Anton's Strength

by R. M. Healy

  "Thanks a lot," Anton said to the still blushing nurse as he helped Esther get into the wheelchair.

  Esther knew she wasn't looking her best as Anton pushed her through the busy hospital. Bruised across her cheek, her hair in a messy bun, and wearing a dressing gown and pajamas, she wasn't what she would call presentable.

  But it was out of her control, and all she really wanted to do was go to sleep in a cozy warm bed. She still felt out of sorts and knew that taking meds and sleeping for the next few days was the only solution. The last thing she expected when the hospital's glass doors to open was a group of paparazzi.

  Anton rushed past and ignored the questions they were firing at him, and Esther used her bag to cover her face.

  "Does Demi know you are here?"

  "Is it true that without the plaster, your skin is rotten?"

  As he reached the public parking lot, the questions from two of the men following them kept coming.

  “Is this your new lover?”

  “Will you ever model again now your looks have been destroyed?”

  Stopping the wheelchair beside his sports car, Anton continued to ignore the men photographing him. Esther respected his restraint. She was tempted to give them a piece of her mind but knew it would only be twisted and reflect poorly on Anton.

  He opened the door, and as if she weighed nothing, Anton scooped her up in his arms and put her in the passenger seat. She let out a sigh of relief when she saw that the windows were tinted all over.

  Anton walked back towards the hospital with the wheelchair, and the paparazzi followed him. Esther wondered how he could stay composed with people invading his personal space and throwing such offensive questions at him.

  "I am sorry about that. I had no idea they would be there," Anton apologized as he locked the car once inside, looking guilty for something Esther knew wasn't his fault.

  "You have nothing to apologize for. Those men were horrid. I don’t know how you can ignore them like that, Anton."

  Anton didn't reply, and Esther knew he didn't want to talk.

  His eyes were focused in front of him as he started the car and began to drive. He still wore the bandage and a glove on his hand, and again, Esther found herself wanting to see what was under them. Was it any wonder he was hiding his burns when people were asking him such cruel questions?

  The warmth was so welcoming against her shivering body, and Esther clung to whatever it was that was around her. She caught a strong whiff of aftershave mixed with washing powder and let her face rest on the firm pillow. At some point during the car journey, she must have fallen asleep.

  "I know you've wanted to touch me for a long time, but now probably isn't the best time," Anton said, humor in his voice as he spoke.

  Esther slowly opened her eyes and realized she was in Anton's arms, lying on him as he sat on the edge of the bed. His lips which were close to her own, were pulled into a smirk, and Esther saw what he was finding so amusing.

  Her hands were gripping so tightly onto Anton's white shirt his button had come undone, revealing a strip of his firm stomach.

  "This is real?" she asked, releasing her grip and looking away from Anton.

  “Nice to know you’ve been dreaming about me, Essie,” Esther felt his chest vibrate as he laughed loudly before putting her onto the comfortable bed. Her head touched the soft pillow, and she was so glad to be in a proper bed instead of the uncomfortable hospital one.

  Anton stood over her, still smiling, pulling the thick warm duvet over her.

  "Before you sleep, you need to take your tablets," Anton picked up a glass of water from the bedside cabinet and held it out with the tablets in his gloved hand.

  Esther attempted to sit back up to drink it, and it was only then she noticed she wasn't in the same room that she had been in last time she was there. After taking her tablets, she looked around the small bedroom. The walls were light, but the brown boarded roof made the room dark, and the king-size bed took up most of the space in the bedroom.

  There was a small window at the end of the bed that showed the snow that was lightly falling outside.

  "You want the Tv on?" Anton asked, thinking Esther was looking to the corner of the room, not the window.

  "No thanks, I think these tablets send me to sleep," she joked, feeling drowsy again.

  “I'll keep an eye on you," Anton said as she tucked herself back into bed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  "Mom, can you watch Essie? I need to take care of some business in the office,” Anton asked his mother over the phone.

  He sat on his sofa and looked through the open door at a sleeping Essie. She looked so beautiful, sleeping on his bed with her lips slightly parted and her dark hair spread across his pillow.

  "Of course, I can. Wait a moment...why is the guest room empty?"

  Anton's mom had told him to put her in the guest room on the second floor. To him, it made more sense she slept on his level of the house where he could sleep on the sofa with her in clear sight.

  The doctor had said someone needed to watch her, and he wasn't taking any risks.

  "Because she is in my bedroom."

  "Anton! I told her parents I would be keeping an eye on her all night," Rosa barked, and Anton knew she would be marching her way up the stairway soon.

  "She is 27 and a divorcee. I don't think her parents really have a say in what she does. And I won't be doing anything but making sure she is ok," Anton said, hearing the door open without a knock.

  "I'd be shouting at you if she wasn't asleep right now, Anton!" His mother whispering through gritted teeth made him laugh.

  He put the phone down and stood to look down at his mom.

  "I called her father when I was on the way to pick her up this morning, and I will call him now before I call Frank," Anton looked down at his mother, who looked as if she wanted nothing more than to tell him off. He managed to slip out of the doorway before she did.

