“I’ve never had a more stubborn patient in my life. You really do have your hands full with this one, Knight. I’ll be sure to add this to the considerable bill that you already have. I know you are good for it. I only surround myself with people that are able to pay considerably for my services. Please, keep me informed of any complications. I will be more than happy to make a house call.” With the kind of money Knight was paying, it was a wonder that he wasn’t going to have around the clock care for me.
“There’s not much you can tell her to make her sit still for any length of time. I find myself wondering if maybe restraints are necessary to keep her from doing something stupid.” The idea of being tied down against my will by anybody but knight would have sent a freezing chill of terror down my spine. Just the thought of being his captive made me want to rage in between the sheets until we emerged in the morning for a necessary smoke.
It was a bad habit and one that I had conquered a few years ago. I’d heard of too many horror stories of patients dying of lung cancer. It seemed like a painful way to end one’s life. It wasn’t easy by any means, but it was worth it to finally get the monkey off my back.
“God help me, but I like her independent spirit and not many can show that kind of moxie. She spits on death and I only wish some of my other patients could fight tooth and nail to survive like she has. The bullet did go clean through, but there were some complications with infection which she was able to fight off with the necessary medication and rest. I know that I can’t police her actions, but she needs to take it easy. Those stitches are some of my finest handiwork. I don’t want her to ruin them.” The Dr. didn’t have to know, but I had a fight in less than two days. There was no way I was going to miss the opportunity to take out the legend herself. She was known as the dragon’s head and her moves were more like a deadly ballet recital.
“I’ll do what I can to keep her off her feet.” We shared a knowing glance with both of us thinking the exact same thing. I could almost see the vision in his head of us twisting in a prone position with the bed rocking back and forth against the wall. Having relations with a client was one of my strict rules to avoid at all cost. I had let him beyond the perimeter of what I considered the safe zone.
“I only want you to take the medication when it’s absolutely necessary. These are very strong and quite addictive. It’s not a road you want to take and I’ve seen some hard luck cases. I don’t see you having that problem. You’ll find a way to endure without taking the drugs. I need to go, but I wanted to stop in to make sure you weren’t giving the nurses a hard time. You have a few of them crying and others reluctant to come into your room without you being properly sedated. I’ve never seen anything quite like it.” I was not comfortable with people taking blood at all hours of the night and day.
“They won’t have to worry about that very much longer. Once you leave here, I’m getting dressed and blowing this place. I’ve been here long enough. You don’t know this about me, but I can’t stand being around sick people. You may claim this place is clean, but we both know the truth. I don’t want to be just another statistic and a reason for you to sweep it under the rug to cover it up.” He was shaking his head in disbelief. The Johnny gown I was wearing fell to my feet before the doors even closed.
“It’s not going to hurt you to stay a couple of more days so they can reevaluate your condition.” I ignored what he said, going to the closet and retrieving my clothing. The dress was a little worse for wear. It would need some alterations. There was also a pair of jeans which Knight was able to procure for me at a local boutique down the street.
“You don’t know anything. This place is a death trap ready to ensnare me and dr
ag me straight to hell. I have no interest in staying here for any longer than necessary. I’m leaving and you can either help or get out of my way. At this point, I couldn’t care less which decision you make.” It was difficult, but I managed to put on the jeans and the sweater. I put on my cowboy boots. It was something in my possession that had not seen the light of day since a Halloween party.
They still fit like a glove and reminded me of how little use I had gotten out of them. I grabbed my gray ski jacket, putting it on and shuffling towards the door. The only thing I could think about was escaping the cesspool of germs all around me. I always wore a mask when I went to the hospital to visit anyone.
“I’m going to make it my personal mission to make sure you heal without any interruptions. For the time being, I’m going to stay at home working in my home office. I’m not going out for any other reason than to get a breath of fresh air on the top of the roof. I know what you would say if I were to even mention Home Care. This way, I can take care of you myself. I already know how stubborn you can be and throwing things at me is not going to do you any good.” I was about to object, but he put his hand up for silence like I was a petulant child. He was getting on the last nerve that wasn’t already frayed.
“I don’t want you waiting on me hand and foot. I’ll get up on my own. The one thing that I won’t lose because of this injury is my independence. You can make whatever conclusions you want about my attitude. I have my own way of doing things. The only routine I follow is a morning ritual. I will not let anything interrupt something that has worked for me.” I was making sure he knew where I stood and there was no mention of our feelings.
“I’ll be there when you need me, but only when you ask for help. You do know there’s no shame in asking for help. I wouldn’t know because I usually do everything on my own. If something goes wrong then it’s on my head and nobody else. There is sometimes a necessity to delegate, but I try to limit that as much as possible. I don’t even have a vice president, but I do have a girl Friday that takes care of everything I can’t.” I had a feeling he was going to find the girl he was referring to was no longer in his employ. He had given her the day off to let cooler heads prevail, but I could read the signals on your face like indelible ink.
