Chapter 22
Gideon paused at the threshold of Lily’s apartment, hand on the cold brass knob, her in his lap. Memories from a few days ago washed over him and filled him with an icy dread. The still apartment, her feverish body, his fear for her. He swallowed as he convinced himself everything was okay.
“Um, are we going in?”
Her words interrupted his thoughts and her weight in his lap reminded him she was here, safe with him. Gentle heat from her body calmed him. Such a difference from a few days ago, when touching her made him sweat. The tension in his body began to ease; the kinks in his muscles started to unwind.
He shook his head to clear the cobwebs. “Yeah, sorry.” He opened the door and Lily stood.
As they entered the apartment, Samantha and Claire welcomed her like a returning war hero. Claire screamed and ran over to her, jumped into her arms and hugged her so tightly, she stumbled backward. Clamping his jaw closed to prevent himself from yelling at Claire, Gideon rushed forward. He grasped her waist, as Samantha raced over to pry Claire off of her.
“Why don’t you give your mom what you made her?”
Claire raced into her room and Gideon steered Lily into the apartment and over to the sofa. She was as substantial as a twig and he shuddered.
Lily sank into the cushions as Claire jumped onto the couch next to her. She hugged her mother again and handed her a pile of papers, including a get-well card, several pictures and a poem. As she read the poem, her eyes welled with tears and she leaned over and hugged Claire. “I missed you so much, sweetie.”
“Me too, Mommy. Don’t ever do that again.” Claire pulled away and frowned at her.
Lily took her cheeks in her palms and kissed her. “I’ll try not to, honey, okay? Now, tell me everything you did with Samantha while I was gone.”
As Lily and Claire talked, Gideon and Samantha put Lily’s things away and pulled down the covers of her bed. When mother and daughter finished, he came over.
“Okay you two, that’s enough for now.” He picked Lily up and put her on his lap. His breath caught in his chest as her bones dug into his lap and side.
“What are you doing?” she sputtered.
“Putting you to bed.”
He and Sam both ignored Lily’s protests and put her to bed.
“I’m not tired.” She struggled to get up, but Samantha gently pushed her into the pillow.
“You have to rest to regain your strength,” Gideon answered. “Take a nap.” He shut the door before she could respond.
From the other side of the door, Gideon heard Lily mutter. She hated being handled, but it was the best thing for her right now. She needed her rest. He waited at the door, determined to block her path if she dared to open the door, but it remained shut. A lack of noise from within told him she’d fallen asleep, and after a few moments, he left his post.
An hour later, he knocked on the door, her dinner tray on his lap, Claire peeking over his shoulder. They arranged the tray on her lap and returned with their own food.
“See Mom, it’s just like a picnic.” Lily smiled at Claire and the three of them caught up on three days’ worth of news.
As she stifled a yawn, Gideon said, “Come on, kiddo; let’s get you ready for bed.” Unfortunately, after being separated from her mother for so long, Claire wasn’t ready to relinquish the attention.
“I don’t want to go to bed, Mommy. Please can’t I stay up a little later? Please, pretty please?” Claire gave her soulful eyes as she hugged her.
Lily couldn’t help smiling. She reminded her of a puppy dog. “I love your hugs, Claire, I do, but they’re not going to work this time. It’s time for bed. You have a big day at school tomorrow. Now go and get undressed.”
Like a sudden summer storm, Claire’s mood changed from pleadingly sweet to angry in seconds. “It’s not fair,” she shouted as she stomped across the room. “I never get what I want!”
Lily started to push away the covers. Gideon stopped her. “Do you mind if I try something with her?”
“Be my guest.” She sank onto the pillows. “She’s all yours.”
He followed Claire. “Hey, ClaireBear, what’s wrong?” He maneuvered next to her bed, where she sat hunched over, her fists bunched and her face sporting a glare worthy of him in his darkest moods. He held back a chuckle.
“I’m angry!” She turned away from him. Her rounded back illuminated her spine through her shirt; Gideon saw all of her vertebrae, and he ran his finger down each one. Usually, this tickled Claire and provoked at least a giggle from her. This time, though, she didn’t say a word.
“What are you angry about?” he prodded, when the silence stretched.
“Mom!”
“What about your mom?”
“She always has to get her way. I want to stay up and she won’t let me!”
He pulled her into a brief hug. Like her daughter, he wanted to spend every second with Lily as well. “Don’t you have school tomorrow?”
Claire nodded without a sound.
“You don’t want to be too tired to enjoy it, do you?”
She faced him. “I don’t care!”
Gideon sat back. “I think you do. How about you get ready for bed and I’ll read you a story. Is it a deal?”
Claire remained motionless for a moment. Her body relaxed and she relented.
“One thing though,” he said and leaned into her. “You have to go say you’re sorry to your mom for yelling at her. Okay?”