  The modern home office was located on the second floor and had everything needed to run a business from home.

  Anton originally intended to use it to work towards his business degree, but now with his father's help, he would take over Esther's responsibilities at Romano's for the two weeks she would need to recover.

  He video called Frank, who was beginning the refurbishment at Romanos. So far, they'd encountered no problems and had already started on the foundations for the whole new section of the restaurant.

  It seemed Essie had planned everything from start to finish down to the napkins on the tables.

  While in Italy, Anton and his father had found a beautiful old property right on the seafront that had been a successful restaurant many years ago. The three-story building was structurally sound but needed a massive refurbishment.

  Anthony wanted it no matter what, and so did Rosa when she saw the photos of it.

  So Anton had put a low offer in and was surprised when he got a call in the middle of the night saying it had been accepted. With his cousin Sebastian's help, he found a reliable team to draw up some prints of how the layout of the property could look.

  Even though he and Essie were supposed to work together on the Italy project, he decided to start alone, wanting to take some of the pressure off when she was back. Essie may have hidden it well, but after seeing her father, Anton knew there was something massively wrong.

  And when he carried Essie today, she barely weighed enough for him to break a sweat. He hadn’t been working out since his accident, so it should have been a struggle unless she wasn’t eating correctly.

  These two weeks of resting were, in some ways, a blessing in disguise. She needed someone to care for her.

  Anton would make sure she didn't have to worry about work and ate enough to get healthy again while she was at his parent's house. His mother had invited Essie's family around the following day and offered to cook a big dinner for them all if they felt up to it, and they all agreed.

  After a couple of hours in the
office taking calls, he took his laptop and notebook and headed back upstairs. The rest of the work he needed to do, he could easily do on the computer in his living room. Anton's mother sat on his sofa, reading one of her old romance novels, her reading glasses on.

  "Her dad said they will be coming tomorrow. I told them dad would pick them up around 5 pm."

  "Perfect. Well, since I've been excluded from duties, I am going to go and get the grocery shopping in town. Let me know if you need anything."

  It had to have been a few hours later when Anton felt Essie's eye's watching him from the other room.

  His mother had lit the lamps and candles, and Anton hadn't bothered to turn the lights on since he had been working on his coursework for his degree for the last couple of hours.

  As he looked over at her, he couldn't help but feel a pull in his chest. She looked so vulnerable, his duvet pulled up to her neck, the bandage on the side of her head clearly prominent.

  He considered his words as he put his laptop down and walked into the bedroom.

  "How are you feeling?"

  Her eyes watched him as she kept herself wrapped in the duvet.

  "Like I need more of those painkillers and a bath," she said, her voice tired. Anton smiled and checked the back of the box. She was due to have some within the next hour but hadn’t eaten anything since the morning.

  "If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?" He asked, his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her. Essie's face looked youthful as she laughed at his question. She had a beautiful laugh.

  "I don't know why, but I really have a craving for a big greasy burger with french fries and a cola. That sandwich at the hospital was like cardboard," she replied.

  "Ok. I am going to fill the bath and make sure your food gets here for when you're ready to get back into bed. I have a change of clothes ready for you. I'll bring them to the bathroom and then come back to help you when it’s ready."

  He picked up the fleece pajamas from the drawer and was about to leave the room when Essie spoke.

  "Anton..." He turned his head and stopped in the doorway to listen to her. He'd never heard her voice sound so uncertain before.

  "I know we've never really gotten along in the past, but I just want to make sure you know I am grateful for how you've treated me today. You really didn't have to."

  "It's my pleasure," he simply said before walking away.

  Esther hadn't felt like this before. Happy to be vulnerable and cared for by Anton of all people. Granted, she hadn't fallen and knocked herself on unconscious before either to find herself in such a situation.

  That wasn't the only strange thing. When Esther had woken up at the hospital that morning and seen his parents, she thought Anton had left the previous night.

  The nurse, who kept referring to Anton as Esther’s boyfriend, immediately informed Esther that he'd gone home to wash and change and would be back soon.

  Rosa seemed to find the whole thing amusing while Anthony revealed nothing of his thoughts. Esther herself found it heartwarming that Anton had even come with her to the hospital, let alone return to check on her. And now here he was running her a bath and looking after her.

  Her whole perception of him was changing the more she got to know him, and it scared her. Because she kind of liked this part of him that she was seeing. Unfortunately, regardless of the warm cozy bed and stunning views from the window, her body ached, and her head was throbbing.

  She finished the whole glass of water that was beside her and was about to take the tablets when Anton walked back into the room.

  "Not yet. I know you are in a lot of pain, but you need to eat something before you take them. Anyway, are you ready for me to make you get wet?" He questioned, brows raised.

  "You are so funny!" She said sarcastically.

  "I wasn't joking. When I bring you to the bathroom, you will be getting in the bath that I filled with water. Therefore, I will be making you wet."

  She tried not to laugh and kept her expression sober as she looked at him. He flashed his charming grin at her, and she couldn't help but smile back.

