Lovers of Yesterday

Chapter 40 • Sling

Lynch

I spared another glance over at Ryder who was barely fighting off sleep. It was past midnight now as we headed back into town. We didn't stay out for long but it was enough to calm her down some. It wasn't hard to tell that she was still on edge after what happened at her apartment.

Spikes of rage still spear my heart and gut when I think about it. I grit my teeth and momentarily tightened my grip on the steering wheel. I have a feeling the images of Ryder curled up on the floor will stick in my mind for a while but it won't do either of us any good if we keep thinking about it.

Ryder jerked in the seat next to me and yawned. She must've begun to slip off to sleep again. Keeping one hand on the wheel, I reached over the console and found her hand. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her look over at me as she held my hand.

"You can go to sleep, sweetheart. I'll wake you up when we get back but it's obvious you're tired. Lean the seat back if you want," I said, squeezing her hand.

She tried to argue, "I can stay awake for a while longer. I'm ok."

I raised my eyebrows and a smile pulled on the corners of my lips. "Ry, it's past midnight- almost one in the morning. We still have a ways to go before we're back in town. Go to sleep. An hour of sleep won't hurt."

She let out a deep sigh and another yawn. Then she reclined the seat and situated herself so her slinged arm was laying over her stomach. I should've pulled a couple pillows from the truck bed before we left. I didn't hear anything else from her and when I stopped at a red light and glanced over, her eyes were closed and her breathing was even.

It was another forty minutes and almost one thirty am when I pulled into a spot in the apartment complex. Instead of waking Ryder up, I got out as quietly as I could and opened the truck bed. I pulled out a couple pillows and blankets, running them up to my apartment and dropping them on my bed before rushing back down to my truck.

I opened her door and quietly unclicked her seat belt before sliding my arms under her and pulling her out of the seat. Her head dropped to my shoulder as I bumped the door closed with my shoulder and clicked the lock button on my key fob.

I carried her up the flight of stairs and bumped the door handle to my apartment, pushing it open with my foot. I carried her to the guest room where I laid her down on the bed. She made a noise at the back of her throat and stretched. Her eye cracked open and focused on me in the dark.

"Lynch?" She mumbled.

"Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep, sweetheart." I sat on the edge of the bed and brushed a strand of hair back from her cheek.

She went to roll over but stopped when she remembered her sling. "Can I take this off? It's getting annoying."

I smiled and nodded. "Sure. It's been almost two days anyway. Here, sit up. I'll help."

She did as I instructed and I helped her lift it over her head so she could pull her arm out. I folded it up and set it on the nightstand while she laid back down on the bed. When I looked over at her again, her eyes were already starting to droop closed.

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart," I whispered.

She hummed in agreement, her eyes now completely shut. Her hand blindly found my forearm and tugged on it twice. I leaned over her to see what she wanted.

"Stay?" She asked.

"Sure. Let me go change first." I pushed myself up and left the room, heading to mine to change.

I changed into a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a shirt just in case. With it slung over my shoulder, I headed back to her room and found her sitting on the edge of her bed. She slipped a t-shirt over her head while I waited in the doorway.

She looked up at me as she scooted back under the blankets and closer to the wall so I had room to lay down. I walked over and dropped my shirt on the nightstand before slipping under the covers. As I made myself comfortable, she rolled onto her side facing me. Then she winced and rolled back onto her back.

"What's wrong?" I looked over at her, trying to figure out what was wrong.

She shook her head. "My shoulder still hurts a little. I can't roll onto my side."

"Then, here, lay on top of me. Then you're not laying on your arm," I suggested, holding my arm out so she could roll onto me.

She hesitated for a brief minute before complying and moving closer. She readjusted herself so her legs were off to the side and her head was resting just below my chin. I draped my arm over her waist as she wrapped her arms under my back. I turned my head and kissed her temple before closing my eyes and drifting off to sleep.

• • •

I yawned and cracked my eyes open to glare at the bits of light that were beginning to seep through the blinds. Ryder hadn't had any nightmares or at least any physical signs of one. She still seemed to be completely out cold but I didn't mind it. I moved my arms so I could pull her hair back from her face and wrap my arms tighter around her body.

She groaned and pressed her face into my neck while pulling her arms out from under me and stretching them to either side of us. I let out a short, quiet chuckle and closed my eyes again. I went in and out of a light sleep until Ryder shifted and began to wake up.

She braced her hands on either side of my and I loosened my hold on her as she sat up. I let my hands fall to her waist as she blinked and rubbed her eyes with one hand. Her hand dropped and her eyes finally focused on me. In the weak light, I could still see the light blush that ran across her cheeks.

"Good morning," she said, moving her eyes to the alarm clock.

"Mornin', sweetheart. How'd you sleep?" I wanted to know if she had any nightmares and I hadn't felt her move.

She shrugged. "Good. I woke up once but only briefly and I fell right back asleep."

She eased herself back down onto me and I returned my arms to their tighter hold on her. "Did you have a nightmare?"

"I don't think so. I don't remember it if I did."

"That's good." I tilted my head back to look at the time. "You wanna go get some coffee?"

She nodded against my shoulder and sat up again, this time sitting back on her legs. I sat up and swung my feet off the side of the bed and grabbed my shirt as I stood up. She slid off next to me and stretched her arms up over her head. When I looked over at her, she was staring at the sling on the side table.

"You don't need to put it back on. You wore it for the required time and I have a feeling you're done with tryin' to maneuver around it."

She looked up at me and smiled. "I know, but now it feels weird. I got used to it so fast."

I smiled back, slipping my shirt over my head. "C'mon, sweetheart. I need some caffeine."