Always Him (Always #1)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Sadie

Jasper woke me up. Seeing his eyes first thing in the morning was beautiful. Faint rays of sunlight streamed in through the windows; they reflected against his hazel eyes beautifully. I lifted my fingers to trace his jawline; he had a little stubble growing. I hoped he kept it.

"Is it time to go already?"

He shook his head. "Nah, we got a couple of hours."

"Then why did you wake me up?" It hit me then. The process to get me ready. It was going to take some time, longer than it used to. I had things to do now that I didn't have then. "Oh. We have a new morning routine, don't we?"

"For a little while, it seems." I appreciated him trying to make light of the situation; it helped ease my discomfort. "I'll start a bath for you." His eyes turned serious. "Will you need my help?"

I nodded sheepishly. "Sorry, but yeah." Another shake of his head sent his hair flying around. "After you dye your hair," he gave me a look, and I winked at him. "You should get a haircut. Don't cut it short, though; I like the long-ish hair."

Jasper laughed. "Any other requests?"

"Keep the stubble?"

"For you, that can be arranged."

...

Jasper stood behind me with his arms out in case he needed to catch me. I had one arm on the wall, the other reaching for the side of the tub. Once I made contact with the tub, the hard part was upon us.

Lowering myself onto the edge of the tub, I let out a breath. I was getting better with moving myself, but it was still a lot of effort and would be for some time. I took the hand from the wall, letting it fall to my side. Swinging my right leg over into the water, I sighed with relief. It felt intoxicating.

While I was in the hospital, Jasper had gotten in touch with the apartment manager and had them install a grab bar on the tub wall. I reached for that as Jasper helped move my nub. Holding the bar tightly, I began to scooch over and lower myself.

I wasn't going to make it.

Just before I slipped and fell, Jasper's arms were around me; he was far more alert than I was.

"Easy there." He murmured, lowering me the rest of the way into the water. It wasn't too hot; it wasn't too cold. The perfect temperature so my nub wouldn't swell to the point I couldn't wear the leg. The leg probably wasn't happening today anyway.

It was as if Jasper could read my mind. "I think the chair will be best for today if you think it will be."

I nodded. "Yeah." Then I felt the prick of tears again as my left arm landed on his on the edge of the tub. "What if I can't do this, Jas? Will I ever be able to do things for myself again? The only time I thought a bath would take two people was for a relaxing night or some incredible sex!" we both blushed, though neither looked away from the other. I had a good feeling we both remembered that night as if it had happened only the night before. "I didn't think it'd mean I needed help to bathe myself or to get into the tub. Everyone's telling me I'll get it at some point, but after this," I referred to the near trouble I had getting into the tub, "who knows when I'll be able to take a bath by myself."

Jasper's fingers began to tangle into my hair, massaging my scalp. "You can do this, Sades. It's just going to take some time. We all know patience isn't your strong suit, but you'll have to be patient this time. Your body needs time to heal properly; then you can do what you did before. You won't need help every time you decide to take a bath." He leaned in to press a gentle kiss to my forehead; I closed my eyes at the touch.