For His Brother's Wife

Two hours later, she checked on the soup simmering on top of the stove and finished filling parfait cups with chocolate pudding when she heard the ringing of the bell she’d left beside the bed. Putting the cups into the refrigerator, she wiped her hands and hurried into the family room.

“You rang, sir?” she asked, smiling.

“Could you hand me the remote control?” he asked, his eyes not quite meeting hers. “I tried, but I can’t reach it without putting pressure on my knee.”

“Of course,” she said, handing it to him. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”

He shook his head. “I won’t bother you again.”

“You’re not bothering me,” she said, smiling. “Just relax and watch the news. I’ll bring dinner in to you in a few minutes.”

Walking back into the kitchen, she shook her head as she placed bowls of soup, toasted cheese sandwiches and glasses of iced tea on a bed tray to carry into the family room. She had been right. Cole hated that he had to rely on her for the simplest of things. And she could understand that his pride was suffering because of it. But it wouldn’t be forever, and if their positions were reversed, she was sure he wouldn’t mind helping her.

“Let’s get you propped up so you can have dinner,” she said when she returned to the family room.

“Thanks, but I’m not really hungry,” he said, continuing to stare at the television.

“You have to eat something,” she said, setting the tray on the coffee table she’d moved out of the way when she’d pulled out the sofa bed before going to the hospital that morning. Reaching for some throw pillows, she smiled. “Do you need me to help you sit up?”

He finally looked up at her. “Really, Paige, I don’t want to be a problem.”

Frowning, she put her fists on her hips. “Let’s get something straight, Cole Richardson. You are not a bother, a burden or a problem. You need someone to take care of you while you recuperate and, whether you like it or not, you’re stuck with me. Now, sit up and let me put these pillows behind you so you can eat dinner. And don’t tell me you aren’t hungry. I happen to know you haven’t had anything to eat all day.”

He looked surprised by her outburst, but instead of arguing the matter further, he managed to sit up on his own without putting pressure on his knee and leaned forward for her to put the pillows behind his back. “I hope you didn’t go to a lot of trouble.”

She smiled. “None at all. The instructions Dr. Campbell sent home with you suggested a soft diet this evening because of the anesthesia, so I kept it very simple and easy.” She picked up the bed tray and, being careful not to bump his knee, placed it over his thighs. “You have homemade chicken soup, a toasted cheese sandwich and iced tea.” She picked up her dinner from the tray, carried it over to the armchair and sat down. “Be sure to save room for dessert. I made chocolate pudding.”

“Thank you,” he said, picking up his spoon to taste the soup. After he swallowed, he said, “Normally I don’t care much for soup, but this is really good.”

She hid a smile as she watched him eat. For someone who claimed he wasn’t very hungry, Cole had downed the bowl of soup and devoured the sandwich in record time.

“Would you like some more soup or another sandwich?” she asked, placing her empty bowl with his on the tray to take back to the kitchen.

“I think I’d rather have the pudding,” he said, giving her the first smile she’d seen from him today that wasn’t under the influence of pain pills.

“I’ll be right back with it,” she said, returning his smile.

While they ate their pudding, they watched one of the military investigation dramas on TV, and by the time the show was over, she could tell he needed more pain medication. After giving him one of the pills, she sat back down in the armchair to wait until Cole dozed off before she went back into the kitchen to clean up.

“If you have something else you need to do, go ahead,” he said, yawning. “I’ll be fine.”

Rising to her feet, she motioned toward the kitchen. “I’ll go ahead and clean up from dinner. If you need me—”

“I’ll ring...the bell,” he said, closing his eyes. He sounded extremely sleepy, and she knew he was moments away from going to sleep.

Fifteen minutes later, after wiping down the counter and starting the dishwasher, Paige returned to the family room. She gasped when she found Cole trying to get out of the bed. “Where do you think you’re going?” she asked, alarmed that he might hurt himself further.