Taking Chances (Blackrock Book 2) (32 page)

“Dad?”
I ask hoping it’s him on my right hand side.

“Yes
sweetheart, you okay?”

I
just wanted to know that it was him sitting next to me and not some
random dude. “Yeah just checking.” Our names are called
and I am first on the plane. My dad helps me into my seat and buckles
the belt making me feel useless and childish. “Dad I think I
should stay at the apartment with Knox.”

He
frowns at me as he leans forward to look at my hanging head. “Why
Bailey?”

Sighing
I lift my head a fraction so as not to draw anymore stares my way.
“Because you can’t help with certain things.”

Shaking
his head, he pats my hands softly. “I can hire a nurse for
you.”

“No
dad seriously, I don’t want a nurse. Knox will help me.”

I
can tell by the look on his face he is not too happy, but it will be
easier staying with Knox. At least I can get help dressing and
bathing without embarrassment. Pulling out my phone I text him while
everyone else finds their seats.

Me:
Hi babe on plane now.

Knox:
Ok darlin what time you land? Where will I meet you?

Me:
Airport bring the truck I should land by three.

Knox:
I’m there beautiful.

I
smile at his message. Turning off my phone I catch the eye of a
businessman sitting across from me. He looks repulsed at first and
then realizes I saw his face before giving me an apologetic smile.
Using my good hand I pull the hood down to cover my messed up face
and turn to the window, closing my eyes.

On
the other side we are met with another wheel chair wielding employee
who strolls through the airport like he is on a leisurely stroll
through the park. I just want to get up and run. Finally we emerge
into the arrivals hall; still my head is down looking at the ground
as the chair comes to a stop in front of a pair of black motorcycle
boots.

“Hey
darlin’.”

Lifting
my head I peek up seeing concern in Knox’s eyes. “Hi,”
I whisper, reaching my hand out to him. It takes us about five
minutes to walk across the crosswalk to the truck, a journey that
would normally take me about five seconds. Knox helps me up and I say
goodbye to my dad who looks sad.

“Don’t
worry, dad. You know where I am; you can visit me.”

Smiling he hands me my meds.
“Okay sweetheart, call me if you need anything.” I nod as
he closes the door and Knox pulls away. I close my eyes only for a
minute but wake up in the parking lot of the apartment.

“Oh
sorry, I didn’t know I was asleep.”

Knox
shrugs. “No problem darlin’.” Helping me up the
stairs, Knox unlocks the door and leads me to the bed. I sit down
with a groan and I close my eyes and breathe against the pain.

“You
okay?” Knox asks, taking off my shoes and unzipping his hoodie.

“Babe.”
I can only manage a whisper as the rest of the sentence gets caught
in my throat forming a lump as I finally let the tears flow that I
have been holding back all this time.

“Shush darlin’, I
have you.” Knox kisses my head, wrapping me in his arms as sobs
rip from my throat causing my ribs to ache even further. “Don’t
cry darlin,” You’re safe now.” I can only cling to
him as I soak his t-shirt with my tears. With one sentence from him,
all my emotions come crashing down on me especially fear.

Knox
helps me take off my dress, pulling one of his t-shirts over my head.
Tears still flow, silently now down my cheeks. Helping me into bed,
Knox kisses my cheek drying my tears with his thumbs.

“I’ll
be back in a sec; just getting your medication.” He jogs out of
the room to the kitchen and is back in thirty seconds with three
pills and a bottle of water. It hurts to swallow the pills and I can
only sip the water.

“Do you want to watch a
movie?” Knox asks looking helpless.

“If
you want, babe, but I will just fall asleep.”

“I don’t mind,
darlin’. I’ll be here.” Reaching out I link my
fingers through his as he turns on the small TV we have on the wall
by the foot of the bed. I don’t even see what movie he picks
because my eyes are closed and exhaustion takes over.

When
I open my eyes again the room is empty and the moon is high in the
sky outside my window. Figuring Knox went to work, I gingerly pull
myself out of bed wincing at the pain in my ribs as I make my way to
the restroom. As soon as I open the door I can hear voices from the
kitchen so I make a detour and find Knox and Max eating dinner.

“Awe
you guys look so cute,” I mumble at them.

“Fuck!”
Max gasps as he takes in my face and bruised thighs his eyes roaming
all over me checking my injuries. Knox stands up coming over to me.

