Fifth a Fury

Louise cocked her head. “I’m impressed.” Moving closer to his bedside, she gave me a quick smile before slipping into professional mode. “What else can you move? Are you aware of your bodily functions? Do you feel the pressure of your bladder? What about any irregular electrical impulses in your limbs? Are your muscles contracted or at ease? Does sound bother you? What about your sight? Restored to full ability or hazy?”

Even my ears rang with her questions but Sully seemed to be evolving from a man who could barely talk into a quick-witted, vastly intelligent scientist who I had no doubt would prove her diagnosis completely incorrect.

He would walk well before two months had passed.

And when he does...he’s marrying me.

“I can wriggle my toes. I am aware of my bodily functions. I want that damn catheter out and something to eat. I have a twitch in my left calf that won’t stop and my right shoulder blade has a stitch. I can hear perfectly fine so would appreciate you keep your volume appropriate and I can see 20/20. Anymore questions?” He smirked, looking far too smug and entirely delicious.

He seemed so alive.

So...vivid.

How could he return so him when only an hour ago he’d still been a silent stranger sleeping beside me?

Louise returned his smile. “I’m glad you seem on the mend, Mr. Sinclair.”

“I appreciate your care, Ms...”

“Maldon.” Louise bent and touched his hand in official greeting. “Louise Maldon.”

Sully nodded before looking me up and down. “I’ve answered your questions, now answer mine. Is Eleanor okay?”

“Me?” I frowned. “Why on earth wouldn’t I be okay?”

Sully’s gaze darkened to a self-condemning navy. “Let’s count the ways. Last time I saw you, you were fighting off my brother. Before that you were fighting exhaustion from elixir. And before that you were fighting off your own heart attack while I tried to get us off this goddamn island.”

“Wrong.” I sniffed. “Last time you saw me, I’d just been on your lap and you had the audacity to die on me.”

“Don’t change the subject, Jinx.” He glared at Louise. “Is she okay? Did I hurt her? Did Drake hurt her? Is there any long term damage?”

Louise glanced at me warily, most likely wondering what sort of messed up relationship we shared. Slowly, she answered, “Eleanor is made of strong stuff, Mr. Sinclair. She has spent every night by your side. She’s stayed steadfast and hopeful and has been an asset to my team assisting in your care.” Louise looked at Sully, spilling my secrets. “Her shock when you suffered tachyarrhythmia unbalanced her a bit and depression had set in with your prolonged state but...she’s resilient and it won’t cause lasting effects. Not now you’re awake.”

I scowled, wishing she hadn’t passed on my own flaws and maladies. Knowing Sully, he’d hyper focus on my emotional well-being as well as my physical. He’d take on more guilt. He’d do his best to look after me when it was him that needed looking after.

I dared meet his vicious stare. He might no longer have goddesses in his control or sleazy guests to entertain but he was still a man used to power and obedience. “I’m fine, Sully. Don’t make this about me—”

“It’s because of you that I’m alive.”

“And it’s because of you that I’m alive.”

“It’s because of me that all of this happened.”

“How are his legs?” I asked Louise, changing the subject, not ready to have a squabble in front of her. It seemed the longer Sully was awake, the more energy he had to expend. I understood the feeling. Every second that ticked past, I grew itchy. The desire to run and dance and swim hadn’t left but now it’d morphed to more sexual desires. I wanted to be close to him. I wanted heat and wetness and every dominant, aggressive lust that drove us mad for each other.

Abstinence was going to be the hardest thing.

Celibacy when both our bodies hungered for touch and reaffirmation that we were alive would be yet another painful battle.

“Don’t change the subject,” Sully growled.

Louise chuckled and pushed me away a little. Bending, she grasped the sheet resting over Sully’s hips. “May I?”

His glower switched to her. “To remove the catheter? Fine.”

“Not yet, but yes, I will remove that.”

“Then why—”

She pulled the sheet down, revealing Sully’s erection had abated enough not to drag our attention directly between his legs and instead captured our stare on other parts of him.

I gasped.

Sully jerked, his gaze flying over the state of his legs.

I’d grown used to his wounds. I’d given him sponge baths and even carried in a bucket of water from Nirvana one night, hoping a rinse in his favourite waterfall would somehow cleanse him enough to wake up.

His face turned white with horror. “Fuck me.”

“That’s another reason you won’t be walking within a week, Mr. Sinclair.” Louise pointed at his shattered ankle, broken toes, and fracture tibia. Not that they were broken anymore. The cast came off a couple of weeks ago but the bruising still hung around and the withering of muscle around the injuries made it look far, far worse.

His other leg had suffered a broken femur and the harpoon wound had finally knitted together, the stitches and adhesive had dissolved until only a red scar remained. No more blood or infection but discolouration and lack of exercise had left his leg in a bad state of disrepair.

He swallowed hard. “Will I be able to walk at all?”

“You should. In time.” Louise slipped into a quick and digestible spiel. “Your injuries were extensive but your bones have knitted back together while you’ve been unconscious. I suggest you stay off them for another few weeks to ensure there are no new fractures, but the surgery on your ankle has stabilised the joint and there are no serious complications that I can foresee when you do start walking.” She dropped the sheet with a gentle sigh. “Along with the trauma to your legs, you sustained a few cracked ribs from CPR. They might be tender as you begin to move. I must request that you listen to your pain levels and take rehabilitation seriously. The faster you push yourself, the more damage you will cause. Slow and steady is the quickest way to normalcy.”

Pulling away, she smiled at both of us. “I’ll call the kitchens to arrange some food. I’ll be back soon to remove the sensors and, of course, the catheter.” She left with a gentle squeeze on my hand as she passed by. “Good luck keeping him in bed.”

I smiled before sitting on the edge of Sully’s mattress. He surprised me as his hand turned upside down, his fingers wriggling for me to link with him. His willpower to no longer be villa-bound was impressive.

Placing my palm on his, we both sucked in a breath, suffering the familiar tingles and longing.

“Thank you, Eleanor,” Sully murmured. “For everything.”

I squeezed his fingers hard. “Thank you...for coming after me to Geneva and for not dying on me.”

He flinched as if I’d said something that caused physical pain.

That couldn’t happen.

I couldn’t allow his thoughts to stray to the past. What was done was done. It was gone. Time had ticked forward and I’d erased what I could. From this day forward, I didn’t want to talk about his brother or his goddesses or any of the violent crimes I’d read online about him in Jakarta.