The doctor sighed. “I can put her up to 500 of morphine. For now.”
“Thanks, Doc. Appreciate it.”
Then, suddenly, both men turned their hands to the right in tandem. A few moments later, Aria came into view, her face split into a wide grin as she leaned over Jennifer’s bedside.
“Jenny!” She cried. “You’re awake! Oh my God, I thought you’d never wake up.” Then her good cheer vanished and her smile crumpled like paper. “Oh, God Jenny. I’m so sorry! I can’t believe—”
“It’s best not to overwhelm the patient!” The doctor warned, widening his eyes in alarm.
“Oh,” Aria gulped. “Yeah. Right. Sorry.”
“I’m tired,” Jennifer said. It didn’t feel like an intelligent thing to say, but she couldn’t really find it in her to hold a conversation. She was tired. That was that. Her speech for the day done.
“Okay, Princess,” Theo said. She felt his hand against the right side of her face, the side that didn’t hurt. “You go to sleep.”
Only she didn’t hear that part, because she was already sleeping.
◆◆◆
Relief and worry warring in his stomach, Theo left Jennifer’s bedside to talk to the officer waiting outside the ward.
“She woke up,” he said. “But she’s weak. The doctor said she’ll be all over the place for a while. They won’t be discharging her until the weekend at least.” So go the fuck home.
“Alright,” the officer said, clearing her throat. “I’ll just report that back, shall I?”
“I don’t give a fuck,” Theo said honestly. “What’s going on with Wainwright? Did he lose the hand?”
“I don’t think—“
“Don’t think. Speak. Did he lose the hand?”
“Yes,” she said, rolling in her thin lips grimly. “He did.”
The image of Wainwright’s homemade gun blowing up in his fist—right by Jen—flashed before Theo’s eyes again.
“Will he live?”
“Apparently.”
“What’s that mean?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know, do I? I’m here.”
“Right.” God, he hoped the fucker died. But that would be too easy, wouldn’t it?
◆◆◆
Six days later, Jennifer was more than ready to go home.
She’d been poked and prodded by countless doctors and nurses. She’d been interviewed by a pair of police officers who asked the same questions over and over again, until Theo all but forced them out of the room. She’d had the dressings on her neck changed a thousand times, and the butterfly stitches across her cheek were starting to itch like a motherfucker. She felt dusty and she knew her hair looked an absolute state. It was probably matted up to high heaven.
“I want to leave,” she said to Doctor Camm as he made his afternoon rounds.
“Really?” He asked. “Are you sure about that?”
“Yes.”
He looked over at Theo, who was dozing in the corner. “I’d ask if you have anyone at home to look after you, but I know you do.” Theo hadn’t left the building since the day she’d come in. He’d been buying clean underwear and a new toothbrush from the shops downstairs each morning.
“Alright then,” the doctor continued. “We’ll see about getting you discharged tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” She moaned.
“Oh, alright. This evening, maybe. We’ll have to take a look at those burns first, though.”
The doctor was as good as his word. That night, she went home.
Two days later, she was propped up against a mountain of pillows in her own bed.
Well—Theo’s.
“I don’t care what you say,” he’d grumbled as he carried her in. “I am not taking you back to that shitty little flat.”
“Okay.”
“Not ever. I mean it. Never again. You live here now.”
Jen thought about that sentence for the thousandth time as she fingered the bandages across the side of her jaw and neck. You live here now.
Would that be so bad?
“Knock knock,” Theo said, appearing at the door with a tray full of food.
“You don’t have to knock,” she smiled. “It’s your room.”
“Patient comes first.” He settled the tray against her lap. “Here you go. Lobster bisque.”
She huffed out a laugh as she looked down at the thick, creamy concoction. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. I know too much chewing hurts your head. Welcome home!” He sat down beside her, on her left side—her ‘good’ side. The hearing still wasn’t back on her right. She doubted it would ever return. But that was okay. A week ago, she’d been doubting that she’d even survive.