“I
need some help,” I say, pointing over my shoulder. At first he
looks confused then smiles as we turn around and head for the
bathroom. “This is so embarrassing,” I mumble while Knox
chuckles.

“I’m
used to it by now, darlin’,” he says, cocking his
eyebrow.

“What,
you help a lot of girls pee?”

“No,
not the peeing bit.” He points at my underwear and I just shake
my head.

“Perv.”
He steps outside while I go and try to fix my clothes, sighing and
huffing.

“I
am here, darlin’,” he says, walking back to me and
helping fix me up. He even goes so far as to wash my hands for me.

“You
want to try eat?” I nod as my stomach growls at me.

Max
stands up when I come, allowing me to sit down. “Okay, I am off
to work. See you all tomorrow.” He gives me a quick kiss on the
cheek and Knox a bro hug.

“Thanks
for covering,” Knox says as Max leaves.

“You
not working, babe?”

He
shakes his head no. “Need to take care of my woman.” He
smiles holding up a can of soup.

“Sure
it’s not like I can eat anything.” My lip is still
swollen and the stitches pull every time I talk. Knox brings me my
soup and finishes up his own dinner of lasagna and garlic bread,
which has my mouth watering each time he takes a bite.

“You
look like you want to kill me,” Knox says snapping me out of my
want induced staring.

“Oh
sorry. Not you, the food.”

He
covers his heart with his hand. “And here I thought I was the
only thing that made your mouth water.”

“Babe,
you’re such a pervert, but yes, you do make my mouth water
among other things.”

Raising
an eyebrow at me, he gives me one of his cheeky smirks. “Darlin’,
you’re in no condition to be making such promises.”

“I
don’t remember making a promise, just stating a fact.”

Standing
up he kisses my head. “Oh, you made a promise alright,”
he teases before pulling back. “Not to be a dick, but you need
a bath and a hair wash,” he says and leaves the room. Huh not
being a dick? Well you just sounded like one. I hear the bath water
running and him singing while he gets it ready for me. Who knew I
would get my very own male nurse? Walking to the bathroom, Knox steps
out almost crashing into me. “Whoa.” He holds his hands
up, then smiles while gripping the end of the t-shirt as he pulls it
up slowly over my battered body.

Helping
me into the hot water, I slide down allowing it to swallow me up.
Knox just watches me lying there warring with something in his mind

“What’s going on?”
I ask snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Nothing
it can wait.” He grabs the bath poof and my body wash and gets
to work. He moves slowly over the bruises, cursing under his breath
each time as he lathers my body. I have my arm suspended above my
head to keep the cast dry.

“I’m
goanna do your hair, darlin’. It will hurt, there is still
blood in it.”

Lifting
my free hand to my head, I feel around. “Sorry, I didn’t
know.” Grabbing the showerhead down he begins the task of
tackling the bird’s nest that is now my hair. After ten minutes
and a lot of tears and cursing, he is finally finished while I look
at him still cursing his fingers.

“I’m sorry Bailey,
but I told you it was mess back there.” Drying me off he shrugs
as if, he didn’t just pull the head off of me.

We
make it to the sofa to watch a movie after Knox wraps my ribs again.
“I should have killed that fucker,” he grumbles flicking
through the TV stations.

“Then
you’d be in jail and I would be alone.”

He
snakes an arm around my shoulder nudging me closer. “Sorry
darlin,” I’m just so pissed off.” Resting my cast
against his rock hard abs and my head against his chest I sigh
because I know just how he feels.

“I
know babe, but let’s just try to forget and move on. I don’t
need it taking over my life.” Even though the words come out of
my mouth, I know all too well that I don’t really believe
myself. I know what happened is eating me inside out and I can’t
close my eyes with out reliving it all over again.

“Oh,
I have a surprise for you,” Knox announces moving me while he
slides off the sofa and into the kitchen. “Look what I found in
the airport.” His smile is bright and reaches to his eyes as he
prowls over to me holding out a large white chocolate Toblerone.

“Thanks
babe, but I can’t even open my mouth enough to put a bit in.”

I
watch as Knox breaks off two pieces of chocolate then proceeds to
whack them until they are all in tiny bits.

“Now
you can enjoy, darlin’.” He slides a piece into my mouth
followed by a chaste kiss.

“You’re
the best, you know that?” Reaching out I rub his face gently as
he kneels on the floor in front of me.

