Breathe (20 page)

“I am going to keep your hips moving on this bed until the sun comes up. Three months is too long woman. Way too long.” She could only nod up at me. Then I settled in for a very long night, true to my word her hips never settled until the sun started lightening up the room.

She snuggled against me, exhausted as I held her tightly against me. I pulled a sheet up over us watching as her breaths evened out and she feel into a deep sleep. I looked closer at her, noticing the dark circles under her eyes, knowing it was more than just a sleepless night in my bed that caused them and the strain lines I saw when she had been in this room two days ago. In sleep her face was relaxed and even softer than when she was awake. I pulled her even closer to me, pressing my face into her auburn hair breathing in deeply for the first time in what felt like three months. This is where I belonged, in her arms. It didn’t matter where in the world we were, as long as I was right here with her.

(Daniel)

I pushed up on my elbow, looking down at the sleeping woman beside me. Still not believing how lucky I was that she had agreed to stay, agreed to take a chance with me. I frowned suddenly and sat up looking closer at her face. Her lips were held tight, in a grimace. Her whole face was drawn in a mask of agony. She was asleep that was clear but something was wrong. I watched, my concern growing as silent tears began sliding down her cheeks. I reached over and gently brushed the tears away.

“Kathryn. Please wake up.” I whispered but she jerked as if I had shouted her name. Her eyes flew open and she gasped in pain. I saw that her eyes were glazed and unfocused before she closed them again and groaned. More tears slipped down her face and she turned away silently, struggling to sit up, though I could tell it was costing her.

“Kathryn stop, tell me what is happening.” She stopped moving for a second. Taking deep breaths.

“I need my pills. I didn’t think I would be with you, didn’t think I would need them.” She spoke in a whisper so I had to bend towards her to hear any of her words.

“What pills Kathryn please tell me what I can do to help?” She lay back against the pillows, her eyes tightly closed. She held one finger up to tell me to give her a second. I grabbed her hand, and put it against my cheek, needing that contact. I watched as she struggled to breathe through whatever pain she was feeling, watched as she pulled the jagged pieces of the control she tried so hard to maintain at all times, the control I had taken such pleasure destroying just hours ago. She finally opened her eyes again, focusing on my face. They softened at the concern she read in my eyes. She cupped my face gently, running her thumb along my jaw line. I moaned with pleasure but wouldn’t let her distract me. I grabbed her hand forcing it back down on the bed.

“Kathryn.” I growled.

She smiled then sighed deeply. “I have been diagnosed with complicated chronic migraine/headaches. I have to take certain medications to keep them under control and even then it’s not a guarantee. I have other meds I take when I feel them coming on and another one when they hit. I didn’t put them in my purse last night, not realizing I would be here with you overnight.”

“Well how often do you get them?”

“I have a headache all day every day. We have been able to control the migraines for the most part. Until today. I need my meds before I can function or move much at all.”

“How is this the first time I have heard anything about this?”

She shrugged sheepishly. “Because I didn’t want you to know. I never thought in a million years a man like you would even look in my direction, I thought if you knew I was flawed in such a way it would make you turn even further away.” She looked down at the hand I still held. Flushing with embarrassment and something else, something I thought we had already erased.

I bent down and tenderly kissed her. Pulling back before the desire to deepen the kiss could capture us both. I didn’t want to hurt her any more. I could tell the conversation was taking a toll. I climbed slowly out of bed, thankful that the blackout curtains had already been pulled. I walked to the phone and dialed it then waited until the other line was picked up.

(Kathryn)

“Tyler…” I watched as Daniel held the phone away from his ear and winced. Clearly Tyler was not happy to hear from Daniel after last night. I grinned, unable to help myself. Tyler was very protective of his momma, and clearly Daniel was getting an ear full. I moaned when another wave of nausea and pain swarmed over me.

“Tyler, you can chew me out later. But right now your mom needs you….seriously stop yelling at me for five seconds. No I haven’t done anything to her. She is perfectly fine. Well not perfectly fine.” I smiled again, knowing he was running his free hand impatiently through his hair. I kept my eyes closed tightly, fighting the pain back. “She forgot her migraine meds. She woke…”

When he broke off I chanced to open one of my eyes a crack and saw him standing there, completely, magnificently naked looking incredulously down at the phone in his hands. I couldn’t help a giggle from escaping. He glanced over, narrowing his eyes at me.