She took a spoonful of the bisque and brought it up to her lips, sighing as it melted against her tongue. “Mmm,” she moaned. “Did you make this?”
“Um…”
She raised her brows.
“Well, no. My mum and sister brought it over, actually. In fact, they brought over so much food I had trouble fitting it in the freezer. All in little plastic tubs, so we just have to reheat it. And Yen made some of those tarts you like.”
“Really?” Her eyes welled up. “Oh my God. That’s so sweet.”
“I know. They wanted to meet you, but I didn’t think you’d feel up to it.”
“Lord, no.” She gasped. “Have you seen my hair?!”
“Jen,” he chuckled. “No-one cares about your hair.”
“I haven’t even looked in the mirror. I bet I’m hideous. I know my face is all fucked up.”
“No it isn’t.”
“Are the burns really bad?”
“Jenny. You look beautiful.”
“Now that can’t be true.”
But he caught her chin gently in his hand, and gazed into her eyes, forcing her to see the honesty in his. And he said again, “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. They stayed like that for a moment, wrapped up in each other. But then he pulled his hand away and gave her a small smile.
“Eat your lunch,” he told her. “And maybe if you finish it all, I’ll let you do something with your hair.”
Her face lit up. “Really?” She’d been moaning about washing her hair for days, but he’d refused to even consider it.
“Yeah. I’ll help you.”
She gave him a dubious glance as she spooned up the bisque. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course. You can’t do it on your own. And I’ve been researching.”
“Um… What?”
“Aria told me. She said washing your hair is kind of a big thing.”
“Sadly, she is correct.”
“She told me to look on YouTube.”
Jen choked on her bisque.
Theo rubbed her back soothingly as she spluttered, spraying creamy soup all over his clean bedding.
“Oh my God,” she wheezed. “I’m sorry! You just—you surprised me.”
“Why?” He asked. “Because I went on YouTube?”
“Yes!”
“But there’s so many helpful videos on there. Aria said your hair type is called 4B.”
“Oh my Lord.”
“So I looked for videos on that. And she brought all your stuff round. Actually…” He trailed off, looking suddenly guilty.
“What?” She asked, suspicious.
“I might have told her that you’re moving in with me.”
“What?!”
“Well I said, remember, that you couldn’t go back to that flat and you said—“
“I said nothing!”
“Exactly!”
“Oh my God, Theo.” She dropped her spoon and put her head in her hands. “You can’t do things like that!”
“Yes I can,” he said stubbornly. “If you don’t want to live with me, I’ll move out. I buy a flat or something. But you’re not going back there.”
“What about Aria?”
“I told her I’d get her somewhere decent to l
ive, but she wasn’t too into that idea. She said she’s going to move back in with her parents.”
“What? Why?”
“Because she doesn’t feel safe anymore,” Theo said softly.
“Oh.” Jennifer let that statement sink in. It only became sadder. “Oh.” And then she was forced to wonder: Did she feel safe anymore?
Here with Theo, in the light of day? Yes. Even at night, when he laid beside her and held her as though she was made up spun sugar: yes. But would she feel safe back in her old flat, where the man who almost murdered her had slept?
She wasn’t so sure.
“Okay,” she said finally. “I’ll stay here.”
“You will?”
“I will.”
His shoulders sagged with relief. “Good. Good. Do you… Do you want me to move out?”
“No,” she said softly. “I don’t.”
He took a deep breath. Then he reached over and pulled the tray from her lap, setting it aside.
“Jenny,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I know that this isn’t exactly perfect timing. And please don’t feel like you have to respond to this at all. But I want you to know that… I know I was wrong, before. Talking to Ollie, and all that shit. And it feels so far away now—it is so far away now—but I feel like you have to know that I… I respect you, and I listen to you, and I take you seriously. Because you matter to me. You really fucking matter.
