Chapter Fifty-Five
ADAM
The waiting room was full again, by the time the doctor agreed to discharge Julie. She was beyond fed up with being kept there, and there was no risk to her health, physically, by letting her leave.
We had to insist on a wheelchair, to take her out to the car, with Marco insisting on driving us to my house, and to be honest, I was glad of the company.
She hadn’t wanted to go to her house, which made perfect sense, but she also felt uneasy about going to my place. Not because she felt unsafe there, but because she didn’t want to be alone with me. She didn’t have to say it. I could tell. I’d promised her that she’d have a room of her own, and I didn’t expect anything of her, but I could tell it worried her.
Cass and Lenore had already been to her house, and gathered up her clothes, fluffy pyjamas, and other toiletries and things she’d need, and the house had been secured by the clean-up crew.
Marco and Lenore were both with us for the journey to my house. I felt a deep sense of dread, as I thought about what mess we were going home to. I’m not always the tidiest person, and I’d never expected house guests, so I had this concern that there could be dirty laundry, and stuff that I’d rather not have them see. But, of course, it wasn’t like every one of them hadn’t seen me at my worst already, so how much worse could it get?
“Here we are.” Marco said, as he pulled up outside my house. I felt as nervous as a fucking schoolboy on a first date.
Lenore turned around in her seat. “You want us to come in for a bit?” She was asking Julie, but it was me that said yes, because I wasn’t ready to be alone with her yet either.
I was constantly fighting this urge to drag her into my arms and hold her, and protect her from the world. And I was just as certain that I’d terrify her if I did. She wasn’t ready for that.
“You coming then?” I realised I was the last one left in the car. Crap. I got out, and followed them to my door, shocked as hell when Marco pulled out a key, and unlocked the door.
“What the fuck?” I asked him, frowning at his shiny new key to my fucking house.
He smirked. “You think we don’t have keys to every fucking place connected to anyone the Bennetts work with?”
I snatched the key out of his hand, shoving him aside, as I pushed the door open.
“Also, you think that’s the only copy?” He muttered, stepping back so we could let the women in first.
Once inside, Lenore declared it her duty to make coffee, while I took care of Julie. What did Julie want though? What did she need?
Marco had taken her bags upstairs, because he probably thought giving us a few minutes alone would be a good thing. All it achieved was an awkward silence, while I debated how to ask her what she needed, and she probably wondered how to ask for whatever it was.
We stared at each other, standing about a metre apart in my living room.
“Jesus… I’m sorry, Julie. I have no idea how to work out what to say or do. What should I do?” I shrugged helplessly, feeling like the biggest pussy to ever walk the earth.
She stared around the room. “Can I use the recliner?” She pointed to the old recliner chair set aside from the sofa and my one armchair. It used to be my dad’s. He loved that thing. It was so old, that it was incredibly comfy. I nodded, and watched her go over to curl up in it, like a scared kitten.
“You want a blanket?” She nodded, so I went to the sofa, to grab my fleece blanket for her, approaching her like a lion tamer, who was deathly afraid of their lion.
She let me drape it over her, taking over the task of tucking herself in, rather than letting me do it. And didn’t that say it all? She didn’t want me close enough to touch her. As if I even had the right.
Lenore and Marco reappeared at about the same time, both carrying coffees, so he’d obviously joined her there, to give us more time. I was suddenly so afraid of time. Time together. Alone. How was I supposed to be around a woman who was afraid to be anywhere near me?
“Did you put Julie’s things in the spare room?” I suddenly asked Marco, because I couldn’t even remember if I’d told him that. He nodded.
“I mean, I assume so. It wasn’t strewn with your clothes, so I assume it’s the spare room.”
I smirked suddenly. Thank god for Marco, and his appalling sense of humour. I flipped him off, and picked up the coffee Lenore had made for me.
Julie cleared her throat, and we all focused on her, her cheeks turning red.
“I… uh… I’m not going to be in your room?” She asked quietly. I glanced at the others, before I turned back to her.
“I… when we discussed it, I thought you needed your own space, little angel. You’ll be safe in there, I promise.”
She lowered her eyes, staring down at her drink.