'Til Death - Chris Motionless Love Story

Chapter Four - Who Knew He Was a Good Caretaker?

SALEM'S POV
I woke up to the sun shining through some black curtains that were covering a rather large window. I didn't remember anything after the IUD removal, really. I just remember Chris offering to watch after me on the meds. My eyes inspected the room, finding a lamp on the bedside table. I flicked it on, and saw my phone sitting on the table next to it. It was 5am. I felt the soft silk bedsheets underneath me, the soft cotton duvet over me. And that bed... it was immaculate. It definitely wasn't my own. I suddenly saw the door crack open, and I could hear Chris whispering in the hallway.

"Shh, your mama is in here." What was he talking about? I watched him slowly creep in, and his eyes went wide as he saw I was sitting up with the lamp on. He had Gizmo in his arms, who was rather excited to see me. "You're awake!" He sat Gizmo on the bed, and then sat on the edge.

"Y-yeah. When did you go to my house?"

"Well, I had some time when you first conked out, so I ran by your place to get you some new clothes, your shower stuff, and of course, Gizmo. I locked it up for you, too." He was always so soft spoken, never a hint of harshness in his tone, which surprised me due to how intimidating he seemed. However, he wasn't actually intimidating at all. I tried to sit up a little more, but the pain was still pretty intense, so I decided to stay where I was.

"What time do you typically head to the funeral home?" I asked as I pulled Gizmo onto my lap. Chris rested his hand on my knee.

"I usually get there at about 6:30am, but today I'm not going in. I'm gonna stay with you."

"You really don't have to. Besides, I should probably go in."

"Salem, you're hurt pretty badly." I shook my head at his comment, then decided to try and stand on my own to prove him wrong. "Okay, let me know how that works out for you."

"Fuck you, Cerulli. I'm perfectly fine." I wasn't fine. I was in terrible pain, but I couldn't seem weak. Finally, I got on my feet and started walking. He watched carefully as I started to move, noticing me wincing with every step I took. He stood up and held his hands out as a balancer for me to grip onto, then smiled and chuckled lightly.

"Okay, you've proven to me that you can walk and get up. Now, please, go lay back down." He begged, fearing I'd probably hurt myself further. I swatted his hands away, and he raised an eyebrow at me.

"I have to pee, and then I'll start getting ready."

"I didn't bring you any work clothes. I brought you lounge clothes, and you are not meeting with families in booty shorts and a tank top. Not at my funeral home, at least." Bastard. I continued making my way to the bathroom slowly, and noticed Chris was still following.

"Fine, I won't go in. Now, are you going to stand there and watch me or can I have privacy?" Chris backed up and threw his hands up in defense as he chuckled some more. I wasn't fond of being coddled, I was perfectly capable of taking care of myself. The last thing I wanted was to feel as though I had lost control, as though Trevor had broken me completely to where I couldn't even care for myself anymore. He may have stripped me of control over that situation, but he was not going to take my independence away completely. I wasn't going to become a shell of a person. Not this time.

"Hey, Chris, did you happen to think to get me some... girly things? Out of my cabinet?" I shouted through the bathroom door.

"Some?... OH! Shit! I didn't think about that, no, sorry! Stay here, I'll run down the street and get you some!" Chris shouted back. Okay, I guess I'll just sit here and patiently wait.
About three minutes later I got a phone call from him, his face lighting up on my phone.

"Okay, so, what's the difference? Like, there's one with moons on them? Then there these plastic things-" I cut him off.

"Christopher, just grab the pads with the moons on them, call it good enough. Also, get some Tylenol or maybe some wine, just anything to make the pain stop." He chuckled over the phone at my demands.

"I'll be home soon, Love." Did he just call me 'love'? Barf.
It wasn't long before the door to the bathroom opened, and he handed me what I needed while trying to avoid eye contact. When I got done in the bathroom he had placed a vase of fresh roses and a box of chocolates next to the guest bed that I was staying in.

"You didn't have to do this, Chris."

"My mom raised me better than most men. Besides, I know I pissed you off by not letting you go to work."

"Well, I gotta take care of others. It's kinda my job." Chris shook his head at my words and helped me lay back down.

"Yes, but if you don't take care of yourself there will be no you to take care of others. Now, I have a few things to do in my office downstairs, so if you need anything just call from your phone. Don't try to walk down the stairs by yourself, please." He begged, knowing I'd most definitely attempt it. He handed me the remote, and then grabbed my sketchbook and pencils. "Also, I found this while I was getting stuff for you. You're really good, keep it up." With that he walked out of the room, and went down to his office. I didn't exactly have the energy  to draw, so I just turned on the TV. As I laid there dozing off, Gizmo started to whine. She needed to go outside, I'd bet, and I wasn't going to call him to come up here just to get my dog, so I eased out of the bed again, making slow movements. The stairs looked challenging, but I had come this far, so might as well go all the way. Gizmo followed very closely, knowing something wasn't quite right. I winced with every stretch of my leg, and about three steps from the bottom I decided to sit down and take a break. Chris passed by me as he took a sip of his coffee, and then took a few steps back. He raised an eyebrow at me, then held his hand out to me.

"Didn't I tell you not to do that?" He asked rhetorically. I shrugged my shoulders.

"Yeah, but I don't take commands from men very well." I said it, knowing it'd probably drive him nuts, and he couldn't do anything to me over it. He took a deep breath, controlling his frustration that he felt with me, and helped me up slowly. "Gizmo needed to go outside, and I wasn't going to call you just to take the thing out."

"What was it we just talked about? Ah, yes, stop putting others before you! You're not a bother to me."

"I can still do things, Chris. I know I can."

"You're hurt! You need to rest!"

"If I don't do anything he wins!" Chris was taken aback by my words, quite literally. "If I just lay up there and let everyone else care for me, he wins. He took my independence. I don't want that again, I just healed from the last time this shit happened. I can't lose this time." I was starting to tear up, and Chris pulled me into his arms tightly as I began to cry uncontrollably.

"Salem, shh, you're not losing. I promise you that much. You're not going to lose yourself, not with me around. I won't let it happen." Chris whispered words of assurance into my ear as he stroked my hair.

"Chris?"

"Yes, Salem?"

"It really hurts my uterus when I start hyperventilating, can you lay me down on the couch?" Probably not the sentence he was expecting, and I could tell by his chuckle. He lifted me up bridal style and laid me down on the couch, then took Gizmo outside for me. When he came back in he started moving his desk and laptop into the living room. I didn't ask anything, knowing exactly why he was doing it. He couldn't let me out of his sight, but I wasn't sure if it was his fascination with me, or his fear that I'd try to do stuff by myself again. Either way, I really appreciated his welcoming company. It was warm, and made me feel... safe.