Chapter 242 Chapter 242
Evanna looked to see the other bed empty. She sat up. How long had she been asleep? Leaning over, she moved the curtain and looked outside, it looked like early morning. That shift had been hard. Frowning, she looked around for the journal, she was sure it had been on the table between the beds.
Getting up, she stood there for a moment trying to assess how she felt. There were no sharp pains in her head. Those painkillers were something else. She started for the door and then glanced down to see she was wearing a pink shirt that went to her knees. Leah had been out. Deciding the pink would be acceptable until after she had coffee, she went out into the little kitchen area.
The coffee maker was nothing like her brewing it at home, this was faster, and the taste was more consistent. Home? Where was that now? She’d have to think about that. She was okay with being here, but it didn’t feel like home.
The journal was sitting on the little table that was attached to the floor. Setting the cup beside the gurgling machine, she picked it up and opened it. Her eyes widened, for two days. She’d been gone two days.
She reached internally for Minn and was pleasantly surprised that she was content. Hopefully, she stayed that way because she did not need another forced change if they were going to affect her for two days. What if Leah had needed her in that time? Then what? She silently chastised Minn, things like that wouldn’t do.
The door opened and she spun around the see Jesse standing there grinning. He looked at her face for a moment. “Good morning, Evanna.”
It pleased her more than she could express that he knew from a look which one of them was on the outside. “Hi.” She swatted the hair out of her eyes, this shirt thing didn’t have pockets, so she knew a hair tie wasn’t going to be an option. “I guess that shift knocked me out for a few days.”
“I was worried.” He said quietly as he came all the way in.
“Was everything okay while I was gone?” She wanted to put her hands on her hips but didn’t want to draw attention to what she was wearing.
“Minn behaved.” He reached around her and poured her coffee and then held the cup out to her, “Leah had a few minor moments, but she’s been working hard.”
Evanna took a sip and savored it for a moment. “Working?” What was there for her to work at here?
“Yeah.” He picked up his cup from the sink and rinsed it before pouring some coffee in. “She’s been getting some training on how to communicate with Minn,” he opened a container and added some to his coffee, “and she’s talked to the doctor over the laptop twice now.”
Evanna glanced at the journal, “that would explain why there are so many pages.” She sat down, carefully so the shirt would come with her and cover everything. She stared at the book, seeing it, but not entirely. “I have a lot of gaps,” she confessed quietly, “I’m not used to that.”
Jesse sat down across from her. “If I ask anything you don’t want to talk about, be brutally honest with me about it, okay? The more I understand, the more I can help you.”
She smirked, “brutally honest is part of my charm.” Evanna laughed, “that’s what Aunt Tillie used to tell me.”
“That’s not a bad quality.”
“You really want to help us.” She blew on the hot liquid, “I still have trouble with that.” She leaned forward, “not that I’m complaining, it’s just—new.”
“Many others want to help you too. You’re not alone anymore, Evanna.”
Sucking in a quick breath, she ignored the emotions trying to choke her. “I’m getting that.”
Reaching across the table, he touched her hand, “why did you look so upset when I came in?”
She liked his hand on hers, it was comforting. She’d spent years comforting Leah and Minn, but no one did that for her. “I uh, was angry with myself.”
“For what?”
She watched his eyes; she could tell every word he said was true when she did. “For being gone so long. If-if Leah had needed me...”
“Hey,” he leaned further across the table, “she was never out of my sight the whole time you were gone, I watched over her and will always do that for you and Minn too.”
Her chest felt like it was tightening, but not in a painful way, not really. “I, uh,” she grinned, “I’m not used to that.”
“I know.”
She loved his voice, that soft tone he used, it felt like it vibrated right through her. “It’s going to take some time to get that, you know what I’m saying?”
He didn’t interrupt her, just nodded, while giving her his complete focus. This man was like nothing she could have ever pictured.
“I haven’t read yet, but what if,” she wasn’t sure how to say it and didn’t want to sound stupid or naive around him, “what if I’m not needed anymore with all this help and everything? What if I don’t come out anymore.”
He didn’t laugh at her, and his eyes didn’t falter from hers, “I don’t know as much about this as I’d like to, but it is my understanding that there is no magic or cure for this, managing it isn’t getting rid of it—getting rid of you or Minn, or even Leah.”
“I need to know more.” She looked at the cup because she wasn’t sure what she was feeling. “I’ve always protected Leah, always and when I couldn’t,” she closed her eyes, “when I wasn’t able to keep going to get Leah far from that place, Minn came out and ran for days at a time.”
“I know,” he reached across the table and lifted her chin gently so she’d look at him again, “I don’t know the details, I hope someday I will, but I do know there’s no Leah without you and no you without Leah. That’s not going to change, the only change will be it won’t be so hard on all of you, and I’m in the equation now.”
“I can’t believe you want to take this on, deal with us, it’s not easy,” she glanced away for a second because the tender look on his face was killing her slowly, “our own grandparents struggled with it.”
“I’m sure there will be bad days, there are for all mates regardless of other circumstances, but,” still holding her hand, he slid out from the table and came around to kneel in front of her, “know this, I am not going anywhere.”
She couldn’t have looked away from his eyes if she’d wanted to, it was as if she was frozen unable to lower her eyes away from his. When he leaned closer and she could feel his breath on her face, the air in her chest hitched. He brushed his lips over hers, once, twice. They were so warm. Releasing her chin, he kissed her again, a little harder this time and her stomach felt funny, but not in a bad way.
“I’ll let you read and get caught up, I just have to go help Blair with a few things and then I’ll be back. The doctor will be calling in a few hours, so you’ll be able to speak to her yourself.” He reached behind him and then set a phone on the table. “This is yours.” Letting go of her hand, he turned it and tapped the screen, it changed. “That’s how you turn it on.” He pointed to this little symbol. “I made a shortcut to call me, just tap that.” He did it and numbers came on the screen, then hit the green button and it will phone me. He looked back at her face, “call me if you need anything, okay?”
She nodded in a jerky motion. “Okay,” she barely whispered.
He kissed her quickly again and stood up. Turning in the doorway, he tilted his head, “if me kissing you bothers you; you can tell me that too.”
She blinked, “no. No,” she shook her head, “it doesn’t bother me.” She felt her cheeks get hot.
He flashed her a quick grin. “Good.”
Evanna sat there staring at the door long after he closed it. “Okay, that happened.” Blowing out a loud, long breath, she smirked, “movies don’t prepare you for that.” Glancing down at the phone, she picked it up and turned it over in her hand. She had a phone. No cords, small enough to fit in her pocket, she looked down and then remembered she was in this pink thing. Okay, clothes, coffee and read, she got up, “maybe one of those bars too.”