Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 169(@200wpm)___ 135(@250wpm)___ 113(@300wpm)
“Fruit punch?” Cecilia gave me a confused look.
I shrugged. “Got cannabis in it. Kinda makes you, uh, stoned.” When her eyes widened, I added hastily. “You don’t have to. She’s suggesting it because it helped her sleep after she’d been beaten pretty badly a couple of weeks ago. I think she stayed stoned the better part of the next day too. Lemon likes the feel of it and I’m pretty sure she uses it to do unspeakable things with Rocket. But it’s not for everyone. Sometimes it helps with pain control. At the very least, you won’t care that you’re in pain.”
She ducked her head. “I wouldn’t want to… not be myself if you weren’t with me.”
I sat on the bed beside her, much as I had in the hospital. “Honey, you don’t want me leavin’ you, I won’t. If you want to try the pot to see if it helps your pain, I’ll be at your side the whole time. If you’d rather take conventional pain meds, I can provide that too.”
“Either way my wits will probably be muddled.”
“Probably, but if you’re not comfortable, opioids don’t last as long as cannabinoids. Your wits would be muddled, but not for as long.”
She winced as she situated herself on the bed. “Maybe I’ll try the fruit punch this time.”
I grinned. “If it doesn’t help or if you don’t like the feeling, we’ll go to something else.”
“Several of the women I know are addicted. Getting beaten up then taking pain pills was how most of them got started.”
I understood that all too well. “You trust me to watch over you?” I needed to know. The last thing I’d ever do was leave a person the same as defenseless if they didn’t feel safe in their surroundings.
She blinked several times, a shocked look on her face. “Atticus. You’ve been the kindest person to me since the first day we met. You never talked down to me and you always made me feel like I mattered. Like, if Ettore or Marco killed me, you might miss seeing me. Of all the people in my life, of anyone I’ve ever known, I trust you the most.”
A lump formed in my throat at her words. Knowing that she trusted me above all else hit me hard. It was a responsibility I didn’t take lightly. Cecilia wasn’t just another patient or person passing through my life. She wasn’t even one of my brothers. What she was, was someone I cared deeply about, someone I wanted to protect at all costs. Which meant I was going to annihilate Ettore and this Marco. Whoever he was.
“We need to talk. Do you feel up to it?”
“Sure.” She smiled, but she didn’t look like she was ready for anything other than food and sleep.
“Hmm. Not sure you’re telling the truth there.” I frowned as I picked up the napkin from the tray I’d brought. Lemon had placed it over Cecilia’s lap, but she hadn’t touched it yet. I handed her the napkin before putting the spoon in the soup and scooping up a portion. For some odd reason, I blew on the stuff, so it wasn’t too hot for her. Then I held it out for her to eat. Sure, it was something a medical person might do, but I generally left this kind of care up to the nurses, thinking myself too proud. I think I understood now. Cecilia needed help. I provided. No matter what the help was.
She looked surprised, but opened her mouth and accepted the bite. Then I put the spoon back in the bowl and nodded to her, a silent command to eat. She did, thankfully scooping up bite after bite. It seemed like the more she ate the more she wanted. I was glad for her appetite, but I needed to make sure she didn’t eat too much.
“Don’t go too fast, honey. It’s been a week since you’ve had real solid food. Give your body a chance to acclimate.”
“It’s really good,” she said around a mouthful.
I chuckled. “You certainly make it look good.”
“I hope I’m not being too gross.”
“Not one Goddamned thing about you is gross, baby.”
She took another bite before reaching for a bottle of water. Once opened, she took a good drink. Then she sat back and sighed. “That was really good.”
“I’ll pass on your compliments to Apple.”
“You know, you don’t sound like how I imagined a biker would talk.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. ‘Course, I guess most bikers ain’t doctors.”
“Probably not. It’s all a matter of the company and the role. Right now, I feel more like your doctor than your protector. Trust me when I tell you, when I go hunting for these fucks, my speech will deteriorate rapidly.”
“What?” She sat up straighter, sloshing the soup on her lap. I took the tray and set it aside. “No! You can’t go after either of them, Atticus. Please!”