She took her first step but stopped, turned around and asked, “Will I see you again?”
“Yes, when you truly need me; I will be there. But know that you CAN do this. Have faith in yourself, your decisions and in those you love. Let your heart guide you.”
Her Guardian offered her a kind smile, which she returned, and then she began to walk.
As she got closer to the end of the path she could hear Wes and Luc, “Cassie, we are back, sweetheart.”
She opened her eyes to see both Luc and Wes sitting at her bedside, both smiling at her with love in their eyes.
“Hi,” she said to them and smiled back.
“You’ve been out for a few hours. How do you feel? Are you hungry or thirsty?” Luc kept asking her questions, worrying over her. He was such a gentle and thoughtful man.
“I could go for some water and soup,” and before she even finished her thought he was on his feet and heading out the door.
She glanced at Wes who smiled at her with laughter in his eyes and shrugged his shoulders, “He has been a little anxious. He is one of those people who need something to do; he needs to be useful.”
She nodded her head and then relaxed back into her pillows. She wasn’t ready, yet, to put her full trust into anyone but she knew that when she was ready Wes and Luc would be there, waiting. She felt comforted knowing she had a Guardian watching over her; that it would be there for her when she truly needed the guidance. “Trust your heart,” it had told her, but how? She had trusted her heart with Jake but look where that led her; in a coma for almost a week. She didn’t need that again, that’s for sure. But her Guardian did tell her that Wes and Luc were her mates, her Celestial mates. If that was true then that meant that she could trust them; it meant they wouldn’t hurt her, right? Well, she wasn’t ready to take that chance. She was going to take this time to learn more about herself. She lost a part of herself when she was with Jake and she needed to get that part of her back. She wanted to learn how to laugh again, to be carefree, to enjoy each day without fear; she used to before Jake and she would do it again. She had a great support system in Brielle, Dani, her brother and the rest of the guys. Yes, that was her new plan: live each day to the fullest with nothing holding her back. When she figured out how to do that then she would accept Wes and Luc.
She opened her eyes again when she heard the door open. Luc walked in and quietly carried a tray to her stand. He wheeled the table to her bed and uncovered the soup, a roll, jell-o, juice and water that he picked up for her.
“Thank you, Luc. This smells delicious,” she told him and she started sipping at the soup. The warm broth relieved the ache in her throat and felt so good when it hit her stomach.
“I’m glad you are eating. I called Cole and he brought some food up for us from Janice’s restaurant,” Luc replied as he handed Wes a bad filled with a sandwich and snack chips.
“No wonder this is so good; it isn’t hospital food,” she laughed as she dunked a piece of roll into the soup and took a bite.
Chapter 14: Wes
It was so good seeing Cassie eat finally. She had lost some weight from her already petite body while she was in her coma. She still looked beautiful but she also appeared too frail for his liking. He emptied the contents of the bag onto the stand near the window and un-wrapped the grilled ham and cheese sandwich that Cole brought for him. Janice was so good to them; always making sure they had enough to eat. She was a second mom to all of the boys in their inner circle.
“How are you feeling now that you are awake, eating and have had visitors?” He asked her after he finished a bite of his food.
She smiled as she answered, “I am feeling better; still really tired and weak but definitely better after each nap. This food is helping too! I didn’t realize how hungry I was until I took the first sip.”
“Well, Cole brought plenty so if you want more you just let me know. Ryan is keeping it in their lounge for you,” Luc told her. He was obviously just as glad that she was eating and on the road to recovery as Wes was himself.
“I will let one of you, or Ryan, know when I want more,” she said before lying back into her pillows and pushing her tray away, “I think I am good for now. My eyes were apparently bigger than my stomach because now I am stuffed.”
Wes stood up and pulled her table away and helped her get settled on the bed while Luc packed her food up. When she was situated he pulled his chair closer to her bed sat down. After throwing away the trash Luc joined on the other side of the bed and they each held one of her hands as she relaxed.
“You two wouldn’t mind if I took a little nap, would you?” she asked them. Why in the hell would they mind? She needed the rest. The more she slept the better she would be; the quicker she would heal.
“No sweetheart, we do not mind. Sleep as much as you need. We will be right here when you wake up,” he assured her.
It didn’t take long before she was in a peaceful slumber. She looked so relaxed in her sleep and yet so fragile. But he knew that within that tiny body lie a strong soul. Cassie may be small but she was obviously a fighter who was able to take many of the obstacles that life threw at her; but not any longer, not with him and Luc there to protect her. It was their job now and one that they would cherish. No one was going to hurt her ever again.
********************
They must have been sitting there, quietly watching her sleep, for some time now because the next thing he knew he was wakening to the sound of the hospital door opening. He sat up quickly and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and saw that Ryan had entered.
“Hey you guys,” he whispered. “I didn’t know you were still here,” he looked from Wes to Luc, who was waking up from a quick nap too.
“We must’ve fallen asleep. We wanted to make sure she ate something and rested.”
“I just came to check on her to see if there was anything she needed. I also needed to check her vitals,” he said as he walked over to look at the monitor that displayed her heart rate and blood pressure. “Cassie, honey, I need take your temperature,” Ryan gently woke Cassie.
