Page 44 of Liberating Lily

What was he talking about? She didn’t understand. And she wished he would listen to her, but then there was a knock on the door, and Michaela walked in.

Urgh, she looked all put-together while Lily was a total mess. She found herself trying to pat down her matted hair and hoping the woman couldn’t smell her breath from where she stood.

“Hi Lily, how are you feeling this morning?” Michaela walked over and started taking her vitals.

“I really want to brush my teeth and have a shower.”

“I bet,” the other woman said with a look of sympathy. “I can unhook the IV now, if you like?”

“Thank you.”

She did the same thing as when Michaela put the IV in and turned to stare at Harvey. Although he was way too close.

“Watch the rat-pee breath,” she warned.

“You don’t have rat-pee breath,” he told her sternly.

“There, all done,” Michaela said.

Oh, thank God.

“I need to use the bathroom,” she told Harvey.

He nodded and drew back the covers of the bed. She noticed she was wearing a T-shirt that wasn’t her size. Was this one of his?

Had he put her in it?

He lifted her into his arms. She wanted to question him, but she also didn’t want to do it in front of Michaela. He must have realized what she was thinking though.

“You vomited on yourself and the bed so I put you in the shower. I kept your underwear on. I promise I didn’t look when I got you changed.”

She hated that she couldn’t remember that.

But she didn’t say anything as he carried her into the bathroom and sat her down on the closed lid of the toilet. Then he just stood there.

Her bladder urgently protested the need to pee, but she wasn’t doing it in front of him.

“Can you give me a moment?” she said to him.

Harvey frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, giving her an arrogant look. Oh, great. She knew what that look meant. He didn’t want to budge.

And he was stubborn. Lily was used to dealing with stubborn people. She usually just gave them whatever they wanted, but she really didn’t want to pee in front of him.

“I need some privacy, Harvey. Do you know how often my privacy has been taken from me without my permission?”

He pointed at her with a sigh. “If you fall over, I’m not going to be happy. Be careful. Call out if you need me.”

Then he moved to the counter and opened the cupboard, drawing out a toothbrush and toothpaste.

He left, and Lily let out a sigh. She slipped off her underwear and used the toilet before washing up. Then she got to brush her teeth and get rid of the rat-pee breath. That was a relief that she couldn’t explain.

Finally, she knew that she had to leave the safety of the bathroom and head out into the bedroom. Her legs were shaking a little by this stage, and she moved carefully so she didn’t fall over. When she opened the bathroom door, he was immediately there, scooping her up into his arms.

“You should have called me if you were feeling shaky,” he told her.

Then he carried her over to the bed where Michaela waited.

“Lily, how are you really feeling?” Michaela asked.