Author: Tara Sue Me
She didn’t miss the sharp edge of determination in his voice.
A knock on the door caused her to jump, but she stayed in his arms when the nurse entered.
“Time to change the dressing,” she said.
“I don’t suppose I could convince you to leave while they did this?” he asked in a whisper.
“No way. They had me leave last night, but since I’ll be the one changing it for her at home, I need to stay. ”
Standing across the bed from them, the nurse gently roused Sasha and repositioned her. With the utmost care, she folded the sheet down, and removed the dressing. Daniel slipped his hand into Julie’s.
Angry red marks crisscrossed Sasha’s back. Many of the lines bled.
“Fucking hell,” Daniel said under his breath.
Julie swayed against him and slid into her chair. It looked even worse than she’d imagined.
“That bad, Jules? You look green,” Sasha said, so clearly trying to be brave.
Much too late she noticed Sasha’s gaze on her. “Sorry, it’s just . . . I didn’t . . . ”
“No need to apologize. You didn’t do it and I know it looks bad, I can feel it. ” Sasha’s eyes drifted shut and she started breathing slow and deep, though she jerked occasionally. Julie knew she was on a painkiller, and she was glad her friend could sleep through the discomfort of having the dressing changed.
The nurse worked quickly and silently. The entire time, Julie was acutely aware of Daniel’s presence beside her—his power, his strength, his being. And for the first time, that power and strength scared her.
• • •
Sasha was released from the hospital the next day. Julie insisted she stay with her, at least through the weekend. And when Sasha brought up working Monday, Julie told her it was out of the question.
By Sunday, Julie could clean and dress Sasha’s back without breaking into a cold sweat. The sense of fear she’d had in the hospital hadn’t returned. Of course, she hadn’t seen Daniel since Friday either. He’d called a few times, but between caring for Sasha and working out the schedule for how to run the shop alone, she hadn’t been able to see him.
She wasn’t ignoring him, she told herself; she was busy.
And if she put the red bracelet in her top dresser drawer, it was only because she didn’t know when the next meeting would be.
She didn’t quite know how to reach Sasha. Her once happy-go-lucky friend had sunk deep inside herself and refused to be drawn out. She answered questions with a “yes” or “no” and otherwise kept her conversation to as few words as necessary. Dena called on Sunday afternoon, but Sasha refused to talk to her. Instead she told Julie to tell her she was sleeping.
Julie didn’t want to leave her alone on Monday, but she had no choice—the shop had obligations to meet. Someone had to be there. Fortunately, it was a busy day, so she was able to keep her mind occupied with thoughts other than her hurting friend and Daniel.
Her cell phone rang right after she closed the door behind the day’s last customer. She looked at the display and sighed. Eventually, she would have to face the turmoil she was trying to ignore.
“Hey, Daniel. ”
“Good to hear your voice, how are you doing?”
“Busy. ” She eyed the clock on the wall, trying to judge how long it would take to get home and fix something for her and Sasha to eat. “Doing everything by myself is a bit much, you know?”
“I imagine it is, and once you get home, you’ll be tending Sasha. ” His voice dropped. “Who takes care of you?”
She closed her eyes, knowing he probably heard her distancing herself every time they spoke. “I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. ”
He didn’t have to say anything; she could feel his displeasure through the phone. Something deep inside started to hurt.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said. “I’m just so tired. ” It wasn’t much of a lie.
“I need to stop by your place tonight and speak to Sasha,” he said.
“We’ll be there. About what time?” She hated the way they were talking, as if there was nothing between them. It just wasn’t possible for her to do anything else at the moment.
“Seven. ”
“Okay, I’ll make sure she’s awake. See you then,” she said, and hung up with a softly spoken good-bye.
I’m so sorry, Daniel.
• • •
Daniel hung up the phone with a muttered curse. He was losing her. When Sasha was in the hospital, he’d felt it, although he’d hoped once she was released, it would be better. And maybe it would get better. It hadn’t been that long. He just needed to give her space.
He raked a hand through his hair. Damn Peter and whatever the hell had been going through his mind Thursday night. Even after talking with him, he still wasn’t exactly sure what transpired, but he would get to the bottom of it. He had a meeting set up with him before he needed to head out to talk to Sasha.
Sasha.
He knew it wasn’t his fault and that there was nothing he could have done to prevent it, but he still felt guilty. She was a submissive in his group and he should have protected her. Had he missed some sign in Peter? He’d replayed in his mind all the times he’d seen him with a submissive and nothing stood out as being off.
Even still, whenever he thought of Sasha, he remembered the mass of welts and cuts on her back and it made him sick. As the recognized bullwhip expert in the group, he knew the training and practice its use required. Likewise, he recognized the handiwork of one who didn’t know what he was doing. His only question was how Peter hadn’t ended up in the hospital himself from the whip coming back to hit him.
He both dreaded and looked forward to seeing Julie. But even with all the turmoil he felt about their floundering relationship, he forced himself to focus on his upcoming conversation with Sasha. His heart was heavy when he pulled into Julie’s driveway hours later.
Julie wasn’t smiling when she opened the door. She simply pushed it wide open to let him pass. Sasha sat on the couch, her head down. He knew he was there for her, but he couldn’t ignore Julie.