Page 24 of Derecho

“I can sit at the table.”

“You’re not sitting at the table. Park your ass on the toilet. I’m getting you warmed back up and into something dry.” I turned, running through the list of things I needed to grab from my room after I started the bath.

One good thing about working to rehab my leg was the incredible soaking tub my brothers installed for me after the accident. A soaking tub that was about to get some use, because Lainey’s stubborn ass was getting in.

We walked into the bathroom, and I flipped on the overhead light. Except it didn’t immediately illuminate, and I swallowed hard. Something was wrong. The light should have come on completely within the first second. My hand moved to the switch again, turning the light off, and back on. And when that didn’t feel right, either, dread started to pool in my stomach. Because if the light wasn’t right, that meant that something was wrong with the wiring. And if something was wrong with the wiring, that meant there was a higher risk for a fire to start.

I had a heavily pregnant woman, clearly in distress, at my house tonight, and it was going to burn to the ground with her inside. I flipped the light off, and on again. This time, the light illuminated correctly, and for a second, my eyes drifted away from the fixture to Lainey, whose gaze was searing into me.

“Everything okay?” she asked as my breathing deepened.

“No.” I swallowed roughly. “Sit.”

Once again, my hand was on her arm, guiding her to the closed lid of the toilet.

“I’m going to break that if I sit down. I’m sure you’ve noticed, but I’m not exactly a lightweight these days.”

“I sit on it all the time. You’ll be fine. Besides, I need you out of the way while I run the water.”

“Run what water?”

“For your bath. We need to get you warmed up. And that cut needs to be cleaned. It could get infected.” Shoot, I hadn’t asked her about the baby in a minute. “How’s the alien?”

“He’s fine. I think I was just out of breath before. Nothing more than a stitch in my side.”

“You’re not in pain anymore?”

“Nope.”

“Good.” I narrowed my eyes, and Lainey finally took the hint. She held onto the sink as she lowered herself to sit. I reached past her to the faucet, and the roar of water running into the tub filled the small space.

“You good for a minute?”

“Of course.”

“Don’t move,” I grumbled as I walked out of the bathroom. It took me a minute or two to find some old sweatpants and a t-shirt I thought might fit over her belly, but I finally grabbed them out of my closet along with two big, fluffy towels before I trudged back to the bathroom. I popped in only for a minute, Lainey’s face filled with curiosity as I set everything down, not saying a word as I marched toward the kitchen.

Shock. If she was in shock…even just the slightest bit, I needed to get her warm, give her something to drink. And a sugary treat wouldn’t hurt. Jessie had horrible heartburn in her last few months when she was pregnant with Beckett, and I stared for a minute at the tray of brownies that were mostly eaten even though it had just been a few days since Lainey brought them over. It would have to do. And I had antacids upstairs if she needed them.

I placed a glass of water into the crook of my arm, grabbed the brownie I’d set on the plate and marched, with the help of my cane, back into the bathroom.

“Am I moving into this bathroom?” Lainey asked, her lips curving into a small smile.

“You could be in shock. The bath will warm you, but you need to eat and drink something, too. Shit, your cheek is swollen. I’ll grab you some ice.”

“Lach.” My name coming from her lips stopped me in my tracks. “I’m good. I can just get changed. It’ll take me two minutes, and then I can figure out what comes next. All this fussing⁠—”

“Is exactly what you need. Maybe if you’d let the people in your life fuss over you a little more…” My voice faded. It wasn’t her fault what happened, and I didn’t want her to think for a goddamn second that it was.

“I know…” she whispered, barely audible over the water filling the tub. Water that I moved to turn off.

“No. Whatever he did…It was never your fault. I’m going to give you some time. Just call me if you need anything.”

“Lach…”

“Anything. Call me. And if you don’t need me, then come out when you’re ready, and I’ll bandage your leg. Leave this door unlocked. I won’t come in unless you need me, but I need to be able to get in here if you do. Okay?”

“Okay.”