Page 44 of Keeping Caroline
The incessant throbbing in my head was the first thing I noticed as I slowly regained consciousness. My body ached all over, but my head and my ribs were the worst.
“We’re almost there,” Tristan said, his voice low and soothing. Still holding my hand, his thumb rubbed my knuckles, sending a shiver through me even as the rest of me was in agony.
Through the car window, I watched the trees rushing past. It was a road I recognized. We were nearing the cabin, nearing safety.
Arriving outside Ethan and Scarlett’s cabin, the car rolled to a stop and Tristan killed the engine. My door opened a moment later, the early morning air raising goosebumps on my skin, and then Tristan’s arm slipped beneath me. When he lifted me out of the car, I allowed my battered frame to lean against him, drawing upon his strength as though it was the very air I breathed. The emotion that poured out of me as we ascended the steps, and he opened the door was unrestrained. Raw and freeing.
The familiar scent of pine enveloped me as he stepped over the threshold and closed the door behind us, but the house was quiet. Although the sunrise would bring with it a certain level of safety that could not be guaranteed in the night, Scarlett and Evie were undoubtedly still in the safe room downstairs. I was relieved by that.
“I don’t want her to see me like this,” I said, not looking up to meet his face. For the past few days, I’d wanted nothing more in the world than to be with my daughter, but I realized that I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to scare her with how horrible I knew I looked. “Not yet.”
Tristan nodded, heading down the hall toward the guest room. My legs trembled as he set me down, barely able to carry my weight, but I remained standing on my own two feet. The chill of the porcelain sink pressed against my palms as I leaned heavily, catching my reflection in the mirror. A stranger stared back, her features obscured beneath layers of grime and the harsh evidence of captivity. It was a sight I never thought I would see, but one I realized Scarlett knew well.
Beside me, Tristan rifled through the medicine cabinet, gathering supplies—bandages, antiseptic, cotton swabs, and pain relievers. “Let’s get you cleaned up, but…” He hesitated, looking around the bathroom. “Should I get clothes from Scarlett and Ethan’s bedroom?”
Without waiting for my response, he left the bathroom, returning a few minutes later with a bottle of water and a nightgown bundled around a few other pieces. “I felt a little weird digging through her underwear drawer,” he said as he kneeled in front of where I had sat, a cheeky smile on his face, the expression cutting the tension.
I could not help but reach forward and touch his cheek, remembering the promise I’d made to myself when I thought hope was all but lost—to let him in. “I’m sure she won’t mind.”
As gently as he could, he tilted my chin up, his jaw tightening as he inspected a gash on my cheek. “This needs to be cleaned.”
His hands were delicate as he dabbed at the wound with a cotton swab soaked in antiseptic. It stung, but I remained still, anchored in his eyes. There was such kindness and concentration on his face, that I could not look away. Each stroke of the cloth was like an eraser, slowly restoring my identity, revealing the woman who had endured, who still clung to the shards of her resolve.
“Does it hurt?” His gaze met mine, hazel green eyes searching for the truth below the surface.
“Less than before,” I admitted, the pain receding under his careful ministrations. It was a curious thing, to find solace in such gentle gestures, to feel the warmth of human touch thawing the frost that had settled around my heart. “I need to take a shower. Badly.”
Although we both knew I needed rest more than anything else, he did not argue, instead standing and turning on the shower, and then returning to me to help me undress. Once he lowered me down onto the bench inside the walk-in shower, he stripped off his own clothes and stepped in with me.
There was nothing sexual about how he ran the soapy washcloth across my skin, careful around the bruises, but desire still sent heat through my veins. I closed my eyes to savor it, letting the water wash away not just the physical grime, but also the remnants of fear and despair. After all the pain I had gone through, his gentle touch actually felt amazing. I was safe.
“Thank you for taking care of me.” The words were not much more than a whisper, but I knew he heard them.
Ignoring the stream of water that rained down on his face, he kneeled in front of me and reached up to cup my cheek. “You don’t have to thank me. I will always take care of you, Superwoman.”
Just as I started to drift off, the sound of the front door banging open jolted me awake. Heavy footsteps pounded down the hallway and Tristan sat up beside me just as the door opened.
Ethan burst into the room, his eyes wild with concern. In two long strides he was at my side, dropping to his knees beside the bed.
“Cara,” he breathed, his eyes roaming over me, taking in my bruises. His jaw tightened, but his fury melted as he met my gaze, replaced by tender relief. Reaching out, he brushed the hair back from my face. “Are you okay? Do you need to see a doctor?”
Without hesitation, I shook my head. “Just rest. I think I’ll be okay.”
More footsteps approached from the hallway, and Scarlett rushed into the room. Her dark eyes widened with worry as she took in sight of me.
“Oh, Caroline,” she said as she rushed to stand beside Ethan, her eyes widening further as she turned to look at her husband. Only then did I notice he was injured, his shoulder wrapped in a bloody piece of his shirt.
I tried to sit up in the bed, but the pain that shot through my ribs forced me back down. “What happened?”
Seeming to have just noticed he was injured as well, Ethan stood and pulled off his hoodie, revealing a gash on his arm. It was long, but did not look too deep, settling the panic in my chest some. “I’m fine. Little Red’s gonna get this all taken care of.”
Touching him on the cheek, Scarlett nodded in agreement. “We’ll let you get to sleep, but Tristan will let us know if you need anything. I know Evie will want to see you when you wake.”
Behind me, Tristan nodded. There was such a strong part of me that wanted to run down the stairs and hold my daughter, but I knew it would be a mistake. The last thing I wanted to do was wake her and scare her by seeing the state I was in. There was no doubt I would still be bruised when I woke, but I at least hoped I would be in a little better shape.
The soft click of the door closing was the last thing I heard before sleep claimed me. With Tristan beside me, I drifted into oblivion, my battered body and mind finally getting the rest they so desperately needed.
I was not sure how much time had passed before I began to stir, but I was comforted by the warm body curled around me. It had been so long since I had slept with a man, aside from the night Tristan and I spent together, but I’d missed it. One of his arms rested on my hip, the other beneath my pillow, his breath warm against my ear. His touch was soothing. For the first time since Daniel’s death, I felt protected. Because even though my brother had always taken care of me, something was always missing without my husband. After everything Tristan had gone through to keep me safe, I knew he would never hurt me.