Created (Talented Saga) (24 page)

Tentatively I inched forward, taking his outstretched hand between both of my palms.
“It’s okay, I understand.” I tried to smile to reassure him. “Why don’t I get Dr. Patel, so he can take a look at you and make sure you’re okay?”

Erik looked hesitant, eyes darting nervously around the room again.
I squeezed his hand. “You trust me, right?” I asked, putting a commanding edge in my tone.

“Of course I do,” he replied automatically.

“I trust Dr. Patel, Erik. He’s been treating you for days, and he patched up Henri, too,” I added for good measure. Bewilderment crossed his features.

“Henri?
He’s here?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’ll explain everything after you let Dr. Patel take a look at you,” I promised.

Erik considered this, staring at me as if he once again thought I might be a hallucination. “Okay,” he finally conceded. He shot me the smile that made my heart melt, and the tension mounting between us lessened. Erik traced the veins on the back of one of my hands, concentrating way too hard. He was scared again.

“Will you stay with me?
While the doctor is in here?” he mumbled, his words running together in a fluid stream.

I could feel him fighting his insecurities.
It pained him to appear so vulnerable, but the thought of an unknown doctor touching him, injecting him with drugs, created a spike of panic the like of which I’d never experienced vicariously through him.

“Anything you want,” I promised, offering my own winning smile.

Gently I drew my hands back and went to the wall communicator. I quickly found Dr. Patel’s number and typed a short message. I hadn’t even made it back to Erik’s bed when a soft knock sounded at the door.

“I’ll get it,” I said unnecessarily.
Obviously Erik wouldn’t be getting out of bed to greet the visitor.

Dr. Patel greeted me with a friendly smile when I held the door open for him.
He must’ve been waiting in the hallway, I realized. I peered through the door before closing it. Crane, Brand, and two medics were talking in quiet voices. They didn’t appear to notice me, so I ducked back into the room and took a seat in an armchair.

“Mr. Kelley, or do you prefer Erik?” Dr. Patel was saying.

“Just Erik,” Erik replied. No trace of his earlier vulnerability remained. He was cool and in control, if not detached, now. He’d erected a wall of protection around his mind, complete with flashing signs warning people not to get too close. Unfortunately, I was the only one who saw them.

“Erik, then.
You have suffered massive internal bleeding, head trauma, and blood loss. Initially I was worried about whether you might wake up, but it seems my fears were unfounded.” Erik didn’t respond. “Would it be okay if I checked your injuries?” the doctor continued. “They are healing at a remarkable rate.”

Erik’s eyes found mine over the doctor’s shoulder.
I nodded encouragingly, trying to mask the pain I felt at how untrusting he was.

“Sure,” he told the doctor stiffly.

I turned my head, staring at the wall like it held all the answers. I felt intrusive watching while Dr. Patel examined Erik’s injuries, particularly since I knew that he was practically naked under the quilt.

“Tal?”
Erik sent.

“I’m right here,
” I assured him, and forced my gaze back to the bed. Dr. Patel’s form blocked my view of Erik’s body. I was ashamed at how relieved that made me. I couldn’t handle seeing the bruises and stitched cuts. The last twenty four hours – hell, the last week – had been too traumatizing. I’d seen so much violence, and I really didn’t want to be reminded of the torture he’d suffered.

“You are healing nicely,” Dr. Patel announced.
“How about I give you pain medication to take the edge off?”

“NO!” Erik shouted.
Dr. Patel was already reaching into the pocket of his white lab coat, and Erik slapped his arm, sending the syringe flying across the room.

I jumped to my feet, scared of what might happen next.
I crossed the room in three long strides.

“I don’t want drugs,” Erik said, fighting to keep his voice even.

“Of course. If you change your mind, have Ms. Lyons send me a comm. I’ll come back and check on you in a couple of hours.” The doctor seemed unfazed by Erik’s outburst.

“I want the IV out,” Erik demanded.

“That would be fine,” Dr. Patel said. He reached tentatively towards Erik’s arm, then thought better of it. “Would you like me to remove it? Or do you prefer to do it yourself?”

Erik appeared to consider this for a moment before offering the doctor his arm.

I thanked Dr. Patel, and promised to call him if he was needed before his next check. I waited until he was gone before moving to Erik’s bedside.

“Are you hungry?
Thirsty?” I asked, smoothing the hair back from his forehead. He shook his head.

“There’s a bathroom right over there.”
I pointed towards the adjoining room. “I can draw you a bath.” I wasn’t sure that was a great idea, since I wasn’t sure he could walk on his own, but I was desperate to make him more comfortable.

“Okay,” he agreed.
“A bath would be good.”

I filled the tub with warm water, adding in some of the lavender scented bubbles that Penny had put there for me.
While I waited, I laid out towels and washcloths. Once I was satisfied that Erik would have everything that he needed, I returned to the bedroom.

Erik had managed to scoot to the edge of his bed; his feet dangled over the side.
His swollen knee was no longer a grotesque softball, more like a large golf ball, occupying the space between his thigh and calf. Only an extremely small pair of boxer shorts covered his more private areas, showcasing the rest of his injuries. I felt a tug in my stomach as I took in the technicolor quality of his skin. Dr. Patel was right about how fast he was healing, but the evidence of his time at Tramblewood was still visible.

As it turned out, Erik couldn’t walk on his own.
I was too small to support all of his weight, so it took us an inordinately long time to get to the bathroom. Erik’s breath came in haggard gasps by the time I helped him settle onto the closed toilet seat. The walk had exhausted him, and a light sheen now covered his face and chest.

“You
gonna join me in there?” he asked playfully, nodding towards the bathtub. I almost cried with relief. He was my Erik: silly, inappropriate, sexual, and mine.

