chapter 14

She shook her head and winced.

“Headache?”

“Yes, sir,” she whispered. “And a little nauseous.”

“Thank you for telling me that. Would you like some more cold water or

would you like Canada Dry?”

“Canada Dry, please.”

“After I get your drink, I need to check your eyes. Then you can take a

warm shower or bath.”

Michael slowly walked past her, being mindful that she didn’t like fast

movement, and got her the drink. He always had Canada Dry in his fridge

for instances like this. He didn’t get nauseous all the time, but when he got

too tired, he did, which seemed like was happening more and more

recently.

Walking back into the living room, Michael squatted down in front of

her, Canada Dry in one hand and his small flashlight in the other.

He opened the Canada Dry in front of her and handed it to her. “Slow

sips. If you want or need another one, I have more in the fridge.”

Monroe slowly drank some of her soda before setting it down and

tiredly looking back at him.

“Gonna be quick, Little Bunny,” Michael said.

He slowly brought the light up toward her eyes, gently opening her eyes

with his left hand while he flashed the light in her eyes.

Her skin was so soft despite all the bruises she had. He wanted to help

her keep it that way, take care of her in every aspect.

“I think you have a slight concussion. I’ll be monitoring it, making sure

it gets better unless you want to go to the hospital. If you aren’t comfortable

here, I can take you to the hospital or I can call one of my friends and you

can talk to them,” he said.

“No hospital.” She sounded so scared.

Michael nodded his head. “No hospital. Promise. If you change your

mind, let me know. I could also take you to the clinic instead.”

Monroe slowly nodded her head.

“Now, how about you go take a warm shower or a bath and I’ll make

food for you,” Michael suggested.

She looked hesitant and he gave her a small smile, hoping to encourage

her. He had no doubt she would feel a little better after getting cleaned up.

Washing off seemed to make people feel slightly better, like they washed

away some of the yuck.

“Follow me and I’ll show you where everything is,” Michael said as he

slowly stood back up.

He watched out of the corner of his eye as she got up from the couch.

He didn’t want her to pass out and hit her head on anything.

Walking toward the bathroom, he slowed his pace when he realized

Monroe was having a hard time keeping up. He had completely forgotten

she was hurt and probably didn’t have a lot of energy right now.

“Sorry about that. No one else has lived here with me,” he said as he

walked into the bathroom.

She looked at him confused but didn’t say anything.

“Here’s the shower. If you want to take a bath, you’ll just pull this little

lever and it’ll stop the water from draining. There’s shampoo and body

wash on the sides but if you need anything else, it’s under the sink. I have

bubbles and some other feminine stuff if you need it,” he said. “No one else

but my friend's Li-, I mean girlfriend, has used it and that was several

months ago. She gets messy when she comes over with her boyfriend.”

Michael didn’t know why he explained that when he didn’t have to. He

didn’t have to tell her why he had some feminine smelling shampoo, lotion,

and feminine products, but he wanted to. It was almost like he wanted to

reassure her he didn’t have anyone else in his life, that he was available.

He stopped himself from scoffing out loud. He was available and had

been for years. But he didn't think she would be ready for any type of

relationship for a while.

“If you want me to help you take a bath, I can,” Michael said before he

could stop himself.

The Daddy inside him wanted to demand that he help her. He wanted

her to relax while he took care of her so she didn’t have to lift a finger.

Monroe blushed, quickly shook her head, and looked down at her feet.

“Sorry. I keep saying things I should keep to myself,” he softly said.

“Promise I’ll try my hardest to not do it again.”

He wanted to promise he wouldn’t for sure do it again, but he couldn’t

do that. He knew he was going to do it again because her body language

just screamed at the Daddy inside him.

“Are you allergic to anything?” he asked as he walked toward the

bathroom door.

“Oranges,” she whispered.

“How allergic are you? I just want to make sure so if I need to get an

EpiPen, I can, or if I need to have Benadryl on me.”

“Hives and swelling.”

“Does Benadryl normally help or what do you do?”

“I think Benadryl works fine.”

Michael didn’t like the ‘think’ in her sentence. Did she not know or had

it been a while?

“Thank you. You can leave the clothes in the bathroom and I’ll wash

them. When you’re done, you can come to the kitchen and I’ll feed you,” he

said and closed the door behind him.

He made his way to the kitchen and pulled out chicken nuggets from the

freezer. Michael had these on hand for whenever Charlotte and Finn came

over. It wasn’t often, but he’d made the mistake of not having them the first

time and she threw a temper tantrum. It hadn’t ended well for her.

Placing them in the oven, he grabbed some baby carrots and placed

them on a plate. A princess and bunny plate.

Michael couldn’t remember where he even got these plates, but he was

thankful for them now. The way Monroe’s eyes lit up when she saw the cup

melted his heart. He would give her anything to get that look again.

Just as he was pulling the chicken nuggets out of the oven, he heard her

small footsteps coming toward the kitchen. He turned around right as she

walked into the kitchen and his jaw dropped.

Even with the bruises and small cuts, she was absolutely breathtaking.

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