” I asked, rubbing sleep from my eyes.
“Almost midnight,” Isach answered. “Sorry it took me so long. I needed some last minute things.” He held out a canning jar full of a dark liquid. “This will heal you, but it’s going to sting.”
“Sting?” I asked, dread filling my stomach. “I thought it was supposed to heal me.”
“It will, but it’s basically un-breaking your ribs, and that’s going to hurt for a minute or two.” He grimaced.
I glanced between him and Abby, then at Trent. They were all looking at me expectantly, as if they were expecting me to decline Isach’s offer. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea of drinking whatever that was and having it “sting,” but it had to be better than six weeks of pain.
“Once you drink this, I’ll do a spell that will help with some of the pain, but I can’t make all of it disappear.” Isach shook the jar and raised a brow.
I took it, twisted off the lid, and gave it a hesitant sniff. It smelled of lavender and mint and a bunch of other stuff I probably didn’t want to know about.
“I have to drink all of this?” I asked.
Isach nodded. “You two might want to wait outside,” he said to Trent and Abby.
Abby was the first to stand. She gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry, but I can’t do stuff like this. I’ll be right outside the door though.”
Trent, however, didn’t budge. “I’m not leaving her.”
“Trent.” I sighed. “This is probably going to hurt you, too,” I said, wishing I was wrong.
“I’m sure I can handle it,” he said.
“Fine, but you have to trust me. Don’t get in my way,” Isach warned.
Part of me wanted to insist Trent wait in the hall with Abby, but a bigger part of me wanted him close, so I didn’t ask him to leave again.
“So, I drink this, you do a spell, and then I’ll be better?” I asked.
“Yes, though you’re probably going to sleep for a little while after.” Isach crossed his arms and tilted his head. “If you don’t want to do this, you don’t have to.”
“No, I do.” I brought the jar to my lips and took a sip.
The liquid was bitter on my tongue, and I scrunched up my face. How was I supposed to drink all of this when it tasted so horrible?
Here goes nothing.
I took a large gulp, then another and another, squeezing my eyes shut and forcing myself not to gag on the gross concoction. When I finished,
