Starbright (17 page)

A satisfied smile crossed his face. “Good. It’s settled, then.”

The nurse Aidan dealt with earlier entered the room pushing a wheelchair. She tossed him a miffed glance before offering Beth a thin smile. “I brought you transportation to your car, Miss Bates.”

Beth shook her head. “I can walk. Thank you, though.”

The nurse regarded her pointedly. “It’s hospital policy.”

“The nurse is right,” Aidan said, though he was shocked the words came from him. “You should use the wheelchair.”

Beth gave him a smile. “All right, I will.”

Aidan dismissed the nurse, insisting he could transport Beth to the car safely with assistance from Nathan and Olivia. The woman took off without argument.

As Aidan wheeled Beth down the corridor, flanked by their friends, a myriad of emotions ran through him. His mother never came home, but Beth would. Despite all of his past mistakes, he was getting another chance.

On the journey to Aidan’s house, Beth noticed he drove extra cautiously, obeying the speed limit and coming to a complete stop at all stop signs. He also repeatedly asked her how she felt. Although she was still shaken by the evening’s events, and the strength of the pain medication Dr. Bettman administered prior to stitching her up had waned, she downplayed her emotions and said she was fine like she did at the hospital.

It had been difficult to keep herself together, especially after her embarrassing statement to the police, but she didn’t want to worry Aidan and her friends. Nathan and Olivia’s constant apologizes made it clear they felt guilty for leaving her home alone, and after what Aidan went through with his mother, breaking down would only cause him more pain.

Nathan was dropping off Olivia at his house and then venturing to the apartment to gather personal items the two women would need over the next few days. Olivia wanted to accompany him, but he wouldn’t allow it. Beth didn’t make a fuss over him going on their behalf because she was scared to go back there, even if it was only for a quick visit. She was glad they were moving because she would never feel comfortable in the apartment again.

The first thing Beth did when she arrived at Aidan’s house was remove her bathrobe. Her nightgown wasn’t as bloody so she felt she could tolerate wearing it until Nathan showed up with her clothes. Under Aidan’s watchful eye, she walked to the bathroom, refusing his offer to help her clean up. He insisted on standing outside the door, though, just in case.

Beth closed the bathroom door and leaned against it. Taking deep breaths to combat her wooziness, she made her way over to the sink and looked in the mirror. The woman staring back at her was unrecognizable. Blood was caked in her hair and on her face, neck, and chest. Most disturbingly, it soaked through the gauze taped to her forehead. As she recalled the trauma of getting stitches for the first time, tears toppled down her cheeks.

“Beth, are you okay?” Aidan asked from his post on other side of the door.

Beth squeezed her eyes shut and said a silent apology for the lie she was about to tell.

“Yes, I’m fine.” Her squeaky voice didn’t sound convincing.

It took a moment for Aidan to reply. “Okay. Well, I’m right out here if you need me.”

Beth’s desire to ask for help teetered on the tip of her tongue. “All right. Thank you.”

Aidan began pacing, as evidenced by his shifting shadow under the door.

Beth set her discharge package down on the counter and ran the water at a cool temperature. Her hands shook as she cupped them under the faucet and leaned forward to wash her face. She ended up abandoning the idea. After everything she went through tonight, even the simplest task seemed daunting.

Beth had told Aidan that she wouldn’t touch her dressing, but she hadn’t realized how dirty it was. She might feel better if she had a clean one on instead.

After rummaging through her discharge package, she pulled out her supplies and inspected the dressing in the mirror. How could she remove it without hurting herself? Dr. Bettman had included written instructions, but even after reading them, she still doubted she could do it on her own. For Aidan’s sake, though, she was willing to try.

Beth found a washcloth hanging over the bathtub faucet. Stars danced before her eyes as she turned back to the sink. She sat on the toilet, waiting for the dizziness to pass.

“Beth? I don’t wanna bother you… I just need to know you’re still okay.” The concern in Aidan’s voice played tug of war with her resolve not to ask for help.

Against her better judgment, she repeated her standard reply. “I’m fine, thank you.”

Aidan resumed pacing on the other side of the door.

Beth braced her hands on the countertop and stood slowly. Her dizziness was still present, but she was determined not to delay her cleanup any longer.

She didn’t want to waste the sterile water Dr. Bettman provided, so she wet the washcloth in the sink and then carefully wiped her chin, the area on her face furthest from her bandage. Next, she cleaned her cheeks, followed by the skin around her dressing. As she wrung out the washcloth, blood circled in the sink and disappeared down the drain with the water pouring from the faucet. She couldn’t ignore the ill feeling that accompanied the knowledge all of it came from her.

Now that her face looked a little better, she felt slightly more confident in tackling her dressing.
She carefully peeled up the ends of the tape along the top edge of the gauze and winced in pain. Her body shook as she dropped her hands with a defeated whimper.

“Aidan. Help.”

The rushing water drowned out her meek call.

Beth braced her hands on either side of the sink and took deep breaths that, this time, didn’t ease her vertigo.

“Come on, just get it over with,” she said in a weak attempt at self-coaching.

Looking into the mirror, she gripped the top corners of the tape with her thumb and forefinger and peeled it back a little more. Once the top strip of tape detached successfully, she moved on to the other three sides.

Even with all the tape lifted, the gauze remained stuck to her forehead. The blood had dried the dressing to her skin. Gently, she tugged on the gauze, hoping it would come away easily. She was met with a searing pain.

Her response was louder than last time. “Aidan!”

