One Wish Left

CHAPTER 25: RECOVER

Jesse and Kieran were debating the pros and cons of asking Hailey to the school dance in a note when they heard an alarming thud, followed by, "Ouch! Motherfucker!"

They stared at one another for a brief moment without moving, but once he could clearly hear Laura crying, Jesse jumped up to run toward her room.

"Stay there," he ordered to Kieran over his shoulder.

He knocked lightly on her door before swinging it open, only to reveal that she wasn't there. Walking around the room, he eyed the floor on both sides of the bed to see if he was missing something. Then he noticed a sliver of light beneath what he assumed to be the master bathroom door.

As he approached, he could hear that her cries had softened into sniffles on the other side. "Laura?" he called gently, gripping the doorknob. "Are you alright?"

"No," she moaned.

He hesitated for a moment, uncertain of what he was about to get himself into. "I'm coming in," he announced, pushing the door open slowly.

For a split second, Jesse stilled. His breath hitched as he took in her naked body, back arched over the lip of the shower floor, legs bent to the side, giving him a priceless view of what he'd only dreamed up in his most beloved fantasies.

He swallowed thickly and rushed to kneel by her side, getting the knees of his jeans damp in the process. She winced as he slid his right forearm across the wet skin of her shoulders to brace her back. Pulling a thick, white towel off the bar on the wall with his other hand, he covered as much of her as he could before reaching up to slick her darkened brown locks away from her eyes and behind her ear. Her eyes were pinched closed in pain, but tears leaked from the corners, running down to mix with the water droplets still clinging to her cheeks.

She smelled positively delicious.

Resisting the urge to lick up the moisture, Jesse used a corner of the towel to dry her face and spoke with gentle urgency. "Where are you hurt?"

"My back," Laura heaved between ragged breaths.

The first responder in him took over. "Wiggle your toes for me."

She did.

"Did you faint again or was this a fall?"

"I slipped. The floor was wet." She took a deep breath. "I hit my back on the door track."

He could feel the metal of the track biting into his forearm underneath her, so he knew landing on it could have done some damage.

"Did you hit your head?" he asked.

She cracked one eye open and snapped it shut immediately. "I don't think so."

"I'm going to help you sit up now, okay? I've got you." He lifted her up, keeping his arm braced behind her as he positioned himself to face her as much as he could. "Okay, that's it. Now. Can you open your eyes?"

She blinked rapidly as her eyes refocused. She had stopped crying, he was pleased to see, but the pink heat that rose to her cheeks as she looked into his eyes was even more pleasant to him. She clutched the towel to her chest.

"How many of me do you see?" he asked with just a hint of humor in his voice.

"Just one," she whispered.

He smiled. "Good. And what's my name?"

She smiled back. "Jesse."

He mentally high-fived himself for his cleverness. How many times could he get her to say his name?