The Man Next Door

by Gina Wilkins

  “The alarm can’t take you to the hospital if you don’t wake up,” she retorted. “You’ll stay here. My couch is pretty comfortable.”

  “Your bed’s pretty big. I can see it from here through the open bedroom doorway. It would probably hold both of us.”

  “I know what you’re doing.” She wagged a finger at him. “You’re trying to make me uncomfortable so I’ll send you home and stop nagging you to go to the doctor. It’s not going to work.”

  She drew a deep breath. “Now, you can tell me this is none of my business and that you’re an adult who doesn’t have to do anything I tell you to do. And you’d be right, of course. But you’re the one who was determined to be my friend. And friends don’t let friends do stupid, life-threatening things.”

  He opened his eyes to glittering slits—probably as far as he could open them at that moment. “Friends, huh?”

  “Friends. Just friends. Which is why you’re sleeping on the couch.”

  He chuckled quietly, closing his eyes again.

  He looked so battered and tired that Dani felt her heart twist, despite the firm tone she’d been taking with him. She suspected much of that had been bluff, to keep herself from falling apart. Drawing another bracing breath, she asked quietly, “Have you had anything to eat?”

  “I’m not really hungry. But you go ahead.”

  It was just past 6:00 p.m., but she could tell he was about ready to crash. “Why don’t you go lie down on the bed while I make some dinner? I have some work to do this evening. I’ll come in and check on you regularly.”

  He hesitated a moment before saying, “I need a shower. And clean clothes. I’m filthy. I’ll just go to my place and…”

  “I’ll go get you some clean clothes. You can take a shower here, when I get back. Please, Teague,” she added quietly, when he looked prepared to argue again. “I’m worried about you.”

  Looking into her eyes, he sighed and surrendered. “Fine.”

  He dug in his pocket for his key. Tossing it to her, he told her where she could find his clothes and the stretch bandages he kept on hand for times like this. Feeling a mixture of concern and disapproval, she nodded.

  “Dani—” he said when she turned to leave.

  She paused at the door, looking back at him. “Is there something else you need?”

  “I just want to say thank you. It’s been a long time since anyone worried about me.”

  “Um—okay. Sure.”

  Swallowing a huge lump in her throat, she bolted for his apartment.

  Before Teague even opened his eyes, he managed to take stock of his situation. There was light on the other side of his eyelids, so he’d slept through the night without stirring, except for the times that Dani had roused him to make sure he could be awakened. He wasn’t on her couch; he remembered now that he’d tried several times to rouse himself enough to move, but she’d pushed him back down on the pillows and ordered him to stay where he was.

  He hurt. His face hurt, his ribs hurt, his ankle hurt—and come to think about it, so did most of the parts in between. Dani had given him over-the-counter painkillers a couple of times during the night, but whatever benefit they had provided had long since worn off.

  A sound from the doorway brought his eyes open, at least as far as he could force his eyelids up. Dani stood there looking at him uncertainly, as if trying to decide if he was awake. Or alive.

  He forced a smile. “‘Morning. What time is it?”

  “Just after eight. How are you feeling?”

  If he answered with complete candor, she’d start nagging him about going to the hospital again. He settled for a vague, “I’ll live. You look dressed to go out. Are you leaving?”

  She nodded with a frown. “I have a class this morning that I can’t miss. I can ask Hannah to come sit, if she’s home….”

  “You will not hire a babysitter for me.” He pushed himself to a sitting position, unable to completely stifle a groan when his abused ribs protested. “I’ll be fine.”

  She hurried to his side. “You can barely move.”

  “I’m just stiff. I’ll take another hot shower. Or maybe soak in a tub for a while.” He wore black sweatpants, a gray T-shirt and white socks, in addition to the stretch bandages around his ribs and ankle, all things she had brought from his apartment the night before. The clothes hid the worst of his bruises, but he couldn’t suppress a grimace when he swung his legs off the side of the bed.

  Dani put a hand on his shoulder. “You should probably just rest. I’ll bring you something to eat and some more painkillers before I go. I don’t have to leave for another half hour.”

  “You’ve been to enough trouble on my behalf. I’ll just go to my place when you leave.”

  “Do you have any food in your apartment? I know you haven’t been home enough lately to stock groceries.”

  “I’m sure I can find something in the pantry.”

  “I have fresh foods here. Let me make you something. I’ll be able to concentrate better on my class work if I know you’ve had a good breakfast.”

  He shook his head. “You’re shameless.”

  “Completely. So…?”

  “All right. Thanks.”

  “No, don’t get up. I’ll bring the food to you.”

  Smiling wryly, he nodded toward the bathroom. “Gotta get up.”

  “Oh. Okay. Do you need help?”

  “This I can handle on my own.”

  Looking a bit embarrassed, she moved toward the doorway. “I’ll bring you something to eat.”

  “Don’t bother. I’ll come to the kitchen.”

  Standing in the doorway, she watched skeptically as he limped away from the bed. “Are you sure you should be walking that much on your ankle?”

  “Trust me. I know my limits.”