The bathroom door flung open. Aidan’s inquisitive expression morphed into panic when he saw what she’d done to her dressing.

“I’m sorry for touching it.” Beth began crying, finally letting her emotions escape. “I just… I thought…”

“It’s okay, baby.”
Aidan pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair as she wept into his T-shirt.

“Oh, Aidan, I was so scared.” Beth shut her eyes, desperately trying to block out the image of the masked figure in the window.

Aidan placed a soothing kiss to the top of her head. “It’s okay. I’m here now.”

“My dressing.” A sob retched from her throat. “It’s stuck.”

Aidan framed her face in his hands. Her vision was distorted from her tears, but she could still make out the determination in his face.

“I’m gonna fix this.” He kissed her lips tenderly. “I promise.”

Beth’s gaze drifted to his white T-shirt, which was now stained with her blood.

She gasped. “Oh no, look what I’ve done.”

Aidan leveled his eyes with hers. “Beth, I don’t care about my damn shirt, okay? I care about you.” He led her to the toilet and brought the lid down. “Take a seat.”

She did as she was told.

Aidan turned toward the door. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Alarm coursed through her, springing her to her feet again. “Please don’t leave me.”

“I need to get additional supplies.” He guided her back to a sitting position. “I’ll be back in a second.”

As promised, he returned quickly with two basins
—
one blue, one red
—
and several washcloths. He filled the blue basin with the sterile water provided by the doctor and placed it at her feet.
At the thought of removing her dressing, Beth’s tears began again.

Aidan kneeled before her, staring up at her imploringly. “Listen to me, Beth. You need to tell me when you’re not okay. Please. I’m here to help you.”

Beth knew her hysteria wasn’t helping, but her tears refused to stop. “I didn’t want to bother you. You’ve already done so much.”

His lips formed a tight line. “I’ve hardly done enough.”

Beth’s heart lurched as he brushed his hand along her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

Instead of using the sterile water from the blue basin, Aidan reached toward the sink and turned on the faucet. He wet a washcloth and cleaned her neck and upper chest, scrubbing harder in some areas to remove the blood. He grabbed a second washcloth to concentrate on her hairline, mindful of the gauze at all times.

After tossing the used washcloths aside and turning off the faucet, he studied the dressing like he was formulating a plan of action.

“I’m going to be careful when I remove the gauze, but if I hurt you, tell me.” Embedded in Aidan’s words was a sorrow that tore at her heart. “I can’t give you any pain medication yet because it’ll make you drowsy. I need you to be alert when I do this.”

Beth nodded. She was still concerned it would hurt like before but trusted him to take care of her.

Aidan dipped a fresh washcloth into the blue basin and brought it to her forehead. “I’m going to soak the dressing so it comes away easier.”

Beth trembled as he pressed the wet cloth to her forehead, but she felt no pain
.

“Are you okay?” His eyebrows drew together. “I can stop if you’re not. There’s no need to rush through this.”

Beth swallowed hard to suppress her nerves. “I’m all right.”

As Aidan continued his work, she braced herself for pain, but it never came, even as the gauze peeled away from her skin.

Aidan’s
mask of stoicism remained in place as he examined her injury, giving her no indication of what it looked like.

“How bad is it?” she asked.

Aidan looked away as he answered. “It’s not bad.”

He tossed the dirty dressing into the red basin and washed the blood from his hands.

“I want to see it.”

His eyes jumped to hers. “No.”

“Please, I need to see it.”

Aidan rubbed his hand along the base of his neck, looking everywhere but at her. Finally, he offered his hand and guided her to the mirror. Beth gasped at her reflection. Her wound was red, swollen, and the ends of the black dissolving stitches stuck out from her skin in harsh kinks. Nausea hit her hard.

Aidan snaked his arm around her waist, steadying her. “Don’t worry. I’m gonna redress it and you’ll be good as new.”

Beth let him usher her back to the toilet so she could sit down. Much to her relief, it didn’t hurt at all as he cleaned the wound with the sterile water and covered it with fresh gauze and tape. He didn’t look at the instructions once, but she refrained from asking why, fearing she already knew the answer.

Once Aidan finished, he brought her back to the mirror. Although her face looked much better, she still felt unclean. Her gaze dropped to her bloodstained nightgown and slippers.

Aidan grasped her hand and squeezed. “Why don’t you take a bath?”

Beth frowned. “What if my dressing gets wet?”

“I’ll bathe you and ensure it doesn’t.”

“You’ll bathe me?” She couldn’t mask her surprise.

He placed a kiss to her hair. “Please let me take care of you.”

She nodded.

Aidan helped her sit down on the toilet and then filled the bathtub with water. Sadness settled in his eyes when he removed her nightgown. During Dr. Bettman’s examination, Beth saw the bruises on her body, but Aidan was seeing them all for the first time.

She cupped his cheek in her palm. “Aidan, I’m all right.”

This time, she meant it.

Without a word, Aidan removed her slippers and took her hand, helping her into the bathtub. The water felt warm and welcoming as she sank below the surface. He kneeled beside her and rolled up a large bath towel, which he tucked behind her head as a pillow against the tiled wall.

Closing her eyes, Beth succumbed to the tranquility of the water. Her headache was still present, but now that the stress of changing her dressing was over, she could relax and enjoy Aidan’s attention.

As he washed her hair and cleaned her upper body, moving the sponge in soothing circles, her timidity remained at bay, even though she had never felt more exposed. She owed it all to the man who took care of her so perfectly.