The Broken Benefactor

~7~ (UPDATED 02/04/2020)

(ETHAN)

They were back on track. The incident in the bathroom was forgotten or at least neither of them behaved in any manner which would suggest otherwise. Valerie came to work every day as usual and Ethan was always pleased to see her. If she met him passed out on the couch or porch first thing in the morning, he appreciated being awakened to a view of her smiling face.

          "Good morning. How are you feeling today?" She asked as she walked into the living room. He peaked at his watch and just like clockwork, there she was at five o'clock on the dot.

          "Morning Val. I'm feeling pretty fair. I actually slept most of the night for a change. How are things with you?" He asked as he flashed her a quirky smile.

          "Aright, I guess." She replied with little enthusiasm. As she moved closer to him, he noticed her face was a bit flushed and puffy. He wasn't quite sure but judging by the redness of her eyes, Ethan believed she had been crying.

          "Val don't bullshit me. What's going on?" She hung her jacket on the coat rack by the door and proceeded to pass him in utter silence. Her attempts to avoid his questions were fruitless.

          He politely got in his wheelchair and followed her into the kitchen. Cornered, she motioned to sidestep him but she was too slow to successfully divert herself from his attention.  

          Valerie stared down at him and that's when he saw her face up close. Without a doubt, he confirmed that she had indeed been crying. Before he realized it, Ethan reached out to comfort her. At first, she pulled away, but he ignored her rejection.

          "Ethan, I really don't want to discuss it. Okay? Everything will work itself out once I make myself busy." Turning her back on him was meant to shut down any questions he might have.  Valerie went about the business of gathering what was required to prepare his breakfast. Her struggles to appear busy did little to shield him from the troubles which she unsuccessfully tried to hide.

          He secured the locks on the wheelchair and then he forced his body to stand tall and unassisted. Ethan noticed her response when the chair lightly brushed the back of her legs.

          A little jump gave away the fact that she had no idea of his intentions. His arms wove themselves around her waist as the solid wall of his masculinity pressed against her back offering reassurance.

          "Tell me what's wrong. Please." Valerie felt his chin graze the top of her head as his husky voice whispered his concern. At the average height of five-foot-four, there was no instance when she felt intimidated by Ethan until his solid frame towered above her. 

          He sought to ease whatever it was that ailed her by offering a shoulder to lean on.

*****

(DAVISON)

During the entire time, she'd been employed by Ethan Raye, Valerie's only focus while in his home was her patient. Money problems and her family were never discussed.

          Issues in her personal life were left at the door the moment she turned the key and entered his house. Ethan was completely unaware of the crushing financial debt that was hanging around his assistant's neck.

         Two months after she came home to bury her father, Valerie found herself employed as a healthcare provider. At that time, her older brother was responsible for taking care of most of the family bills.

          All was well until their mother suddenly passed away. Even though Davison received a sixty thousand dollar loan from their father to go into business for himself, he lost control of his finances when both his parents were buried within a short time of one another.