REBORN (Metamorphosis Book 1) (15 page)

I asked Vickie to stop by my apartment and bring me a change of clothes and toiletries.  I also asked her to throw away the food I had left out, as well as the lasagna in the oven. When she returned she helped me to the bathroom where I washed up, brushed my teeth, combed my hair and changed into yoga pants and a top.  I needed to be next to Kayden as much as he needed me.  When he walked through the door and saw me he said, "Have I told you how much I love you?  How empty my life would be without you?"

"Ditto" was all I could say. With my children still in the room, he laid on the bed next to me, holding my hand, and went to sleep. 

His parents arrived the next morning after a long trip from Rio.  His mother broke into pieces when she saw her son's bruises and his father fought the urge to break down.  Kayden looked worse than he was, or so he told me.  He had two broken ribs, but the internal bleeding had stopped and the prognosis was good.  His mother tried to hug him but was afraid to, instead kissing him on his forehead and cheeks.  She then sat on a chair by him and simply held his other hand.

"Mom, Dad, this is Ellie, my girlfriend.  She was with me when I was attacked.  Ellie, these are my parents, Roberto and Sofia Hale."

"Good to meet you," I responded.  "I wish it had been under different circumstances." 

I tried to get up to give them some privacy but Kayden tightened the grip on my hand.

"Where do you think you are going?" he demanded.

"To the washroom," I responded.

"You'll do no such thing, you have strict orders to stay in bed."

"Kayden, my love, I'm being released this morning," I reassured him.

I noticed the fear in his eyes; fear of losing me.  I patted his hand then said, "I am just going to the bathroom to freshen up."  With that I got up slowly and left them.

"That's a very astute young woman, and very pretty.  Not since Megan have you been so enthralled by a woman," Sofia said.

"Leave him alone; this is not the time for that.  I want to know what happened, and whether the police have any leads," said Roberto.

Kayden proceeded to give his parents a condensed version of the events of the last few days.  Per his brother's order, the police had not interviewed him yet and so his knowledge of the investigation was limited.

While they talked I took the time to look at the extent of my facial injuries.  No wonder Kayden was feeling apprehensive about letting me out of his sight! I had a purple shadow on my cheek, and a bandage on my head, and my headache was returning.  I decided to call the nurse and ask for tea and pain medication.

"Roberto, get that poor girl something to eat.  Call Aldo and tell him to take you; and bring some coffee."  Sofia gave orders like a captain of industry; her husband simply said yes dear.

Kayden signaled to the side of the bed for me to lie next to him.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"I'll feel better when all of this is over and we are back home."

"Me too," he replied holding me close to him.  It was the first time I had been in bed with him since the incident, and the heat from his body combined with his arms around me brought joy to my heart and tears to my eyes.

"Please, don't cry." His hand held me tighter and the heat of his body was soothing.

"These are tears of joy, I was so afraid that…" I couldn't finish the sentence, afraid to even let my lips pronounce the words.

"Enough of that you two, the important thing is that you are both fine," Sofia said in a quivering voice. 

The nurse entered and gave him a crooked smile when she saw Kayden in bed with me.  "So we have a new sleeping arrangement?  Can you excuse me, Ms. McCabe?  I need to check my patient," she said with an attitude.

Kayden responded, "She is not going anywhere, you can do it with her here."

"I have had just about enough of the two of you, do I need to call security?" The nurse was now incensed.

At that point Sofia interjected.  "Ellie, why don’t you come with me to find some tea for you and coffee for me?"

"She is still a patient here, you'll need the wheelchair if she is going with you," the nurse interrupted.

Sofia wheeled me to a waiting room where she found a vending machine.  She secured a cup of coffee for herself and tea for me.  Both were undrinkable!  We laughed at our reaction after tasting it.

"How long have you known Kayden?" she asked.  "Both of you seem very attached to each other."

"You would think we have known each other for a lifetime, and sometimes it feels that way, but it only has been close to a month.  I hope this does not seem strange to you, but I love your son and I think he loves me too.  For us it was truly love at first sight."