  Not bothering to argue with him any further, she turned and headed for the kitchen. He joined her there fifteen minutes later, feeling a bit fresher now that he’d washed up. “Don’t be late to class on my account,” he said, glancing at the breakfast she’d laid out on the table for him. “Really, I’ll be fine.”

  “All right. I do have to leave now. I’ll have my cell if you need anything—the number’s on that pad beside the phone. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen. Over-the-counter pain relievers are in the cabinet in the bathroom, if you need to take anything. You probably will.”

  “I’ll be fine,” he repeated. “Go. Make an A.”

  Still looking reluctant, she gathered her things and left him sitting at the table with his food. He feigned a hearty appetite, setting his fork down only when he heard the door close behind her in the other room. To be honest, he hurt too badly to care about eating, though he hated that she had gone to so much trouble for nothing.

  He looked at the scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and sliced fruit spread in front of him and thought of how different Dani was from the first impression he’d gotten of her. He had initially pegged her as vain, cool, self-centered. He wouldn’t have imagined her being kind and patient with senior citizens, willing to laugh at her own foibles or unselfishly nurturing to an injured neighbor. He knew better now.

  Oh, she was still high maintenance. But he was beginning to think she might be worth the effort. And that was a daunting thought for so many reasons.

  He hadn’t known her even six months, and he’d gone from wanting to keep his distance from her to hoping for a brief fling with her to…well, to fantasizing about even more. The problem was, he didn’t know how much more would satisfy him now.

  Dani half expected Teague to be gone when she returned home a couple of hours after she left. It was what she would have done in his place—waited until he left and then headed home to hole up and heal in solitude.

  She was rather surprised to find him crashed on her couch, sound asleep. It looked as though he’d been headed out. His shoes sat on the floor beside him as if he’d intended to slip them on but had lain down for a quick rest beforehand.

  He had
n’t even heard her come in.

  Tiptoeing past the couch, she set her things down on the kitchen table. Teague had cleared away the breakfast dishes he’d used. She wondered if he’d been able to eat anything. He’d looked pretty green when she’d left him.

  She glanced at her watch, thinking that it wasn’t all that far from lunchtime now. She would study for an hour or so and then make him some soup or something, she decided, pulling out a chair. She had no classes the next day, and school was out the rest of the week for the Thanksgiving holiday, but it wouldn’t hurt to get a little ahead for next week.

  She’d been studying for maybe half an hour when a sound from the doorway made her look up. Teague stood there, clutching the doorjamb for balance, his hair disheveled and his right cheek pillow-reddened. His left eye was ringed in purple, and the lump of his forehead had several colors of bruises encircling it. He needed a shave and his clothes were wrinkled. And yet, he still made her mouth water.

  Swallowing, she pushed herself to her feet. “You’re awake,” she said, then almost cringed because the obvious statement sounded so stupid. “Can I get you anything?”

  “When did you get back?”

  He sounded a little grumpy. She supposed he had a right. “About a half hour ago. I tried not to disturb you.”

  “I didn’t hear you come in.”

  So she wasn’t the only one falling back on the overly obvious. “I know. Are you hungry? Because I can make some soup or sandwiches or something…”

  He was shaking his head before she even finished asking the question. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry yet. A little thirsty, though. And I could use some more of those painkillers, if you have any.”

  “Of course.” She hastily retrieved the bottle of ibuprofen from the bathroom, then returned to pour him a glass of iced tea to go with it. He’d maneuvered himself into a chair by the time she brought them to him. Giving her a strained smile of thanks, he gulped both the medicine and the water greedily.

  “You’re hurting,” she said, sinking back into her own chair and pushing her books aside. “Will you reconsider seeing a doctor today?”

  “I’ve got an appointment at two.”

  His matter-of-fact response made her lift her eyebrows in surprise. “Um—you do?”

  He looked at her with wry amusement on his battered face. “Yeah. I do. I’m not quite as careless as you seem to think, Dani. I told you I’d see someone today.”

  “Well, yeah, but—”

  “But you didn’t believe me.”

  She smiled apologetically. “No. I guess I didn’t. You were so adamant about not going last night.”

  “I didn’t want to go to the E.R. I’ll see my own doctor today, just to make sure I’ve covered all the bases, injurywise.”

  “Well. That’s good, then. How were you planning to get there?”

  “There’s nothing wrong with my right foot. I can drive.”

  “I’ll take you. I don’t have any other plans this afternoon. All my lessons are canceled for the holiday, so there’s no reason at all why I shouldn’t drive you.”

  He hesitated a moment, making her wonder if he’d prefer to go alone, but then he nodded. “All right. If it’s not too much trouble, I’d appreciate the lift.”

  “No, I don’t mind. I’ve taken Mrs. Parsons to her doctor a time or two.”

  He blinked, then grinned, his swollen mouth twisting a bit oddly, but effectively nevertheless. “Well then, since you have experience getting us senior citizens to our doctors, I feel a lot more confident about letting you drive me.”

  She laughed softly, then stood. “I’m hungry. I’m going to make some soup before it’s time to leave. Are you sure you don’t want anything?”

  “Maybe I’ll have some soup, if you’re making it anyway.”

  “Just the canned stuff. Chicken noodle or tomato?”