She followed him into Lily’s bedroom, where Lily sat under the covers and tried to read a book. Claire climbed onto the bed and snuggled into her mom. “I’m sorry, Mommy.”
Lily hugged her and kissed the top of her head, her nose rubbing her soft locks. “That’s okay, sweetie. I missed you so much. I love you.”
“I love you, too, Mommy.” She hopped off the bed and ran into her room. “Gideon’s going to read me a story!” she yelled from her bedroom.
“That’s great, Claire,” she called out. Then to him, “Thanks for handling that.”
His lungs expanded with the knowledge that he was able to do something for the two of them. “No problem. I’d love to put her to bed.”
Five minutes later, Claire was in her pajamas, teeth brushed and face washed. Her shiny face glowed and she smelled like soap. She held one of her favorite books. Gideon took it, and led her into her bedroom. Claire climbed under the covers and he sat next to the head of the bed and examined the book.
“Piggy Pie?” He flipped through it and ran his palms over the shiny cover.
“It’s my favorite.”
“Okay, well, lie under the covers and get comfortable.”
Claire snuggled and hugged her hippo as Gideon began to read. He kept his baritone voice mellifluous and soothing and used different accents for the pigs, the ducks, the cows, the farmer and the witch. A few minutes later, he closed her bedroom door and came over to Lily.
“All set?” she asked.
“Sound asleep,” he replied with a smile.
Just then, Samantha knocked on the door. “Hi guys,” she chirped. “My turn?”
Lily looked from Gideon to Samantha. “You know, it’s not necessary for you to be with me twenty-four hours a day. I can take care of myself.”
“We know, but we want to help.” Samantha placed a glass of water on Lily’s night table.
“You’ve helped a lot already,” Lily answered. “Both of you have.”
“It’s our pleasure,” Samantha said.
“Now, get some rest tonight and I’ll see you in the morning.” Gideon followed Samantha to the bedroom door.
“What, no goodnight kiss?” Lily joked. Gideon’s face heated as Samantha choked on a laugh and escaped, leaving them alone. He waited until Samantha had truly left, and then, he came over to the bed.
“Was that necessary?”
Lily shrugged, an innocent look on her face. “I didn’t know kissing me was such a chore.”
Gideon snorted and leaned over. He grasped her face and brushed her lips with his. Relief she was okay flooded through him and he pressed his lips to hers harder. He grasped the nape of her neck and wound his fingers through her hair.
Lily stroked his neck and slid her arms around him as her lips met his. When they pulled apart, they were both panting.
“Better?” he asked as he stared at her swollen lips. They begged him for more, and it was all he could do not to grab her and taste her lips again and again and again.
“Much better,” she answered with a smile.
With a firm grip on his libido, he exited the room. He felt better, too.
****
For the next few days, Gideon and Samantha moved in to take care of her and Claire. Strong and bull-headed as usual, he wouldn’t let her walk for her first two days home. He carried her or got things for her and gave her no privacy at all, except when she forced him to leave the bathroom. Then, he waited right outside her door, as if convinced she’d come to irreparable harm if he left her on her own for more than a minute.
While Lily appreciated their efforts, she had never been one to languish in bed all day, and by Saturday, she was bored and ready to scream. Tension from her confinement made her head pound and her temper short. They both drove her crazy. Especially Gideon. He mother-henned her so much, she breathed a sigh of relief when he was gone and Samantha relieved him, although she was no improvement.
“Gideon, this is getting ridiculous,” she sighed in exasperation. “I’m fine. The doctor wouldn’t have discharged me otherwise.”
“I know you’re fine, but you’ve been through a rough time, you’re still recovering and I’m going to make sure you have a chance to regain your strength.” He came in with a tray piled with nutritious foods—barley soup, whole grain bread and a banana. Lily’s body waged a war against itself – her mouth watered at the appetizing aroma, but her stomach churned at the thought of another meal in bed.
She took a sip of soup and a bite of banana and reached for the phone as she struggled to swallow. “I have to call Anne and find out what’s going on at work.” Before her fingers could reach it, Gideon pulled the phone away from her.
“It’s the weekend. Finish eating.” He folded his arms and waited for her to obey him. He reminded her of a rock, and Lily longed for a chisel.
She glared at him. “What did you do that for? I told you I have to call Anne.”
“I know you do, and you can. But after you eat. You have to regain your strength, and the only way to do that is to eat well. You’re too skinny.” His gaze traveled from the top of her head to the ends of her pink-painted toes, with a significant pause at the V in her pajama top, and despite her anger, Lily burned under his gaze. She swallowed as she attempted to replace desire with annoyance.
She wolfed down a few hasty bites, pushed the tray away and jumped out of bed before Gideon could stop her. “The only way to regain my strength is to get moving.” She glowered at him, her fists balled on her hips.
