Faithfully Yours

chapter 11

Kate awoke to a throbbing pain in her foot. She has not slept well last night and she was tired. She stretched her arms above her head. If she was not in pain she would gladly enjoy sleeping in this bed. She liked the feel of the mattress and the sheets beneath her. 

The morning light has filtered through the white muslin curtain that covered the whole glass wall. The bedroom and the living room have capitalized on the outdoor space the balcony has to offer.  She can see the outline of the trees and the planters outside. It made the whole space more spacious, aesthetically magnificent, and felt like she is not on the twentieth floor of the building. 

She can't understand the obsession with living in this kind of place. It didn't have enough space for a real garden or a patio for entertaining.  She doesn't find any thrill in watching buildings below her or the bridge hundreds of miles away. She had googled the price on this place and it cost millions. Such a waste of money. If she had that kind of money she would be acquiring land and building her house on it. 

She preferred a real house with a big garden. Just like his place in Malibu. She smiled as she recalled her moments with him there. He was so sweet when he gave her the necklace. The setting sun made it all the more romantic. The different hues of the sky that afternoon were beautiful. She hugged the pillows as she recalled them. 

She touched her necklace and she remembered the words the housekeeper had uttered. The romantic feeling she got vaporized from her mind. She sat up and groaned the frustration of her foot and her place in his life. 

She heard him before she saw him. He walked in with a phone in his right hand and a tray on the other. He looked happy. A very sharp contrast to how he looked yesterday. She wondered what made him happy.

She stared at him and appreciated how he looked this morning. He was wearing a white shirt and white shorts and he looked even more handsome. 

She remembered the look he gave her when he saw her with Leo. His mood has not improved when they got to the hospital and even when they arrived here. She was certain that he was angry at her. But he was trying not to show it.

He insisted that she will stay with him where she can be taken care of. She insisted that she will be alright to be by herself at her apartment. And she argued with him until they reached his place. It was just a sprain and nothing was broken after all. 

"Here, eat your breakfast. I asked Nana to prepare your food. There's rice, bacon, and sausage. You need to eat, you still have to take your meds," he said as he set the tray in front of her. She was glad that it was Nana who was with them now and not the chatterbox who was in the house when she was here. 

"Thank you, that is so thoughtful of you hon," she replied. She added the word "hon". The pet name she used for him. She called him that after he insisted that he preferred one.

Her heart melted at the way he cared for her last night. It was not something she expected from him. He was very attentive to her needs.  He helped her change her clothes, feed her dinner, monitored her take of the painkillers, and carried her to and fro the bathroom when she needed it. And she did go to the bathroom multiple times as she had drank a lot of water from the pills she must take. 

She looked at the food placed in front of her. She didn't make any move to touch it. The pain and the lack of sleep were ruining her appetite.

"I'm not hungry," she said. But he was not having any of it as he feed her again her meal.

****

"I have to use the bathroom," she said as she slowly move her legs off the bed. She tried to limit her movement as much as possible to quickly heal the strained ligaments. 

"Come on, I'll carry you to the bathroom," he said. He lifted her from the bed. She put her arms around his neck and circled her legs around his waist. He carefully put her beside the bowl. 

"Call me, when you're done okay," he said as he left the room.

She emptied her bladder and wobbled her way to the vanity mirror to look at herself. She looked terrible. Her eyes were tired from lack of sleep. She was not able to sleep soundly through the night. The pain relievers were not able to dull the pain. Her foot had kept her awake.

She knew that Lucas haven't rested as well. Every time she groaned with pain, he would shift his body to her side. He would place his hand on her thigh and soothingly move his hand back and forth until she would fall asleep.   

She took a deep breath and position her good foot so she can wash her face with soap and water. She got the toothpaste tube and brushed her teeth.  She combed and tied her hair with a bond that she kept in the house. She powdered her face and added a lip gloss to her lips. She looked at herself in the mirror and was glad that she looked better. 

When she was done, she turned around and walked to the door. But she mistakenly put her weight on her damaged foot. She tried to shift the weight on her good foot but she had already hurled herself at the floor. She cursed loudly at her stupidity. 

Lucas was instantly on the floor with her. He was admonishing her for not calling out for his help. She closed her eyes as the throbbing dominated her being. 

"I told you to call me, kate," he said as he lifted her from the floor and back to the bed. 

"I know. But you are busy, I don't want to use more of your time," she said as he settled her back on the bed. 

"I told you I'm here to take care of you," he said. 

His phone rang but he switched it off as he propped her foot on a pillow. The position had minimized the pain. 

The meds have taken their effect on her and she was able to sleep the whole morning. She woke up a little later. She looked around and found him seated at the corner of the bedroom. A couch and a coffee table were set up at that corner where one has the full view of the balcony. 

He had his laptop on the coffee table. He sat on one of the couches with his feet propped up on a footstool. She stared at him as he frowned at something in his laptop. He reached for his phone. He was talking to someone when his gaze shifted to the bed. He saw her wide awake. He ended his call and came to sit beside her.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he settled beside her. 

"My foot is still painful," she said as she looked at her leg propped on the pillow. Its size had almost doubled. He touched her leg and made the same soothing touch he did last night. 

"What do you want to eat? It's past lunchtime, you must be hungry," he queried. He continued to rub softly at her leg while letting his gaze dip down to her chest. 

She was wearing his favorite Victoria's secret nightie. It revealed a good deal of her cleavage. Its length only reached the top of her knees. It wasn't a see-through kind of nightie but the material is soft. It made her feel sexy as he gave her an appreciative gaze. 

"Hmmm...very hungry," she said as she put a smile on her lips, and with her half-closed eyes she reached out to pull him closer as his hand moved up to caress her upper thigh. 

"Really?" he laughed. She can feel the rumbling on his chest as he gathered her in his arms. She laughed with him too as he kissed her face, her neck, and her chest. 

"I missed you," he said as he deepened the kiss. "I'm happy that you're here with me Kate," he said in between his kisses. She had missed his caress and his kisses too.

"I missed you too," she replied. She felt at home in his arms.

"Stay with me. I need you here, Kate," he whispered. He lifted his head to look at her eyes. 

She looked back at him. She felt her heart move out of her chest as she looked at his eyes. The need she saw in there. She sighed and decided to throw away her principles. She said yes. He whooped with joy. And she felt the weight on her shoulders have been lifted.