“What exactly are you laughing at my grá?” I loved when his sexy voice deepened even further into his Irish brogue, by the glint in his eyes; I knew he knew what it did to me.

“I don’t think many people have ever hung up on you before.” He shook his head.

“Can’t say they have no.”

“Well knowing my son, you might want to get dressed quickly. He doesn’t mess around when it comes to me and my meds.” Suddenly I gasped and sat straight up. Causing my vision to go completely black and the world to start spinning. I grabbed my head and cried out. Daniels strong arms grabbed me seconds before I fell off the bed.

“Kathryn, seriously, please don’t move.” I lay gasping in his arms, frantically trying to fight the pain back, fighting the blackness back with every bit of will I had left. I gritted my teeth so hard I heard them grinding together.

“Daniel…I..have..to..get..dressed…can’t..have…my..son…see..me…naked.” I finally managed to gasp out what was causing my panic and felt the rumble of Daniels’ suppressed laughter that earned him a weak punch. He leaned down and kissed me gently on the forehead.

“Give me a second woman and I will put the clothes back on that I took so much pleasure getting you out of.” He laid me gently back on the pillows where I laid quietly, not daring to move even my head, hearing him moving around the room. I started blushing when I heard him muttering about having to search for each part of his clothes, remembering the frantic way each piece was flung off his body as we rushed to bear everything to each other. Finally he had them all and came back to the bed where he sat next to me as gently as he could.

“Okay I am not as good at the putting on part as the taking off but I will do my best.” I smiled, touched by how gentle and sweet he was being. He slide my panties on first, bending down to press a soft kiss to my stomach. I gasped as desire shot through me, then groaned with the wave of pain that came with it. “Sorry my grá. I will try to restrain myself.”

Next came my bra. He lifted me as gently as he could to clasp it behind me, pressing a kiss against one breast before he covered it. I smiled, loving the way he just couldn’t help himself. Then he carefully pulled the dress on over my head and smoothed the skirt over my legs. He kissed me again on the forehead before he laid me back, again as gently as possible. It was like he was truly afraid of breaking me. Which right now was not past the realm of possibilities. As soon as he was finished laying me back down a hard knock came on the door. As he moved to answer it, I grabbed his arm.

“Move me to the couch.”

“What?”

“Move me to the couch please? I don’t want him to see me on your bed.” He sighed in exasperation. I opened my eyes just enough to see him standing there in his slacks and the blue sweater that I loved. He racked his hands through his hair again and looked down at me.

“Like he doesn’t know what we spent all night doing.”

I grinned, and knew a blush was blooming across my cheeks. I could feel the heat of it. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I cannot believe you still have the ability to blush after all that we did and I know for a fact I am not the only man who has ever been in your bed.” He came over and gently took me in his arms, grabbing the pillows under my head as well. He walked over to the chaise lounge next to the bed. “This is as far as you go woman.”

He laid me down gently as another louder, more insistent knock sounded. “See now your impatient son is going to be even madder at me. Are you happy?” I grinned up at him and nodded minutely, just enough so he knew what I was saying. He shook his head at me, his blue eyes sparkling as he moved to answer the door.

Tyler came rushing in, flinging the door open even further as he pushed his way past Daniel, barely glancing in his direction. He started towards the bed before he realized I wasn’t there. He stopped, then turned directions once he saw me. He had my medicine bag in his hand, along with a bottle of water, a pop, and an ice pack. He knew exactly how to take care of me. He knelt on the floor beside me. He laid the ice pack over my eyes, making me sigh deeply with relief. He grunted then turned to expertly ready the concoction of shots that I would now have to take. I felt a weight at the end of the lounge, and Daniels hand came to rest on my thigh.

“What are you doing now?” Daniel questioned Tyler, his voice tense.

I pushed the ice pack back so I could look at the man sitting at my feet, and my son sitting on the floor next to me. Tyler glanced up at Daniel; I could see the fury, and disappointment on his face. I reached my hand out, grasping his face. He tried to jerk it away but I insisted.