She was fed up pining over someone more concerned with money than settling down. He was just going to have to find somebody else to tote his barge and get his coffee in the morning. She could probably ruin him by leaving him without arranging for somebody to take her place. I did see her being vindictive enough. She was hurt and wanted to make him feel the same pain.
I looked at Knight and I felt sick to my stomach for all the sappy things I had said in a moment of weakness. I could only hope he would never mention it again and we could leave it as ramblings of a crazy woman.
“My Dr. said you were the worst patient not including myself of course. We can both be a handful when it comes to taking care of ourselves. You mentioned something about a morning ritual. I can have anything you need sent to the penthouse. It’s just one of many properties which I utilize when I’m not traipsing around the globe.” Somebody must have been following him and for me not to notice meant that there was more to the assailant than met the eye.
I hadn’t thought of someone with the kind of training that would make mine pale in comparison. I was a force to be reckoned with, but this guy had gotten too close for comfort. Taking him out of the equation was foremost on my mind, but I was in no shape to raise a finger. It was a good thing Knight was taking the necessary steps to stay out of the limelight for the conceivable future. Only those allowed entry into his inner sanctum would be able to get close enough to hurt him. He would have necessary meetings, but most would take place over conference video calls.
“I don’t have anything bulky and the only thing I use as resistance in my training is my own body and whatever I can find. I will need some necessary sundries, but I think that I can manage with what you have.” I was going to miss the hot and cold running room service. I was planning to stay there for several days, but the decision was taken out of my hands.
“I have a fully equipped gym in my penthouse which you can use at your discretion. The only thing I ask is that you don’t overdo it for the first couple of days. Ease into it and make sure your muscles are ready to attack any kind of weight.” He was babying me and I didn’t like feeling like an invalid needing somebody to make all the decisions for me.
“I do require certain foods. I don’t eat processed crap. I will write you down a list of ingredients and I will prepare the food myself. Please don’t tell me you have a chef on hand. I’d really like to think that you weren’t that pretentious.” He was helping me put on my coat and then he retrieved the necessary paperwork along with the wheelchair. It was standard operating procedure, but I felt it wasn’t necessary. I could walk on my own steam.
“I know we haven’t discussed what was said in the alley, but we’re going to have to address the elephant in the room. You might be scared of your feelings. I’m not exactly immune to the way you’re feeling. I’ve come to care for you more than most people in my life. I find myself at a loss to know what words to say to convey what you mean to me. I’m not used to putting myself out there for any reason. You have given me the courage to stand in the face of what could be a possible rejection.” He didn’t seem like he was afraid of anything, but it was true about not knowing how another person thinks without standing in their shoes.
“I really don’t feel comfortable talking about it. We will revisit this, but you must know some of the things I said were because I thought I was dying. It’s no excuse, but it is a reasonable explanation. I don’t like to talk about these things. I’ve never had an occasion to care about anything more than myself. This is what I call new territory. I’m afraid of any kind of land mines which might blow up in my face. I certainly don’t want to say anything to offend you.” He wheeled me out to his personal car. He helped me to gingerly slip inside to the opulence of wealth.
Chapter ten
I was in no shape for anything physical. I still craved the feel of his hands roaming over my body. We had just finished supper and I was sitting with my feet up watching TV. I was feeling bored to tears. I couldn’t stand reality television and everything else was so fake it was hard to watch without making comparisons with my own military career.
“I have personally arranged for you to have a massage. This is the table I use when I require somebody to relieve my stress. I’m no stranger to the happy ending, but it really does leave me wanting. It’s pleasurable at the time, but it ends too quickly. I’m left feeling empty inside.” I didn’t need to know about his need for a woman to tug his privates. I couldn’t understand why he was telling me any of this. There were no secrets between us.
I walked over to the table behind him, shedding my robe and not at all embarrassed by my naked body. The only thing concerning was the bandage wrapped around my midsection which I had already changed twice since arriving here. The view was spectacular with the lights of the city making me feel like I was small in comparison.
“You can either take off the robe or I can…Oh, my…I suppose I asked for that. Damn, I forgot how delicious you look. I have missed giving you my undivided attention.” He was looking at me and making me blush which was something I’d never done for anybody.
“I don’t want you to think this gives you license to get one out of the chamber. I would be more than willing to watch you and maybe give you whispers of encouragement. I’m sure it would bring back some very vivid memories of your childhood. The only big difference is a real woman would be sitting beside you while you were taking matters into your own hands. Give it some thought and you can tell me what your decision is after we are getting ready for bed.” For the most part, I was able to do everything on my own with a bit of difficulty.
“You have raised an interesting subject for debate. I’ve never put on a show, but the idea really does have me going. It could be very