Chapter 61

Chapter 61
KAT’S POV

Percy helps me sit on the edge of the couch. His hands never leave my arms as if letting go for even a second might make me collapse again.

My head still throbs, my ribs ache every time I breathe too deeply, and the humiliation of everything - last night, the crash, the hospital - sits raw in my chest. I try to steady myself, but everything feels off-balance.

“I want to… use the bathroom,” I mutter weakly. My voice sounds like someone else’s. Itsounds thin “I want to wash off this hospital smell.”

Percy’s eyes narrow with concern. “You can’t go alone.”

“I’m fine,” I say, even though we both know I’m not.

He doesn’t budge. “You nearly collapsed five minutes ago, Kat. You think I’m letting you wander around on your own?”

I look down because arguing feels pointless. Shame clings to me like a second skin. I want to scrub everything off - my choices, my mistakes, my stupidity.

Percy exhales slowly, steps closer, and his voice softens. “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need you to bathe me,” I whisper. I feel horrified and defensive, but he shakes his head firmly.

“It’s not about what you need,” he murmurs. “It’s about what you can actually do. And right now… you can barely stand.”

I flinch because he’s right. He sees it. He always sees too much.

Before I can object again, Percy slides one arm under my knees and one under my back, lifting me in a smooth movement. My breath catches as he pulls me against his chest, holding me like I weigh nothing. He carries me bridal style. His scent floods my senses, and my pulse jumps.

He looks down at me “Where is it?”

The words send a shiver racing through me. I point toward my bedroom, unable to speak for a second. “Um… just go straight… last door on the right.”

He nods, turns, and carries me there without hesitation. I don’t know where to look: at the hallway, at his arms around me, or at the way he keeps glancing down like he’s making sure I’m still breathing.

When we reach my room, he lowers me onto the bed gently. His hands linger for a moment on my sides, steadying me. I don’t realize I’m holding my breath until he pulls back.

“I’ll be right back,” he says quietly, then walks into the bathroom.

I hear the faucet turn on. He opens cabinets, mutters something like “Where the hell does she keep anything?” before finding the soap and a random bottle of bubble bath I bought months ago. He squeezes some in, too much, probably, and I hear him testing the water with his hand, adjusting the temperature like he’s preparing a bath for someone fragile.

When he returns, he stands in front of me.

“Kat,” he says quietly, “I’m going to help you undress. Is that okay?”

I look away. “It’s embarrassing.”

“I know,” he replies softly. “But I’m here. And I’m not going anywhere.”

My eyes sting.

He lifts me again, carrying me into the Bathroom. He sets me carefully on the small bench by the counter and kneels in front of me.

He helps me out of the hospital gown, and I try to cover the bruises on my ribs, the faint scars on my hip, the ones left from years of stress, fights, and things I buried too deep.

But Percy catches my wrist.

“You don’t have to hide from me,” he whispers, looking straight into my eyes.

Something inside me cracks slowly, painfully.

He helps me into the tub, holding me until the warm water covers my skin. The heat makes me sigh, makes the ache ease a little. Percy kneels beside the tub and dips a soft cloth into the water, squeezing it before brushing it gently along my arms.

The motion is slow and careful.

No one has ever touched me like this.

He cups my cheek with one hand, wiping away the dried blood near my temple. I try to look away, but he tilts my chin back softly. “Hey… look at me.”

I do.

And the flashback hits without warning.

I see Matt standing over me in the kitchen last year. I was feverish, shaking, dizzy. I had vomited into the sink because I couldn’t make it to the bathroom.

Paula barged in, slapped a towel on the counter, and said, “Get it together, Kat. Sick or not, you still have a house to take care of.”

Matt rolled his eyes, muttered, “She’s always dramatic,” and walked away while I cried silently, wiping my own tears and forcing myself to cook so they wouldn’t complain.

The memory slices through me. it feels raw and humiliating.

Percy notices instantly. “Kat,” he murmurs gently, wiping the tears streaming down my cheeks. “Hey… hey, it’s okay. I’m right here.”

I have no idea that I’m crying till he wipes my tears.

“I’m sorry,” I choke out. “I’m just… I’m so stupid. I don’t know why I—”

He cuts me off by pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. My breath stutters.

“You’re not stupid,” he whispers. “You’re hurting. That’s not the same thing.”

More tears fall. He wipes each one with his thumbs as if he has all the time in the world just to make sure I don’t drown in shame.

He tries to lighten the air, dipping the cloth back into the water and giving me a soft smirk. “You know… I’ve never done this. I’m pretty sure I used the wrong bubble bath.”

I laugh weakly “You used the vanilla one, didn’t you?”

He looks offended. “It smelled the nicest.”

“It’s for kids, Percy.”

He raises an eyebrow. “And? You look adorable surrounded by bubbles.”

I splash water at him, and he gasps dramatically as if I’ve committed a crime. The moment makes me laugh again.

For the first time since waking up in that hospital room, I feel like I can breathe.

His hand rests on the edge of the tub, close to mine.

“You scared me,” he says quietly, almost to himself. “More than I’ve ever been scared in my life.”

My heart twists.

I open my mouth to respond, but no words come.

Percy leans closer, eyes locked onto mine. “I’m not losing you. Not like this. Not to alcohol. Not to pain. Not to anything.”