Twisted Games

eleven - taylor

I slept through the rest of the day and the whole night, waking up just after seven the next morning. My whole body hurt and I winced as I got up, walking carefully as I moved. I went to the bathroom and then moved down to the living room, blinking in surprise when I saw Travis asleep on the couch.

I hadn't thought about where he would sleep when he'd put me in his bed. I'd been so tired and felt so awful that I hadn't even thought about it. He barely fit on my couch since he was so tall, and I felt horrible for taking up his bed.

Moving past the couch into the kitchen, I very quietly got some breakfast since I hadn't eaten in almost a day and a half, and I was starving. I felt better as I ate, and once I was done I went back to the bathroom to have a shower. I smelled like hospital, and I hated that.

Stripping out of my clothes, I looked at myself in the mirror. Bandages and wound coverings were all over me, and I saw more when I turned and peeked at my back in the mirror as well. I didn't even know how I'd managed to get so many from what had happened, but they were everywhere. Quinn had given me some antibiotic cream that I was supposed to apply to all of my cuts after every shower, but I now realized I couldn't reach most of the ones on my back.

I blushed when I realized I would have to ask Travis to help me. I didn't know what was going on with us, but I'd almost thought we'd had some kind of a moment before. He'd hugged me so tightly when I'd cried, told me I'd never be hurt again, promised he'd take care of me. It felt more like something a boyfriend would say, not a bodyguard. I hadn't hated it, but I didn't want to feel anything, not right now. Joe and I had only just fallen apart and I wanted to heal myself first. It's not like I could explore that flicker of a feeling anyway; I'd signed a contract saying I wouldn't have any unprofessional or sexual contact with Travis. He was off limits.

Putting that out of my mind, I started taking all of the bandages off so I could clean them. Quinn had told me there'd probably be a bit crusty with blood and that I'd have to clean them carefully. I pressed my lips together when I wasn't able to reach the ones on my back, realizing I'd need more help than I thought. I didn't want to ask Travis to help me, but I knew I didn't have a choice otherwise the cuts might get infected.

Tears in my eyes, I pulled my bra and underwear back on, tied my hair up into a ponytail, and then wrapped a towel around myself. I didn't even know if he would be okay with helping me because of his professional rule, but it was worth a try. I could hear him awake now, and I paused in the doorway to the living room.

"Travis?" I mumbled, and he looked up from where he was folding the blanket away. "I'm sorry to ask this, but I'm supposed to clean all of the cuts and I can't reach the ones on my back." My cheeks went red and I shifted slightly.

"You need some help with those ones?" Travis asked gently, and I nodded slowly. "Hey, don't look so scared about it Taylor, I'll help you." He abandoned what he was doing and came over. "Just tell me what you need me to do, and we can get this sorted."

A little surprised that he didn't seem disgusted by the idea, I nodded and walked down to the bathroom with Travis behind me. I swallowed as I closed the door, suddenly nervous. Would he think my body was as disgusting as Joe thought it was? I wasn't as thin as I probably could be, but I put health before weight even though Joe had always put me down for it. Travis noticed that I'd hesitated.

"Is something wrong?" He asked.

"It's just..." I looked up at him. "I'm not thin."

"What?" Travis frowned at me. "Taylor I'm here to help you with your injuries, not pick at your body. I think you're beautiful, and I'm not going to care what you look like. I'm just here to help. If you've changed your mind we can find another way to do this."