I walked around the couch and found my way to the hallway closet. I pulled a few extra pillows down from the top shelf, then went back to her. I propped her head up a bit more and put a bit of support underneath her back. I’d taken care of way too many soldiers in my time who were lying on nothing but slabs of wood. I knew how to make sure their bodies were comfortable and the more comfortable she was, the less tension she would carry.
That meant her body would control the swelling of her ankle more, which meant she’d heal faster.
Which meant she’d get the fuck out of my cabin sooner rather than later.
“Thanks,” she said again.
“Yep,” I said. “Just keep that ankle elevated and try not to walk on your own too much. It needs to heal.”
Before she could get a word in edgewise, I headed back to my room. I could not believe I was actually going to have to take care of this woman during this storm. The last report I’d heard on the radio said this snow wouldn’t fucking let up for an entire week. An entire fucking week. I’d have to put up with this clumsy, stubborn, strong-willed woman for seven damn days until I could get rid of her.
This was not the secluded mountain life I had been looking for.
Raking my hands through my hair, I sat down on the edge of my bed. Even though I couldn't have cared less about that woman, a part of me couldn’t help but listen out for her. It was hard to shut down the part of me that was trained to help but I tried my best to do so. Before I could worry about her, I needed to prepare the generator for when the power went out.
By the time I did my rounds and made sure the cabin was secured for the storm, I could hear her soft snores coming from the couch. I took out some meat I had thawing in the fridge, then pulled out a massive mixture of fresh vegetables. A stew would be the easiest thing to cook because she could dish it up on her own and heat it up herself. Making a stew and some biscuits could put more distance between the two of us, which meant I didn’t have to deal with her as much. I slammed around in the kitchen, pouring things into a pot before I brought it all to a boil. Not once did she move from the couch.
She was obviously exhausted and I thanked my stars that she’d stay asleep through the night.
I cooked up some biscuits while the stew settled, then I brewed some sweet tea. She was a city girl for sure but her light accent told me she was from Tennessee. I set out a cup and a bowl for her, just in case she got up in the middle of the night and wanted something. Then, I took my dinner back into my room.
I was going to eat, listen to the radio, then go the fuck to sleep.
The weather announcer kept changing his report every fucking moment. At first, it was going to snow for a whole three days. Then, he changed it to five. Then, it was an entire week. Even this asshat didn’t know what the fuck this storm was doing. I finished my dinner, turned off the radio, and took all my dishes to the kitchen.
The woman was still sleeping on the couch while the fire slowly dwindled and I fought the urge to go and see how her ankle was.
I filled the sink with hot bubbly water and put my dishes into it. The woman’s snores became louder and louder and, soon, she wasn’t breathing at all. I rushed over to her side and took one of the pillows out from underneath her head. In an instant, she was breathing again.
This time, there was no snoring.
I lifted up the blanket and took a look at her ankle. Her toes were swelling a bit, but nothing that was alarming to me. I unraveled the ace bandage from her skin, applied more of the soothing gel, and then wrapped her back up and tucked her in. Everything was coming back to me like it’d never left. My mind was racing with facts and statistics and clocking all the things that could go wrong. Part of me wanted to make sure I was prepared for anything that could happen to her.
But part of me simply wanted to sleep this nightmare away.
If she stayed long enough, she would know how battered I was. If she was trapped here long enough, she would see the monster she was staying with.
I wasn’t sure if I could stomach that reality.