Wes watched as he rolled a thermometer across her forehead and entered her temp into the computer.
“Cassie, can you tell me your pain level from 1 to 10?” Ryan asked her as he typed into the computer.
“Right now it is about a 6,” she answered in a whisper as she fought sleep.
“I am going to give you some pain medicine in your I.V. You will feel the effect within a few minutes; it may make you a little drowsy which is fine since it is the middle of the night. You aren’t running a fever which is a great sign.”
Whoa, they had been there that long? Wes checked his watch and saw that it was almost 2 in the morning! They really must have been tired to sleep that long.
He watched as Ryan injected Cassie’s I.V. with the pain medicine and changed her bag. “Your doctor should be back in to check on you at 8am. If you need anything before then just push your button on the side of your bed and someone will be with you, ok?”
“Ok, thanks Ryan,” she replied.
“No problem Cassie. Get some rest now.” With that Ryan left the three of them alone.
“Why don’t you two go home and get some rest. I will be fine.”
“Are you sure sweetheart?” Wes asked her.
“I’m fine, really. You guys need your rest too. The chairs cannot be very comfortable.”
Wes stood and stretched as Luc kissed Cassie’s hand. Wes walked over to her and kissed her forehead, feeling her stiffen under her kiss. Dawn! He didn’t want to frighten her. When he straightened up he saw her visibly relax and his heart constricted. How long would she be feeling the fear? He hoped that they would be able to help her get over this quickly. He didn’t want his little Cassie afraid of him; he wanted her trust.
“Good night, sweet Cassie. We will be back soon,” Luc said to her as he made his way over to the door and waited for Wes to join him.
“Good night sweethear
t,” he told her and smiled to himself as he saw her small smile in return as she fell back into sleep.
He and Luc left her room, quietly closing her door behind them. They said their bye’s to Ryan as they passed the nurses’ station.
Chapter 15: Luc
When they got to his place Luc went straight to his room. He was exhausted from lack of sleep the last few nights; worrying about Cassie and getting her rooms ready were tiring but he wouldn’t change a thing. He couldn’t wait for her to get here where they could all keep a closer eye on her.
Cole, Adrian and Wes had all helped him get everything prepared for her arrival; they tore away walls and painted the new ones, installed flooring, set up furniture and hung draperies. He hoped that Cassie would like what they had done; Brielle and Dani assured him that she would.
Why was it that now that he was in his own bed he couldn’t seem to find sleep? He had no trouble drifting off when he was at the hospital sitting in that hard chair but now that he was home in his comfortable bed sleep eluded him. He looked at the clock; it was almost 4 in the morning! He still had a few things he could finish up before Cassie arrived, might as well do something productive.
He threw on a pair of old sweats and a tee shirt and headed to Cassie’s rooms. He had remodeled his wing so that he, Wes and Cassie all had their private set of suites; he could always restructure them if and when they bonded.
The black, red and silver decorations and paint reminded him of Cassie; strong and confident black, passionate and emotional red and the vulnerable and innocent silver. Each color represented a part of her personality that he loved; although she had many more traits and characteristics that he adored, those were the ones that stood out the most and they were the traits that he wanted to display.
He opened the closet door in the entryway and pulled out the frames and books and went to work; displaying them on various shelves and stands throughout the rooms. He then set up the vases that would house the flowers he ordered the gardener to clip from the gardens in the front lawn.
He fluffed pillows, refolded blankets, straightened and then re-straightened magazines, organized the books on the book shelves; anything to keep busy and prevent his overactive mind from wondering to Cassie lying in that hospital bed, alone.
He should’ve stayed with her but he knew she needed her sleep. She had dark circles under her beautiful eyes and her complexion was still a little too pale for his liking; but she was still more beautiful than any woman he had ever seen. Knowing that she was a survivor made her even more gorgeous in his eyes.
He made a final walk through of the main rooms, nodding approval to himself, and then padded to her room. He spent the most time decorating this room himself. He wanted it perfect for her. He wanted to create a relaxing and peaceful escape for her so he had them install a Jacuzzi tub in her private en suite. He had an assortment of aroma candles at her disposal on miniature shelves around the tub; relaxation, serenity and stress relief scented ones he was told. They would be perfect for her during her recovery here. The walk in shower had a stone bench for her to sit on and a waterfall shower head. W
Chapter 16: Cassie
(After her doctor’s visit later that morning)
Cassie was impatient. The doctor told her that she would be able to go home later today; she was just waiting for one of the nurses to get in and remove her I.V. and let her sign her discharge papers.
She had spent a week in this hospital and was more than ready to go home; or to her new home. Brielle and Dani had arranged for all of her things to be removed from the home she shared with Jake and taken to the house, compound, she would be living in with Luc, Wes, Dani, Brielle and the rest of the guys. According to Brielle, the house was beautiful and they each had their own private quarters. Dani and Brielle had worked together to make sure that Cassie’s place was decorated with her personal tastes in mind. Cassie was a little anxious; not just to get out of here, but to be starting her life over without Jake.