Sofia responded, "It's not strange at all; when I met Roberto for the first time I knew that he was going to be in my life for a long time.  We have been married now for forty-five years and I still love him as much as I did the first day.  He is still as possessive and controlling as ever."

"So that's where Kayden gets it from!"  We both laughed.  We were in the room for about twenty minutes talking about Kayden as a child.  Sofia was such an easy person to talk to; it made me sad that I never had that kind of relationship with my own mother.   Roberto walked in the room looking for us.

"So this is where you two are hiding. If we don't go back to the room quickly your son is going to get out of bed and start looking for the two of you personally.  I truly feel sorry for the nurse," Roberto said as he approached us, then kissed his wife and pulled her toward the door asking, "Did you finish the inquisition?"

By the time we entered Kayden's room the doctor was there.  Mr. Hale identified himself and asked to speak to the doctor in private.  I went to Kayden's side and stroked his hair, then asked, "Is everything okay?"

He took my hand and kissed it, then said, "I should be able to go home by Sunday, as long as I am under medical supervision.  I'll talk to Carmelo about it when he stops by."

"Was this your request or the doctor's suggestion?" I asked, feeling anxious about the possibility that he may not be ready to leave the hospital.

"Stop worrying, I'll get the same care at home that I can get here without anyone telling me what to do."

"Except for me," I responded.

"And me," said Sofia.

"Don't tell me the two of you are collaborating against me."

"For you" I told him and gave him a soft kiss on his lips.  His hand went to the back of my head and pulled me in, deepening the kiss, right in front of his mother.  I was flushed with embarrassment.

The afternoon went by in a flash.  Roberto sent Aldo to buy some food for us.  Aldo was helping Kayden's parents to get around.  Later on my kids showed up to visit, and were able to meet Sofia and Roberto.  They fell in love with Sofia, and I could tell how easy the conversation was with the five of them.  They were treated with the warmth of family members.  It was clear to me that if Kayden and I stayed together as a couple, my children would fit in with his family without any problems.

Chapter Fifteen

Kayden was released from the hospital on Sunday, as expected, under Carmelo's care.  His parents moved into the guest suite and I, for all intents and purposes, was living with him.  He hired a nurse to take care of me and his housekeeping staff had been instructed to take care of both apartments instead of one. 

I was not used to having all this help around and frankly it intimidated me.  But the thought of sleeping again with Kayden excited me.  I knew we were not going to be able to be intimate, but just being with him in what had become our bed was good enough for now.

Sunday evening after dinner I sent yet another email to Ronald explaining the situation and telling him that yet again I would not be able to report to work.  My daughter Vickie had contacted him already letting him know about my hospitalization.  I also suggested he find someone else to take my job.  It was not fair for me to expect that he wait indefinitely.  Kayden and I needed at least a month of recovery and I planned to be with him.  I offered to volunteer on some projects, which would be all I could do at this time.  Ronald answered immediately.  He had heard about the attack from both Vickie and the news and did not expect me to be there Monday.  He suggested I call when I got better.

Truth be told I was heartbroken about Kayden's condition. The least I could do was help him through this; besides, I wanted to be by his side.

It occurred to me that I had not heard from Julian for the last few days.  I decided to call Vickie and ask her what was going on.

"He's been acting very strange lately, Mom.  I don’t think he is taking the idea of you and Kayden very well."

"Unfortunately for him he has no control over that.  He needs to find a girlfriend; for heaven's sake we have been apart for more than three years now!  Try to find out what's going on but don't mention my name.  I don't want him to get any ideas, I just want to make sure he is okay."  We said our goodbyes and then hung up.

Kayden entered the room as I hung up with Vickie. 

"Who are you worried about?" he asked.

"Julian, I haven't heard from him in a few days."

"Why are you worried about him?  If you ask me I'm glad he's out of the picture."

"I do want him to move on, to find happiness, but I worry about him; for better or worse he has been a part of my life for over twenty years.  Kayden, you truly don't have anything to worry about.  You should know by now how I feel about you.  For such a smart man sometimes you can be so obtuse."

"Me, obtuse?  Come here, I'll show you obtuse."  He was in such a playful mood.  I went to him and he seized my face with his hand and said, "Tell me again."