As they snarled at each other, Samantha entered. “Well, I’m glad to see you two getting along well,” she said with false brightness.
“Gideon won’t let me out of bed.” Her head swiveled from Gideon to Samantha to the door as she judged the fastest route out of the room. Gideon could definitely overpower her if she ran past him, and Samantha might be able to block her if she jumped across the bed. She gritted her teeth in frustration.
Samantha stared at both of them for a minute. “Gideon, can I speak to you out here for a sec?”
Lily and Gideon protested. Loudly. Samantha stamped her foot.
“Enough!” Surprised at her outburst, both she and Gideon paused mid-yell. “Lily, he is my brother and I can talk to him privately anytime I want. Gideon, when your sister asks to speak to you, you don’t say no.”
Reprimanded, Lily flounced against the bed pillows while Gideon followed her out the bedroom door.
From the bedroom, Lily heard only quiet bursts of whispering. As she sat in bed, her annoyance built to frustration then to anger. Although she’d been relieved to have the room to herself, she hated being excluded. The only thing she hated more was being talked about. She got out of bed and tiptoed to the door. The two were so engrossed in their conversation, they didn’t notice her.
“…know you’re right,” Gideon whispered and ran his hands through his hair. “You have no idea how scared I was when I saw her lying in that hospital bed.”
Samantha met his gaze. “Yeah, I think I do.”
He flushed. “Okay, maybe you do. But you can’t expect me to just abandon her.”
“Gideon, letting her do things for herself is not abandoning her.” She kneeled and leaned into her brother. “Not everyone abandoned you, either.”
He stiffened and reversed his chair, dissolving the physical contact between him and his sister. “We’re not talking about me.”
Samantha stood and folded her arms over her chest. “Okay. But think about how you felt, how you still feel, when people baby you.”
“But I want to take care of her to show her how much I care about her.”
“Couldn’t you find another way to show her?”
The raw emotion in his voice tore through Lily, tamped down her anger and made her feel guilty for spying on his private conversation. She shut the door and hopped into bed to consider his words. She raised her head as he returned.
“I’m sorry I’ve been bossy,” he said as he approached the bed.
“I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m just bored with lying here and I want to get up and do something.” She wasn’t used to lying in bed and being taken care of.
“I know. And I don’t mean to coddle you, either.” He smiled at her. “More than anyone, I should know better.”
She held out her hand. “Hello, kettle, I’m pot. You’re black.”
They shook hands with silly grins on their faces, and the tension evaporated. She stifled a yawn.
“Did I tire you out?” Concern etched his face. “I can’t believe how thoughtless that was of me. Here you are recuperating and…”
Lily covered his mouth. Gideon’s eyes flashed in anger, but then he licked her palm. She pulled her hand away quickly.
“That’s what you get for trying to shut me up,” he replied.
“I wasn’t trying to shut you up,” she retorted. “I was trying to end the self-flagellation barrage.”
“The what?”
Lily sat. “I’m fine. I was sick, but I’m not anymore, and you have to stop treating me like I’m an invalid. I think I’m quite capable of deciding what I can and can’t do. I appreciate your taking care of me, I do, but I’m not a piece of china.”
“I know.” His voice got hoarse. “You scared me though. When I saw you lying on that bed, something inside me just…” He cleared his throat and stroked her face. “I’m sorry for treating you like a child these past few days.”
Lily bit her lip. “Well, I don’t know if I’d describe it quite that way.”
Gideon hugged her. “Good thing. Seriously, I’m sorry.”
“Me too.” They hugged again, but the slam of Lily’s front door interrupted them.
“Hello? Everyone decent in there?” Samantha called out as she entered the apartment.
Lily met Samantha in the living room.
“So, everything okay between you two?”
“Just fine,” Lily answered as a blush crept up her cheeks. “You know, you don’t have to stay with me tonight. Claire’s asleep and I’m totally fine.”
“Mmm hmm,” Samantha smirked. “You lookin’ for some alone time with my brother?”
Lily rolled her eyes.
“All right, I’ll leave you alone. In all ways.” Samantha started to leave. “Tell Gideon I’ll talk to him tomorrow.” The two women hugged, and Lily went to check on Claire as Samantha left the apartment.
She bent and lightly kissed Claire on the cheek. Claire smelled like sweat and sleep, and Lily inhaled. She’d missed her baby. She adjusted the sheet and left, bumping into Gideon outside the door.
“Is she asleep?” Gideon asked as he reached out to steady her.
Lily sighed. “This late, I’d hope so.”
“I’d better go. I don’t want Claire waking and finding me here.”
“She wouldn’t think anything of it, especially after the past few days.” They’d gelled, becoming like a team, or even a family.
Gideon took her hand and kissed it, his gaze warm. “I know, but I think it’s better if I go.”