  "Come on, lazy, you're beginning to smell now," Anton said as he bent down beside the bed and held his hands out for her to take. His face in front of hers.

  "Why don't you take that glove off?" Esther said without thinking.

  "No, I won’t be taking it off. Now would you prefer for me to carry you or hold your hand?"

  Hearing his harsh voice made Esther uncomfortable, and she leaned away from him. She still wore the dressing gown Rosa had given her at the hospital and would be relieved to get it off.

  "I can walk thanks," despite the pain, she attempted to move along the bed but didn't get far.

  Anton's arms scooped her under her arms and back, and he lifted her from the bed.

  "Hey! I never said you could touch me!" Her croaky voice sounded high-pitched as she tried to shout at him and gently patted his chest. He completely ignored her and walked towards his bathroom, where Esther could hear the tub still running.

  "Anton!" She said louder as they entered the steamy bathroom. It was dimly lit like the bedroom, which she liked since any bright light would probably worsen her painful migraine.

  The smell of coconuts hit her, and she automatically looked at the tub full of bubbling water surrounded by tealight candles.

  "Do not shut the door, and remember you're not allowed to get your head wet. If you want me to come in here and make things a little more comfortable for you, just let me know."

  He put her down slowly, and as she touched the floor, she felt very shaky. Luckily Anton's arm was still firmly wrapped around her waist.

  "Are you ok?"

  "Yeah, sorry, just because I've not walked much the last couple of days."

  "How about this, I keep my eye's closed and sit on the edge of the tub when you undress, and then I help you in? I promise not to look. Unless you want me too, that is?"

  "Thanks for the offer, but I think I can manage to get my clothes off alone," Esther said, stepping away from Anton and quickly gripping the sink for support instead. She heard Anton's sigh from behind her and knew he wasn't going to leave now she'd gripped onto the sink.

  "You undress. I will sit here and check my emails and look the other way."

  "But-"

  "It's not a choice, Essie. The last thing I want is for me to leave the room and for you to slip over and reopen that wound. So you either let me stay, or I carry you back to bed."

  Esther really wanted a bath, and she trusted he wouldn’t look. He'd had her alone in his bed all day and had been entirely respectful.

  "Fine," she replied and looked up at herself in the mirror, "Oh god."

  Her skin was pale and almost grey, she had bags under her eyes, and her hair was a greasy mess. She also noticed the bandage on the front of her head and wondered if they'd had to shave a patch of her hair to tend to where the wound was.

  "What?"

  In the corner of the mirror, she saw Anton's concerned face.

  "Me. I look like a train wreck," Esther said more to herself than Anton.

  "The best train wreck I've ever seen," Anton replied, his eye’s soft as they stared into her own through the reflection. "Now, take your clothes off," he took out his phone and turned away from her.

  As she took her robe off, she looked at the unflattering nightdress she wore. How relieved she would be to be in something clean and comfortable. She knew her breathing was heavy as she turned to get into the bath. Having Anton in the same room when she was naked made her feel very self-conscious.

  As she held onto the edge of the tub, she slowly got in, trying her best to not make a sound as her body became immersed in the boiling water.

  Hot as it may be, it felt so good on her aching muscles, and as soon as her whole body was inside, she let out a content sigh.

  The bubbles covered her naked body, and she knew the only thing Anton would be able to see now was from the top of her
breasts and upward.

  "I am covered now," she told him.

  "I spoke to your father earlier," Anton said casually.

  Esther hadn't told anyone about her father's cancer and knew that the Romano's had all seen him at the hospital yesterday with the nurse. Anyone with eyes could see her father was sick.

  "My parents suggested they come here for dinner tomorrow evening. My father can pick them up if you want them to come here, of course."

  Esther wanted nothing more than to see her father. However, she knew it would be awkward if they got on the topic of her father's illness, and her father found out she hadn't told her employers. He may think she was embarrassed about him. Which was certainly not the case. She just didn't want anyone's pity when she wasn't the sick one.

  "You and your family are too kind. I should be ok by tomorrow to go back to my flat. And I can do the monthly brief for all of the restaurant managers."

  She internally scalded herself for forgetting about work and her conference call with all the other managers in charge of the other Romano restaurants.

  "Absolutely not!" Anton firmly said. "My dad and I will run the company for the next two weeks, you relax. And I will take you home after the two days of pain meds, not a day sooner."

  "There is no need to get so angry," she snapped, looking up at him.

  He was about to speak, and she saw his eyes focus on the water before looking back to her eyes, a sly smirk on his face.

  "Did you tell me you were covered just so you could tease me?" His asked.

  "What do you me-" as she looked down, she saw where the bubbles had settled, and her peaked nipples could be faintly seen through them.

  She could see by Anton's body that he liked what he saw, and the longer she looked at the imprint of where his manhood was, she began to like it too. But feelings of lust didn't surpass this migraine she had or her common sense.

  "I am going to have to go into the other room,” he ran a hand through his hair as he walked out of the room before finishing his sentence. "The door will be open. Call me when you're done."

  Esther had no idea what to say.