“If you’re lucky,” I shot back, crossing my arms over my chest and faking indifference while he caught his breath.

Erik’s laugh came out a wheeze. “Your doctor seems to think that I’m a pretty lucky guy.”

“You are,” I whispered, all trace of humor gone.
“You really are.”

When he was ready, I let him lean on my shoulder while he removed the boxers and slid into the tub.

“Yell if you need anything, I’ll be just outside the door,” I told him.

“Guess I’m not that lucky after all,” he teased, but his chest was still heaving, and his eyes were closed now as he rested his head against the back ledge.

“Once you have your strength back,” I promised him, leaning over to brush my lips across his.

I wouldn’t have gotten in the bath with him in his current condition anyway, but the memory of the way he’d grabbed me, and the off-putting look in his eyes, made the decision easier.

“Tal?”
he called when I had one foot through the doorway.

“Yeah?”
I sent back.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too, Erik.”

I kept the door open, figuring that the sound of splashing water would let me know he hadn’t passed out and drowned.
Despite his instance that he wasn’t hungry, I commed Marin and asked her to send down an assortment of easily-digestible foods. Next, I messaged Crane and asked him if he could send clothes for Erik. Crane promised that he would, and asked if I wanted him to bring Alex down. I thought about the change in Erik’s personality and decided against it. I would let Erik adjust to his new surroundings before bringing Alex in.

Crane arrived with my ordered food and clothes before Erik was done in the bath.
He helped me set out fruits, cheeses, and bread on a tray, but didn’t move to leave when we were done.

“I’d liked to speak with him,” Crane said softly.

“I don’t know.” I looked towards the bathroom. Erik only let Dr. Patel touch him because I promised him that he was safe. He’d been on edge during the doctor’s visit like a cobra ready to strike. Crane interrogating him right now wasn’t the best idea. What if he freaked out? Erik might be physically weaker than normal, but even weaker than his normal, he was stronger than the average person. Crane wasn’t average, but I had no desire to find out who would win if the two men fought.

“Talia, Victoria is itching to get her hands on him.
It’s best we prepare him before she does. She’s insisting he be evaluated immediately. If I talk to him and explain the situation and he tells me what McDonough did to him, I might be able to hold her off a little longer.”

“She can’t see him like this,” I said emphatically.
“She’ll never believe he’s safe. Ian, please.”

Crane held up a hand.
“I know, I know. Dr. Patel has already drawn and analyzed his blood, so it’s been proven he was injected with the drug. That’s not good enough for UNITED. I promise, if he talks to me now I’ll find excuses to keep Victoria and the other council members away and buy him a couple more days.”

“I’ll ask him,” I relented.

Crane was trying to do Erik a favor. UNITED probably knew about Erik attacking the medic on the hoverplane – they seemed omnipresent – and weren’t going to look diplomatically on the incident. Erik needed time to adjust and come to terms with his temporary home at the cottage. A couple of days might not be enough, but it was better than the alternative.

Crane settled into an armchair, and I walked back into the bathroom.
Only a thin film of bubbles remained on the water’s surface. I felt a hot flush creep up my face, and I barely stopped myself from trying to peer between the gaps. Erik’s eyes were still closed, but his hair was wet and his face looked as though it had been scrubbed raw.

“Erik, Ian –” he cut me off.

“I heard, Tals,” he said.

“You don’t have to talk to him yet.
It can wait until you’re feeling better.” The lie was stupid when Erik had listened to the conversation.

“No, it can’t.
Does he have my clothes, though? I’d prefer not to talk to him naked.”

“Yeah, I’ll get them,” I said, turning to go fetch the clothes.

Getting Erik out of the water and dressed was a lot harder than getting him in. I considered asking Crane to help, but I could tell how embarrassed Erik was letting me help him. I knew he’d refuse Crane’s assistance.

When we hobbled back into the bedroom, Erik insisted on sitting on the sofa bed.
I obliged, partly because he was so adamant and partly because it was a lot closer than the hospital bed. Crane watched silently, not offering to help once. He and Erik were cut from the same cloth, proud and too distinctly male to admit they needed someone. Crane probably knew that Erik would crawl before accepting some random person’s pity.

“Erik Kelley, it’s nice to finally meet you,” Crane declared once I’d managed to get Erik situated, a pillow under his knee.

“Not sure I can say the same, but I hear you’ve been more hospitable than my last host, so I’ll reserve judgment.” Erik’s tone was matter-of-fact, not snide or flippant, and I took that as a good sign. The more time that passed, the more like my Erik he seemed, and I began to relax.

Of course he’d been out of sorts after he woke up.
Who wouldn’t be? I was sure that the odd sensation I’d gotten from him was just a result of his fear. Fear wasn’t an emotion I usually felt from Erik, and I’d just misinterpreted it, I assured myself. A nagging feeling still caused a pit to form in my stomach. Had the creation drug altered him the same as it had me? What new abilities was his body trying to cope with? Was he going to become irrational and prone to erratic emotions the way I was?

“I can’t imagine what you’ve been through –” Ian started to say, but Erik cut him off.

“No, you can’t.”

“Would you be willing to tell me?
I hate to seem blunt or insensitive, but it’s really important. A lot has happened since your rescue from Tramblewood. And the more we know, the better.” Crane still sat in the armchair, leaving a wide berth between Erik and himself.

My eyes darted from Crane to Erik.
The ball was in Erik’s court, and I thought I knew what his next move would be. But to my surprise, he agreed.

“One condition, though,” Erik quickly added.
“We talk alone. I’d like you to leave, Natalia.” He wouldn’t look at me when he said my name, and the use of my whole name threw me off. Just an hour ago he’d insisted that he didn’t want to be alone with Dr. Patel, but now he was ordering me out of the room.