  “Got any of those little cracker things to float on the tomato soup?”

  “No, I’m afraid not.”

  “Then chicken noodle, please.”

  Chuckling, she opened a cabinet.

  By the time Dani and Teague stepped off the elevator much later that afternoon, she could tell that he’d just about reached the end of his limits, strengthwise. He was deathly pale beneath his bruises, his eyes were shadowed and his mouth was set in a hard line. He wasn’t exactly swaying on his feet, but he wasn’t rock steady, either. Knowing how much he disliked showing weakness, she tried not to hover too closely, but she was fully prepared to catch him if he collapsed again.

  Dani carried a small paper bag holding the medicines his doctor had prescribed—a painkiller and an antibiotic. Judging from the little Teague had told her about the visit with his doctor, he had been reprimanded for not seeking medical attention last night, but he’d been assured that his injuries were no worse than he’d self-diagnosed. In addition to the medications, he’d been prescribed at least a week of rest and recuperation, keeping his left foot elevated as much as possible.

  It concerned her that he would have no one to help him out during the next few days. Hannah was leaving for a holiday visit with her family in south Arkansas, Mrs. Parsons was already gone and Dani herself was supposed to leave early the next morning for Atlanta. Though there would certainly be other people around in the apartment building, Teague would be alone on their wing. He didn’t seem at all concerned when she pointed that out.

  “I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Pizza and Chinese food will still be delivered during the holidays, and there’s plenty of football on TV to keep me entertained. As soon as the bruises on my face have faded enough so they won’t attract too much attention, I’ll probably go back to work. So don’t worry about me. Enjoy your visit with your family.”

  She bit her lip, hating the thought of leaving him alone despite what he’d said.

  An idea occurred to her, but she kept it to herself. She needed to think about it a bit more before she approached him with it. First, she wanted to try to talk herself out of it.

  Teague insisted on going to his own apartment from the elevator. He wanted to lie down awhile, he said. He promised to call her if he needed anything at all. She told him she would make dinner for them both later, making sure her tone encouraged no argument. Maybe he was just too worn-out to try, but he merely nodded and said he appreciated the offer.

  She waited until she saw that he was inside his apartment before entering her own. She paced for ten minutes before picking up the telephone, despite her efforts to convince herself she was making a mistake.

  After a couple hours of sleep, Teague had just climbed carefully out of the shower when he heard a couple of tentative raps on his door. “Hold on a minute,” he called out, figuring it was probably Dani summoning him to dinner.

  Wearing only a pair of jeans and a towel slung around his neck, he made his way to the door. He’d been right about the identity of his caller. Dani stood in the hallway. She kept her eyes focused intently on his face when she asked, “I have some food ready. Do you want to eat at my place, or should I bring you a tray?”

  “I’ll come over. Just let me put on a shirt.”

  He hadn’t yet rebandaged his ribs, so his bruises were exposed in all their colorful glory. Dani glanced down slowly, a frown creasing her forehead as she reached out to barely brush her fingers over one particularly nasty specimen. He sucked in his breath in response to her touch.

  She pulled her hand away quickly. “I’m sorry. I was just going to say that looks very painful. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “You didn’t,” he assured her a bit huskily. “Um…your hand is cold.”

  It wasn’t exactly true. Her hand wasn’t particularly cold. But her touch had definitely had an effect on him. He thought it better to hide just how much he wanted her to touch him again if he wanted to share a comfortable meal with her.

  Ten minutes later, his bruises and bandages hidden beneath a loose T-shirt, he sat at Dani’s table, looking appreciatively at the meal
she had set in front of him. She’d made rosemary chicken and creamed potatoes with tiny cooked carrots on the side. Once again, she’d gone to a lot of trouble for him.

  So, which one of them was high maintenance now? he wondered, squirming a little in his chair.

  “Is there anything else you need?” Dani asked, looking at him from across the table.

  “No, thanks. This looks delicious. Do you like to cook?”

  She smiled wryly. “If my family heard you ask that, they would fall out of their chairs laughing. I never cooked much before I moved here. I’ve had to learn a few basic recipes—like this one—just because I got tired of cheap takeout food.”

  “So what did you eat before you moved here?”

  She shrugged. “I ate at my mom’s a lot. And when I wasn’t there, I usually went out to dinner.”

  Somehow he sensed that those dinners out had usually been paid for by others. A woman who looked like Dani would rarely have to pay for her own meal—unless she chose to, as she apparently had since she’d moved here. Again he found himself wondering what had happened to change her life. Maybe someday she would trust him enough to tell him.

  He got the distinct impression during the next few minutes that Dani had something on her mind. She seemed distracted as they ate, her smiles not reaching her eyes. “Is everything okay?” he asked finally.

  She nodded. “I was just thinking about tomorrow. I’m leaving for Atlanta in the morning, you know. For the holiday.”

  “Are you flying?”

  “No, I’m driving. I couldn’t really swing the airfare this time. The airlines always charge so much this time of the year.”

  “Long drive.”

  “A little over eight hours,” she agreed. “I plan to get an early start.”

  “I hope you’ll drive carefully.”

  “Yes, I will. Um—” She cleared her throat, looking suddenly nervous.