Your Healing Touch

Chapter 7

After about three weeks Mr. Bryant was no longer required to wear a sling. The bullet that hit him missed his vital organs. There was some tissue damage and because he had gone without using his arm aside from in physical therapy sessions, it had gotten weak. His doctor wanted him to continue physical therapy even after he was released from the hospital.

He was slowly gaining his strength back which meant that his time at the hospital was coming to an end. I would miss him when he was gone. Without even trying he and I had grown closer. Often he called me to his room during my shifts. It became so frequent that the other nurses teased me about it and I had to have a talk with him.

If he was in pain or needed me for something important I wouldn't mind so much but he was calling me in to do minuscule tasks like changing the channel or asking me to read him the menu choices for the day. Oh, and his favorite was getting to fluff his pillows. At first I thought he was doing it just to annoy me but he said that he was bored and wanted someone to talk to.

We would talk about random stuff every time and he was always careful to keep the conversation away from any potentially dark topics. He was 30 years old and had two younger brothers who were his roommates. I also learned he was a cop but he refused to open up anymore on the subject. I figured that must be the reason behind his admittance to the hospital and clearly there was a story behind it he wasn't yet ready to discuss.

As much as I hated to admit it I really liked spending time with him, a little too much for my peace of mind.

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"Excuse me, nurse?" Mr. Bryant's voice called to me as I was walking pass his room. I rolled my eyes at his formality.

"Yes Mr. Bryant?" I asked with extra syrup in my voice.

"I need you to fluff my pillows please," he said with a straight face.

Fighting to hide my irritation I internally counted to ten. All the while a ghost of a smile adorned his ridiculously handsome face. What a way to start my morning.

I inhaled slowly before speaking, "Mr. Bryant, we talked about this. I have other patients besides you and these unnecessary requests take away from my time with them. If you actually need me I'm more than happy to help you but I believe you are now capable of fluffing your own pillows since you had your sling removed."

A small frown appeared on his face and his eyebrows furrowed together. For a moment, I thought he  might yell at me like he did when I first met him.

"I know Jasmine and I'm sorry, I just... I like spending time with you," he confessed.

The apology surprised me and his admission caused my stomach to flip, the same way it seemed to do every time I was around him.

He continued, "These requests may seem silly to you but seeing you is the only thing that keeps me from being miserable in this place."

I couldn't take much more of hearing this. I'd grown to care about him in the time I'd known him and I didn't just mean in the way a nurse cares for her patient. My feelings for him still scared me, even more so now since they'd gotten stronger.

"I'm glad to have made your stay more enjoyable," I said in my most professional voice while walking toward him. "I'm sure seeing your brothers helps too," I reminded him. I saw them here yesterday visiting with him.

"Yes, but you're prettier than they are," he spoke with a twinkle in his eye. I giggled in response while shaking my head.

"Um thanks..I think," I said with a tilt of my head.

After, I moved closer to him as he leaned forward so I could fluff his pillow for the hundredth time. I stood at his side patting the pillows and placed one on top of the other. Before I could move away he twisted toward me and quickly but gently placed his large hands on my waist. I jumped nearly a foot at the contact. His warm hands felt like they were branding me through my shirt. With shaking hands I shoved his hands from me and stumbled backwards in my haste to get away from him.