After she peed, Leanne hopped on one leg over to the sink and washed her hands while leaning against the countertop. She was able to reach the door from there.
“All set?” Cassandra asked as she pulled the door open.
With a nod, Leanne said, “M-hm.”
Cassandra reached for her and the bigger woman easily supported her weight as she guided her back into bed. “Still hurt?”
“Yeah, it does.”
“I’ll give you some pain pills. They’re not prescription strength, of course, but they should certainly help. That way, you can get a few more hours of sleep until breakfast.”
Leanne was more aware of Cassandra’s closeness than the pain in her leg as she was led down the hallway and back to the guest room. The woman probably had half a foot on her and a good fifty pounds or so. She smelled good, too. Sort of a woodsy, spicy kind of scent. It seemed to suit her well, as opposed to a more feminine scent, because Cassandra wasn’t exactly what Leanne would describe as feminine. She wasn’t manly either, and Leanne actually wasn’t exactly sure what words would describe her, but she was sure to enjoy her good looks while she was stuck there.
Once back in bed, Leanne swallowed the painkillers she was given and then Cassandra said, “Now, I’m just a wall away and a very light sleeper, so just give a yell if you need me, ok?”
Leanne nodded, mixed emotions still churning throughout her. “I still don’t know what in the world is going on with you, but I thank you just the same for helping to patch me back up.”
Cassandra smiled, “Oh, no problem. I mean, I’m sorry it had to happen, but since it did, I’m just thankful as hell that you’re not seriously hurt, or worse, dead.”
Leanne nodded sleepily and watched as Cassandra left the room, hair falling in soft layers nearly to the middle of her back.
As tired as her body was, Leanne’s mind was in overdrive. As she lay in the darkness of the room, alone with her racing thoughts, she contemplated her situation. The woman didn’t seem threatening in any way, despite being much bigger. Cassandra put out an air of calmness, confidence, and intelligence. She sensed this right away and still did, even if she only knew her for an hour or so. Why then, had reporting the accident to the police been such a big deal? What could have possibly happened to make that and taking her to the hospital, such a no-no? She mulled it over in her mind with intense determination to get a handle on what might be up with the good-looking nurse, and all she could think of was that Cassandra probably had some DUIs on her record.
But this too, seemed far-fetched. Cassandra may’ve been as close to a stranger as one could possibly get, but Cassandra simply didn’t strike her as the drinking type. At least not to the point that it was affecting her driving, and even if it did, Cassandra somehow seemed the type to get someone else to do the driving if she needed to go somewhere while intoxicated.
But what else could it be?
Brightness flooded the room as Leanne’s eyes fluttered open. She felt a bit groggy as she listened for movement within the house.
The smell of coffee and cooking food filled her senses. She groaned in pain as a sharp cramp exploded in her lower leg just above her ankle.
Cassandra’s tall frame filled the doorway. She was wearing a long blue robe and appeared to be big-boned but not fat. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully. “How is Princess Leanne doing today?”
Princess? She might not mind being this woman’s princess under ordinary circumstances. Leanne tried to smile. “In pain but alive.”
“That you are, my dear. Ok, let’s have a look at that leg,” Cassandra said as she stepped toward the bed.
In natural daylight, Leanne had a clearer, better image of the woman who had become her personal caretaker. She thought she looked a lot like the singer M.I.A., only with lighter skin. Her skin wasn’t pale, but it was still fairly light against her distinguished features. Her eyes and hair were almost midnight black.
“You’re Italian,” Leanne said more as a statement than a question.
Cassandra glanced momentarily at Leanne. “I am, actually.”
Leanne winced as Cassandra pulled back the covers at the lower corner of the bed by her injured leg. Leanne noted the look of concern on the attractive woman’s face. “Have you got insurance?”
“I do, but not with me. I wasn’t carrying my purse or any ID when I stormed off last night.”
“You must’ve been pretty upset last night.”
“Being dumped after two years will do that to you,” said Leanne. If Cassandra had put together the fact that she’d been dumped by another woman, it didn’t show. “Why do you ask?”