"I feel like before I met you, I was wandering through life like a zombie, and then you came and suddenly everything was brighter and louder and more real. And worth it. Everything was worth it.” He took a deep breath. “I want us to be partners. I want to make your life better the way you make mine better. I want to protect you. I want to provide for you. And if you’d let me do that, then I’d be forever grateful. I’ll do whatever you need me to do—I’ll even leave Brown Cow if that’s what you want. I will. It’s not important. Nothing is as important as you are. I—I love you, Jenny. I really fucking do.”
Jennifer stared in disbelief as Theo poured out his heart. She felt an indescribable joy at his words, alongside a little distress.
“You can’t do that,” she said. “You can’t give up your company.”
“If it’s what you want—“
“It’s not what I want.” She bit her lip. This was coming out all wrong. “Theo,” she said gently. “Have you been to work at all since… Since that night?”
“No. I couldn’t leave you.” He set his jaw stubbornly.
“But you—“
“Jenny. You’re not listening to me. I couldn’t give a flying fuck about work. Okay? My main priority is you.”
Her heart soared. And yet… She just couldn’t trust it. She had convinced herself that there was an expiration date on their relationship. Nothing could be perfect, after all.
Searching for the right words, she stared down at her hands. “I know… That a lot has happened. And I’m in a bit of a state right now.” Reflexively, she touched the bandages that hid the burns along her neck and jaw. “But I don’t want you to feel guilty—“
“Don’t,” he gritted out. “Don’t you dare. I almost watched you die, Jenny. I know exactly how I feel. Trust me on that.”
Jennifer felt tears prickle her eyes. “But I’m such a mess—I’m so scared, Theo. It’s like I’m still scared. Even when I know that everything’s fine and I’m safe and I’m happy I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff.”
He pulled her into his arms, pressing a kiss to her head. “Shhh, sweetheart. I understand. It’s okay.”
“And it’s only going to get worse,” she wept. The full weight of what happened fell on her like a ton of bricks. “God, I’ll have to go to court—“
“No you won’t,” he said. “I’ll handle that. I’ll handle everything. And fuck the waiting list for counselling, too. You’re going private. Okay? And Aria, if she wants it. I told you, anything you need.”
“You can’t just wave a magic wand and fix my problems, Theo!”
“Your problems are my problems. Do you get that? If you’re not happy, I’m not happy. That’s the bottom line. And Jenny, you’re about to learn that money is a magic wand. Let me look after you. Please.”
She sniffled pathetically. She was probably getting snot all over his shirt. She must be hideous right now. But then she looked up at his handsome face and found him gazing down at her with something like adoration in his eyes.
“Theo,” she whispered. “I love you too.”
A smile burst across his face like a sunbeam. Cradling her cheeks carefully in his hands, he pressed soft kisses over her face.
“My love,” he whispered. His thumb stroked the scab across her bruised cheekbone. “Mine. Forever mine.”
He kissed her, moving from her lips to her cheeks to her nose, chanting the words again like an incantation. “Mine. Mine. My love.”
“Hey,” she murmured after a while. “Do you think we could try washing my hair?”
“Well…”
“I’m allowed to take off my bandages today.”
He sighed. “Alright. Fine.”
She clasped a hand over her heart. “My hero.”
“That’s the goal. You stay here for a sec. Let me go and set the bathroom up.”
“Oookay,” she said, bemused. He gave her a wink and rolled off the bed.
For the next few minutes, she heard mysterious sounds from the ensuite: plenty of running water, a fair amount of clattering and banging about. Then he appeared with an smug grin on his face.
“Alright,” he said. “Let’s go.”
He helped her out of bed and led her into the bathroom, supporting her as though she was an old woman. Jen gasped as they stepped through the doorway and into the steaming, luxurious heat of the ensuite.
“Wow. Theo…” She searched for the right words and failed to find them. “Wow.”
A huge bubble bath waited in one corner of the room. In the other, countless products were lined up by the shower.