“Please look at me.” Tyler raised his eyes to mine; those eyes that were so much like his fathers that is still caused my heart to ache sometimes. “Daniel has done nothing wrong. Please be nice.”

I grimaced with the pain that the simple movement of forcing my son to look at me cost. His gaze softened slightly before he turned back to readying the shots.

“She forgot her meds and she had a lot of rum last night which is going to cause her migraines to be worse than it would have been under normal circumstances. She has them all the time; the medicine helps control the intensity not the number. She has a high pain tolerance however without any of her meds she can’t get on top of the pain. These shots will get into her system quickly and allow her to get the pain under control again.” Tyler explained it all quickly and mechanically. We don’t tell many people about the issue, only those who need to know but he has been helping me for years, its normal and matter of fact for him. “She hates them because they hurt, the go straight into her muscle, so if you want, grab her hands and let her squeeze.”

Daniel did as Tyler asked as he moved the syringes into position. “Are you ready mom?” I grabbed Daniels hands as a lifeline. I hated these shots with a vengeance. They hurt like a son of a bitch but got on top of the pain quickly.

“Yes go ahead.” I whispered very quietly but Tyler heard. He plunged the first shot into my left thigh making me hiss and squeeze Daniels hands tightly. Tyler didn’t hesitate before he plunged the second one into my right thigh. Barely giving me time to breathe between shots. I couldn’t help the cry that wrenched its way out with the second or the whimper that followed. The pain didn’t go away once the shot was done.

“Massage her leg, it helps relieve the pain and work the medicine through quicker.” I felt them massaging both legs gently but firmly, working the knots that came with the meds until the pain eased enough for me to breathe normally again. I placed my hands on top of both men’s and squeezed.

“Thank you. It will just take a few more minutes.” I heard Tyler putting the medicine back in the bags, then felt him stand up. He took my hand, squeezed then leaned down to kiss my forehead, brushing the damp hair off my face.

“Daniel, all her meds are in this bag. I will send a bag of clothes over with Lily later. She will want to come over and check on momma too.” My eyes got misty at the sound of him calling me momma, he rarely did anymore and only when he was being affectionate. “She will need to sleep for a little bit now but when she is able to move a little better make sure she drinks that pop and water, and eats something. Don’t try to get her to eat anything yet though. It won’t stay down. She will ask for it when she is ready.”

There was a pause and some movement then I heard his voice again from the door. “I am trusting you to care for my momma while she is in this condition against all my instincts. She has been through a lot in her life, way more than she ever should have. Do not betray the trust we are putting in you.” He didn’t wait for a reply because a second later the door opened and closed quietly behind him. I heard Daniel take a deep breath and let it out then his footsteps walking back across the carpet, it’s amazing what you can hear when you are in the midst of a severe migraine attack. Carpets are supposed to suppress the sound of footsteps, but not today. He sat back down next to me.

“Are you comfortable or you do you want to move back to the bed since your son is gone? We don’t want to offend your delicate disposition.”

I wrinkled my noise at him and smacked him gently on the shoulder without opening my eyes. “Let me stay here for a couple more minutes. Those shots make my whole body sore for a minute. As manly and gentle are your arms are…”

“Then here you will stay.” He interrupted emphatically. Apparently he didn’t want to hurt me even unintentionally. “Do you need your legs rubbed anymore? I would be happy to offer my services.” I could hear the grin in his voice and slowly opened my eyes. Thankful the darkness and pain was slowly fading back. I looked up at the gorgeous man in front of me. His blue eyes were intent on my face, taking stock of the level of pain I was showing, so the teasing was superficial, trying to ease the worry. I reached up my hand, caressing his check; he closed his eyes and leaned into the caress.

“I was so scared. I don’t think there have been many times I have been scared like that. I saw you sit up and then you were falling, you were crying in your sleep…” He broke off and looked down at me. I felt his helplessness and held out my arms. He curved his body into mine, wrapping his arms tightly but gently around me. I turned my head and snuggled into his chest. Breathing in the smell that I loved so much, the mint, his body wash, and the natural sexy maleness of him. I felt his even breathing, closed my eyes and slowly drifted into a restless sleep.