The Love Bite

Feelings

4 days passed with little to no change, and Benny dedicated his time between his young son and the patient, Anni-Frid. The poor woman had certainly received a beating or two, and the burns on her body were worse than anticipated. Not life-changing of course, but still difficult to treat.

Björn and Anna weren't having an easy time with Agny, either. She was conscious (unlike her granddaughter) but the wounds were much  more severe. Ulvaeus had manage to sew up her leg, though there was still a high risk of infection on top of everything else; and there were questions about whether she'd be able to make a full recovery.

Andersson rose early that morning, waking Rowan at 7:30 and making his toddler some toast and listening to the radio. Once finished, he sent the boy back to his room to play while he attended to Frida.

Her room was rather small, yet incredibly cosy. It was decorated in pale green wallpaper with forest borders, though the ceiling was left cream. The floors were made of wood, although  they were covered in a large rug.

Frida was led on the bed, resting peacefully. Luckily for them, the sun didn't come out till late and set early due to the budding winter. What also helped was that even though the bed was pressed against the wall by the window, it was mostly covered by the red-and-white-checked curtains. They didn't always match with the room... but it suited it well enough.

Benny gently rested her upper body on the pillows, moving the odd stray hair out of her eyes. Aggie had already gotten up to wash and change the woman into fresh pyjamas, as the blonde left early to sell her remedies at the market.

He wasn't sure what was best to feed Anni-Frid, as it was difficult at the moment. So, the woman lived mostly on porridge. Agny had been making strong progress, though her legs still were in bandages. Anni-Frid though... nothing- nothing at all. In fact, if he couldn't see her chest moving up and down, he would've suspected her to be dead.

He sat patiently by her bedside, watching her intently. For some reason, he felt strongly about the young woman; unlike anything he'd ever felt before. It was honestly quite unnerving, especially since they hadn't spoken properly. Perhaps it was because he had saved her? No. Benny had saved many in the past, but it never invoked such emotion before.

"You think too much." The redhead murmured sleepily, her eyes still shut. Andersson almost dropped the bowl in shock, luckily managing to catch it at the last moment.
"What?"
"I can read some of your thoughts, and you're making my head spin. So, quiet." Frida said firmly. All the man could do was blush. What if she had listened in on his feelings, too?
"What feelings? I don't know where I am... can you tell me, Benny?" She asked sincerely.
"You know my name?" He was clearly shocked, staring at her drawn-out face.
"Why, of course! I don't remember most things about that night, but you must have heard how good I am with names?" She asked, her laugh warm and sweet. It sent shivers down his spine, but he remembered to shake his head even so.

"No, I don't know too much about you, to be honest. And we're in London." He confirmed, and she looked up in keen interest. Her eyes were a curious colour. Were they green? No... brown. Does that mean they're hazel after all? N-
"They're green, if you're really that intrigued; but it depends on the light, or so I've heard." She sighed, running a hand over her face.

"They're beautiful." Ben blurted out, blue eyes wide in surprise. It wasn't as though he'd meant to say it! Stupid mouth. Frida seemed equally shocked, though not put off. "Thank you, Mr Andersson- and thank you for caring for me so sweetly."

"I was only doing what was right." He shifted uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck self-consciously. Noticing this, she tenderly reached out to clasp her hand with her own, stroking Benny's thumb. "But some men wouldn't have done what was right... my ex-husband was one of those men- very withdrawn at times." Her lip quivered, though she refused to let herself cry.