Jake had been a part of her life for such a long time, that learning about who she was without him was going to take some time. Also, learning how to trust people, especially men, was going to take even longer. Jake made sure she knew to trust no one. She knew instinctively that it was not fair to Wes or Luc, but she just couldn’t go forward with her life yet. She was so lucky to have the family and friends that that had. They gave up their time, their daily lives, to be there for her. She vowed that one day she would return the love tenfold.
She heard her door open and smiled when she saw Brielle and Dani walking in with Brielle’s twin girls. Jasmine and Lily were two of the most beautiful babies she had ever seen. They each took their coloring after their biological father, Jasmine belonged to Max and Lily belonged to Cole. Each little one had petite facial features like her mother. The girls were going to grow into heartbreakers one day and she was going to have fun watching Cole and Max play protective daddy when they began dating.
“Hey you guys! How are you?” She greeted them as they sat down in the chairs at her bedside.
“We are doing wonderful, Cassie,” Dani replied. “Ryan says you get to go home today. Wes and Luc are putting the finishing touches on your place so we told them we would wait here and bring you home when you are ready. Have you seen the doc yet?”
“Yeah, he was here a little after I got off the phone with Brielle. He wants me to see him in his office for a one week post-discharge check-up. I am just waiting for a nurse to remove this thing,” she motioned to her arm, indicating the I.V. “And I have to sign a few discharge papers and get my at home instructions and then I can go. I can’t wait to soak in a nice, warm bathtub,” she moaned just thinking about how great that would feel.
“I don’t blame you,” Brielle said as she took Jasmine out of her carrier and began to feed her. “I can imagine how frustrated you must feel being confined to that bed,” she pointed her finger toward Cassie, “For the last week,” she finished and then looked at Jasmine, “Isn’t that right sweetie pie? Auntie Cassie needs to come home with us so we can spoil her, huh?”
Cassie laughed at Brielle’s baby talk and Dani just rolled her eyes. That made Cassie laughed harder. She knew that Dani would be in the same boat soon; if she wasn’t pregnant yet it was only a matter of time.
“You are right; I have been stuck in this bed long enough. I am sooo ready to be out of it!”
At that moment a nurse entered the room, whistling cheerfully. She smiled warmly at Cassie, “Well now, miss Cassie. Are you ready for me to get that thing out of your arm, give me a few autographs and then make your grand exit?”
Cassie laughed at her antics, “You betcha. I have been ready for a while now.” Cassie straightened her arm and watched as the nurse readied the gauze and medical tape. She had the catheter out in no time and placed the gauze and tape quickly over her arm where the catheter had been. She disposed of the tubing and needles and then placed a stack of papers on Cassie’s table. She explained her instructions for at-home care, had Cassie sign papers acknowledging she received instructions, and then gave Cassie her copies along with prescriptions for pain meds and antibiotics.
“Do you have any more questions before I leave you?” She asked Cassie.
“No questions that I can think of right now.”
“Well, your doctor’s cell number is on the papers I gave you; if you have any questions just give him a call if you cannot reach him in his office. You go ahead and get dressed and I will have one of the orderlies bring in your wheel chair and you can be on your way.”
“Thank you,” Cassie replied as the nurse left the room.
Dani helped Cassie dress while Brielle finished feeding the twins. When they had all of Cassie’s toiletries packed away the orderly arrived to escort them down.
“I am going ahead of you guys so I can give the valet our ticket. By the time you get down there we should have our ride at the door.” Cassie watched Brielle breeze by them to the elevators while the orderly w
heeled her into the patient elevator.
Brielle was right, by the time they got to the exit the van was already waiting for them. Brielle had the front seat set in a relaxed pose for Cassie and the babies were buckled in the backseat. Dani and Brielle helped Cassie into the seat and Cassie thanked the orderly.
“It was my pleasure, ma’am. Hope you are well soon,” he replied and then headed back into the hospital.
Cassie leaned hear head against the head rest while Brielle and Dani got in and then they were off.
********************
Thirty minutes later that were driving through a rod iron gate and down a tree lined, dirt road. Each side of the road was surrounded by beautifully manicured lawn. Grass as green as an emerald with gardens containing flowers of every variation and color were strategically placed throughout the property. She stared in awe as they neared a tall stone structured that resembled a castle from the medieval times. Holy cow!
“Where are we?” She asked as she continued to stare, dumbstruck by the vastness and beauty of the home and gardens.
Brielle chuckled, “Honey, we are at Luc’s compound. This is where we all live now.”
Cassie whipped her head around, “What? Are you kidding me?”
“No Cassie. This is Luc’s. We have all moved onto the property and your rooms are between Luc’s and Wes’s in the center housing wing. Brielle, Cole, Max and the girls are over there to the left,” Dani pointed to a taller portion of the home at the left. “Ryan, me and Adrian are over there, to the right,” she pointed to the far side of the home. “We each; us three girls, me, you and Brielle, have a three story home! Each home is equipped with a kitchenette, a small dining room, a den, living room, 4 bedrooms with walk-in closets and 2 bathrooms. Wait until you get inside and we can show you the community facilities that we all share. This place is amazing!”
Conquering Cassie: The Celestial Mating Series Book 3 Page 5