“Well, not to be overly concerned or anything like that, but the swelling still hasn’t gone down like I anticipated it would start to by now. If it ever got to where I couldn’t help you here at home, by all means, I would definitely want to get you proper treatment.”
“If you need to, you can drop me off at the hospital and I won’t mention you at all. I’ll just say I was out walking when I was injured. Since I wouldn’t want to say it was caused by a vehicle, what else could I tell them that could do this to me? Could I say I was hit with a stick or something in a fight?”
“Well, you could,” Cassandra said hesitantly, “but I would also hate to see you get into lying because of me.”
Though still in pain, Leanne eyed Cassandra curiously. “It’s that bad, isn’t it?”
“Oh, no, not bad at all. Just a bit more swollen than I expected it to be.”
“No, I mean you. Whatever’s going on with you that’s got you wanting to avoid the cops is that bad, huh?”
Cassandra seemed caught off guard and unsure of what to say next. “Well… complicated is more like it as opposed to bad, but then again, I guess it depends on how you look at it.”
“Kind of like a matter of one’s opinion?”
“Yes and no. I did what I had to do but got the wrong outcome.” Quickly changing the subject, she told her she’d return with an ice pack to help bring the swelling down.
Leanne waited, feeling fuzzy-headed due to all she’d gone through both physically and mentally in less than twenty-four hours, as well as a lack of sleep. The brightness of the room almost hurt her eyes.
As she waited for the Italian nurse to return with the ice, she glanced toward one of the bedroom windows. Bright white opaque curtains hung in the window, and while they let in quite a bit of light, they also obscured any detail beyond. The only thing she could make out, or at least thought she could, was some hedges just outside the window that extended about a foot above the base of the window itself.
She listened for sounds, but all she could hear were birds chirping and an airplane way off in the distance.
Cassandra reentered the room opposite the window and Leanne said, “It’s so quiet out there.”
“Yeah, I live at the end of a dead-end on a very quiet street. It’s a beautiful neighborhood. It’s also early Sunday morning, so there isn’t much to hear at this time anyway.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s almost eight o’clock.”
“In about an hour, I’d like to call both my parents and my roommate and let them know I’m with a friend. That way my parents won’t panic and hopefully, my ex won’t throw all my stuff outside.”
“Ok, sure,” Cassandra said.
“Ouch!” Leanne shrieked as Cassandra placed the ice pack on her leg. “That hurts. Get it off!”
“You really need to just bear with it for a while, hun. We need to get the swelling down. It’s very important if you don’t want to go to the hospital and have to try to explain such a serious injury, life-threatening or not,” Cassandra said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.
“Fuck!” Leanne swore, though she did her best to tolerate the ice, which felt much like a thousand knives were being gouged into her leg.
After a few minutes that seemed like an eternity, Cassandra helped her into the kitchen so she could sit up and eat a breakfast of French toast and bacon. “This is delicious,” Leanne said, not realizing just how hungry she was until she devoured the food.
“Glad you like it,” Cassandra said with a smile.
“I’m sorry I swore at you back there.”
Cassandra waved a hand. “No problem. I’d have done some swearing myself.”
After breakfast, Cassandra helped Leanne prepare for a shower. “Sure you’ll be ok leaning against the side of the shower, or would you rather take a bath?” Cassandra asked her.
“I’ll try the shower. That way it’s easier to wash my hair.”
Leanne needed assistance undressing and found herself feeling oddly embarrassed. “Sorry to have to put you out like this, what with having to help me undress and all that as if I were a little kid or something.”
Cassandra emitted a quick laugh and said, “It’s ok. I do it all the time at the hospital.”
Once the water temperature was adjusted and a highly self-conscious Leanne was gently led into the shower stall, Cassandra said, “I’ll be just outside the door, so give a yell when you’re ready to get out.”
Leanne’s soapy hands slowly roamed down her body after she heard the door close, surprised to find just how erect her nipples were.
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