“I thought we could shampoo and apply your conditioner in the shower. Then you can lie in the bath while I detangle your hair for you.”
“Really?” She felt tears gather in her eyes. For some reason, almost everything made her feel like crying at the minute.
“Yeah. Come on.”
He undressed her with loving tenderness, and then stripped off himself. In the shower, he slid the pins from the braided up-do that had done her so proud and massaged shampoo into her scalp, his talented fingers making her moan. Then he soaped up her aching body, rubbing her tight muscles until she felt ready to collapse, before rinsing her off completely. The waterproof bandages around the small burns on her neck held fast, but after he wrapped her up in a fluffy towel, he led her to the bathroom mirror to remove them.
“Are you ready?” He asked.
“Yes.”
“Now remember, they said that most of it will probably fade—“
“Theo,” she interrupted tightly. “I’m okay. Just… Let’s just do it.”
“Okay,” he said softly.
With gentle hands, he helped her take off the bandages, exposing the skin that had been burned when Simon’s gun went up in flames. Theo would never forget the sight. The gun had exploded like a little bomb, just feet away from Jen’s head. If she hadn’t moved so fast, she could’ve been blinded. But he wouldn’t think of that. He couldn’t. He couldn’t.
“There,” he murmured as the last of the bandages were removed.
Jen leant closer to the mirror, arching her neck to get a better view of the burns. They were… sore. Rubbery-looking, and darker than her complexion, little patchy rainclouds across the sky of her skin. They were scattered, of varying sizes, the largest about equal to a fifty-pence-piece, though more teardrop in shape. Most of the scars were on her neck, but a few ran along her jaw, and one trailed up towards her temple. She leant back, took in her face as a whole.
It was… Fine. Better than dead.
S
he looked up at Theo. “What do you think?”
“How can you ask me that?” His eyes were soft as he trailed a finger along her cheek. “I think what I’ve always thought. I think you’re beautiful.”
Jen bit her lip. She would not cry.
“Come on,” he said after a moment. “Let’s get you in the bath.”
He helped her into the tub, and she sank into the bubbles with a sigh of pure ecstasy, her aching body singing out its release. Theo kissed her nose, and look of satisfaction on his face.
“You seem happy,” he murmured.
“I am happy,” she said. And she meant it.
“Good,” he said softly. For a moment, he gazed down at her as though she were the most precious thing in the world. Then he cleared his throat and reached for the shelf behind her, suddenly all business. “Now, I’ve been thinking, and I’m not sure what we should go with.” He held up a bottle of conditioner in each hand. “What do you think? I’ve narrowed it down to Aunt Jackie’s or Organix.”
Jennifer couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing.
They spent a blissful hour in the tub, working through the tangles in Jen’s poor, neglected hair. Then Theo rinsed her off, wrapped her up in another towel, and carried her back to bed.
He lay beside her and she ran his fingers through the silky strands of his hair. “It’d be a hell of a lot easier if mine were like this,” she grumbled.
“Easier, maybe, but nowhere near as pretty.”
“Shut up.” She rolled her eyes.
“Shutting up,” he said, a mischievous grin on his face. He sat up and shuffled down the bed until he was settled by her legs.
“What are you doing?” She asked slowly, as he spread open the towel and wrapped a hand around her damp thigh.
“Shutting up,” he said again.
“Theo—“ Her warning melted into a sigh as he pressed a kiss to her hip.
“Yes?” He asked innocently.
“Nothing,” she murmured. “Continue.”
“As you wish, Princess.” With a smirk, he settled his dark head between her thighs and went to work.
Jenny settled back against the pillows and let bliss take over as the man she loved drove her into the clouds, a cherry on the top the afternoon’s pampering.
All this time, she’d thought that she was being bad for the boss. Who knew he’d end up being so good for her?
Bad for the Boss_A BWAM Office Romance Page 17