“Anything
for you darlin’,” he says and I know he means it; I can
hear the sincerity in his voice.

Over
this last weak I have been sleeping and living on soup. Knox has made
all my doctor appointments and today I get to visit the hospital to
have my eye checked out. Knox and I are waiting in the small room for
the doctor to arrive. I watch with my one eye as he paces around the
room, five steps left, turn, five steps right.

“Knox.”

His
head snaps up. “Yeah, you okay?” He steps to my side
holding my un-injured hand.

“Yes
babe, I am fine but why are you pacing?” He opens his mouth to
speak just as the doctor walks in.

“Hello
Bailey, how are you?” We make small talk as he removes the
gauze from my eye. I catch the look of horror on Knox’s face,
which makes me panic.

“What?
What’s wrong?”

The
doctor shakes his head. “Nothing, I just need to clean off the
area.” I nod while he tells me to hold a kidney dish as he
squirts cold liquid onto my eye. I whimper like a baby at the sting.
“I know it stings a little but I’m almost done,”
the doctor tells me, making Knox stand and cross his arms while
watching every move the doctor makes.

“Now
that’s better.” Taking the dish, he wipes my eye and
grabs one of those thin wooden sticks. Instinctively I pull back and
turn my face. “It’s okay, Bailey. I am only going to open
the lid.” The doctor makes me lie down and dims the lights.

I
reach out to Knox who grabs my cast and rubs my arm. “It’s
okay, darlin’. I’m here.” My heart is beating so
hard; just the thought of someone messing with my eye is freaking me
out.

“Okay
here we go, deep breaths,” the doctor says as he pulls my eye
apart making me cry out.

“Jesus
Christ, you’re hurting her,” Knox tells him.

“I know I am, but I need
the eye to open.” I can’t help the tears that begin and
the doctor pats my shoulder. “I’m sorry, but it has to be
done or you won’t heal.” I just nod while I cry like a
baby. “I’ll give you a minute,” the doctor says and
leaves the room.

I
grab Knox with my free hand pulling him down to me as I cry harder.
“Come on darlin’.” Wrapping his arms around me, he
lifts me up holding me tight. “Shush baby, I have you.”
He kisses my head and face rubbing my hair. Finally I stop crying but
the hiccups and runny nose stay as the doctor comes back inside
holding a bag.

“How
are you doing?” His kind face smiles at me and I just nod. “I
know it hurts but you have to get that eye open so I am giving you
some eye wash.” He holds up a bottle with a pointy looking
straw attached to it. “And some gauze.” He puts that in
the bag too.

“Now
you need to wash that eye at least twice a day and try to open it as
much as possible, even if it’s for a few seconds at a time. You
can rinse the eye while showering but just don’t get any soap
in there.” He smiles at me, handing the bag and a new
appointment reminder for next week.

Knox
holds my hand all the way to the truck and helps me inside. My ribs
still hurt but not as bad.

“How are you doing?”
he asks, leaning over me to click the seatbelt.

“Okay.
I have a headache now.”

He
breathes through his nose like a dragon. “Are you hungry?”

“Sure,”
I reply and he drives us to Marion to his dad’s house.

“Why
are we here?” He doesn’t answer as he climbs out coming
around to open my door helping me out. We walk in silence into the
house.

“Hey dad you home?”
He shouts as we walk into the kitchen. I hear movement behind me so I
instantly run to Knox grabbing his shirt.

“Hey
son, what are you doing here?” I relax but my hand starts
shaking.

“Oh
hey, we were going to have dinner. You want to join us?”

Knox
and his dad exchange a look and his dad nods, “Okay.”
Knox leads me to the table and I sit while he rummages through the
fridge.

An
hour later we are eating steak and fries with a salad.

“So
what did you kids get up to today and why are you not in class?”
Richard asks Knox raising an eyebrow.

“Bailey
had a hospital appointment.” He nods at me while I pick up a
piece of steak that he cut into small bites sizes. Jeez, I feel like
such a kid; he helps me shower, dress, pee and cuts my food into bite
size bits. I wonder what he would be like with kids? Whoa what the
heck am I thinking? I quickly push all thoughts of Knox as a father
away from mind and tune back into the conversation. Richard and Knox
are talking about school and finals in a few weeks, Richard telling
Knox not to let his studies fall by the way side.