"Tell you what?"

"Don't be coy, just tell me."

I placed my hands around his neck and said, looking at him straight in the eyes, "I love you."  And closed my mouth on his.

His mother came to tell us that dinner was ready, interrupting our tender moment.

Dinner with the Hale's was fabulous, a combination of good food, camaraderie, and just plain fun.  Sofia and Roberto shared stories about their travels and of their forty-five years of marriage.  I could imagine Kayden growing up in such a loving family with people who supported and cherished him.  

That night was the first night we had been alone in almost a week.  I was desperate for a shower and I asked Kayden if he wanted one.  The nurse would come tomorrow and help me, but I had no interest in another woman touching my private parts, even if she was a medical professional!

I sat on a stool in the shower.  Kayden turned the water on very hot.  He found the body wash and began to pour some on me; he lathered my body slowly, very slowly and I just closed my eyes at the feel of his hands on me.  He did this until my entire body was washed, then it was my turn to wash him.  I cleaned his body with as much tenderness and reverence as he had shown mine.  I went on my knees and washed his male organ, softly, with both hands.

"Taking advantage of a poor invalid, aren't you?" he said.

"Yep," I responded shamelessly.

"Don’t let me stop you."

"I won't," I told him.   After I washed his body and rinsed it, I placed his cock into my mouth. I began to taste his maleness, his hardness electrified me and I could feel him loosing control.  "Ahh," he gasped, his growls becoming louder and louder as he exploded in my mouth.

"Feeling clean now?" I asked.

"Very much so," he responded.  "What should we do about you?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something."

And he did, in several different ways for the next twenty minutes.

He took me to bed that night and dressed with a pair of cotton pajama pants and T-shirt.  Kayden always slept naked but his mother was home and who knew if she had to come into the room.  I found some sweatpants and a camisole for myself and put them on.

"You know, I don’t think I can spend a month without being inside you," he told me once I was in bed next to him.

"It will be hard for me too but we just have to do the best."

"The best is not what I need right now, what I need is just to get lost inside you until we both forget what happened."

"And you will, but for now we both need to be patient."

And so it became our little routine; after dinner we excused ourselves and went to the bedroom to explore each other's bodies until we abandoned ourselves to the whirlwind of sensation.  We found pleasure in places that we didn't think we could and discovered new ways of bringing each other to divine ecstasy.

During the day it was different. Carmelo came daily to check on us and visit with his parents.  Both the nurse and the housekeeper were in the apartment in the mornings and so Sofia and Roberto used the time to go for a walk or visit with friends.  And I used the time to catch up with the new exhibits at the Art Institute.

Sylvia, his secretary, was there every morning too, helping her boss to manage his empire from afar.  Additionally, every afternoon, meetings were held in the office with Kayden's top executives and his security personnel.  Kayden was intent on finding out who was responsible for the attack.  He did not trust the police to follow up, so he decided to hire a top investigator to follow all and any leads and to collaborate with his own security people.  He was on high alert and that included me.  I had strict orders not to go anywhere unaccompanied.  His demands irritated me, but until the aggressors were captured there was nothing any of us could do.

On Wednesday the police came over for a formal statement.  They had no leads as to who was responsible for the attack.  Their focus was Kayden's business associates and any possible retaliation from one of them.  Kayden simply dismissed them.  

By Sunday, week one after being released from the hospital and almost two after the attack, Sofia and Roberto decided that they were ready to go home.  Their plan was to stop in Miami for a few days of shopping for the grandkids and visiting with friends before heading to Rio.  I had thoroughly enjoyed their company and was going to miss them.  I had offered for them to stay at my mothers place while in Miami, but they had long time friends who lived in the city and they wanted to visit with them.

The relationship between Kayden's parents was so strong and loving that it had made me think about the possibilities of a future with Kayden.  What it would be like for Kayden and I to build a life together, to look back after thirty or fifty years of loving each other, of friends and family? 

My daydream ended when I heard Kayden scream, "Fuck."  He had moved too abruptly to get up and irritated his ribs; they were still tender and sudden moves as well as too much laughing or coughing still bothered him.  Apparently it was okay to swear now that Sofia was gone.  Kayden respected both his parents, but there was a special veneration toward his mother.  He would never swear in front of her and definitely would not disrespect her.

"So swearing is back in order," I said sarcastically. 

"Yep; swearing and any damn thing I want to do," he responded curtly. 

"All right then, I think I'll go downstairs and make some phone calls."

"Why the hell do you have to go downstairs to make a phone call?  Who are you calling that you don't want me to hear?"

"Don't talk to me in that tone of voice.  Just because you are frustrated doesn't mean you have to take it out on me.  I can go wherever the hell I want to," I told him firmly; then picked up my purse and walked toward the door.

"Ellie, don’t you dare walk out that door," he screamed back.

His threat was an invitation for me to leave.  I was too tired to look back at his pained expression, I was in no mood for his controlling tendencies, his paranoia, his over protectiveness.  I was too old for all those things.  And so I took the elevator to the ground floor, walked out the door, and once again felt the wind on my face, the wind that is so much a part of living in Chicago.

The air felt brisk; it was October now and winter was fast approaching.  I was seriously underdressed for the outdoors but I didn’t care.  I just needed to feel the wind.  Needed to get out of that apartment building.  Needed to get away from Kayden when he was being so ugly. 

I walked toward Michigan Avenue, the Magnificent Mile, not wanting to face the lake and the terrible memories of that doomed day.  I walked for a long time, in the direction of the Art Institute, until my body began to get seriously cold.  I found a coffee shop and decided to go in.  I ordered a large hot chai tea and found a table by the window.  Looking at the couples walking hand in hand, laughing, and talking, reminded me of how not so long ago we had been one of those couples.  And now he lay prostrated at home while I was here by myself. The reality was that it had been my choice to walk out, just as it had been his choice to use abusive language toward me; that I would not allow, never again.

And so I sat there for what seemed like hours.  My cell phone kept ringing; I decided to finally answer it.

"When are you coming home?" he asked in a contrite voice.

"I don’t know Kayden, perhaps we need time apart. Perhaps being together twenty-four seven is not a good idea for us," I responded, feeling that perhaps I did need to step away and gain some perspective.

"I'm so sorry baby, I was frustrated; I'm restless.  I need to get out of this place myself otherwise I'll go insane."

"Why are you sorry then, Kayden?  Does that mean anytime you feel frustrated you can disrespect me?  That's not the kind of relationship I want."

"I am sorry for disregarding your feelings. I promise you to try to do better next time.  Please come home, I need you."

I did not answer him; I just disconnected the call.  But I knew I would go back to him.  I couldn't stay away; I loved him too much.

Chapter Sixteen

That night in the apartment there were no games, just silence.  Kayden tried to get close to me but couldn't.  I made no effort to cuddle next to him.  I was still reeling from the fight, if you could call it a fight.

I tried to sleep but couldn't.  I hated not talking to him.  Kayden was awake, too; I felt him trying to breathe deeply.  Before I realized it he was turning to face me.

"Ellie, please talk to me, I can't stand seeing you angry."

"I'm not angry, or at least not now.  I'm just trying to figure out what's going on."

"Baby please, you have to understand what these last ten days have done to me.  I feel like a prisoner in my own house, like a caged animal.  When you left this afternoon, I wanted to run after you but couldn't.  Can you imagine what that felt like?  Can you understand the pain, the desperation?" 

Tears fell down my eyes as I heard his words.  I wanted to grab him, to hold him but instead I just listened and cried in silence.  

"Since I was a kid I have been an independent person, a take charge person, a physical one.  Now I depend on others for everything; I depend on you when I should be here to take care of you, to protect you.  I couldn't even protect you that day.  And that hurts even more than anything those goons could have done to me.  I am only half a man right now."

"Kayden, no, no, please don’t talk like that, don’t think like that.  There was nothing, nothing you could have done to protect me; those guys made sure of that."

"I swear to God I am going to find out who they are, and when I do they are going to wish they had never been born." Anger spewed out of his words.