Faye was awakened by the sound of Silas's deep voice coming from the other room, he was speaking in another language, so she didn't understand what was being said. She looked out the window and noted that it was still dark, at least she hoped it was still dark and she hadn't slept away another day.
She realized that she had to go to the bathroom, so she threw her legs over the side of the bed and sat up slowly, waiting to see if she had any dizziness. After a few moments, when all seemed well, she stood and slowly made her way toward the bathroom, thinking that a shower would be heavenly, but she knew she wasn't quite ready for that.
As she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw Silas standing at his desk looking at something on the computer while he held the phone to his ear as he talked, and there was no mistaking the strength behind his words, even if she didn't understand them.
When he looked up and caught sight of her, she could see anger on his face and it scared her a little, and she thought once again, that he would be an intimidating man to cross, even dressed as he was now, in pajama bottoms with a day's worth of stubble on his face. To Faye, he looked sexy as hell, and she wondered what the other nurse in the ER would say if they could see him in his current state.
His face cleared of anger and was quickly replaced by something intense that she didn't recognize as he looked at her standing in the doorway being swallowed by his t-shirt. She gave him a weak smile then turned towards the bathroom taking her time with her steps so that she wouldn't fall. It was amazing how weak her body was, she felt as if she would never be back to her normal energetic self again.
It took her a little longer than normal but when she finished, she took a moment to look at herself in the mirror. She looked pale and haggard which was no great surprise. With a sigh, she turned and opened the door only to find Silas waiting in the bedroom doorway for her.
"Are you hungry?" he asked.
Faye thought about it for a minute and then nodded. "I could eat."
He made her some toast and jam while she made her way to the couch and curled up under the blanket, closing her eyes again. He served it to her with a side of juice and some more medicine and as she munched, he reached up and felt her forehead.
"I think the fever has finally broken at last, but you still need a few more days in bed. I have to go to the hospital for a few hours today, but when I return I'll bring you some soup."
Faye nodded looking at him as he sat at the other end of the sofa watching her eat.
"I can go back upstairs, I'm better now," she suggested.
"No, you'll stay here a few more days that way I can take care of you." He was using the same tone she had heard him use on the phone, it was one that told her he meant to win. "Besides, I think we're locked out," he grinned as if he thought the entire thing was funny. "Unless you have a key hidden somewhere? I looked but was unable to find one."
"I can call my brother, he can open it for us," she said, frowning as she realized she didn't even have her phone and she didn't remember his number because it was programmed into her phone. She would have to wait until she knew he was home and ring the bell until he answered or call a locksmith if he didn't.
"It doesn't matter for a few days, so don't worry about it just yet. I'm sure it will all work out when the time comes," he declared as he took her empty plate and motioned for her to take her pills.
"I'd like a shower," she said as she drank her juice.
He nodded in agreement. "I'm sure you would, but we'll worry about that when I get back, alright? I don't want you to fall with no one here." He walked over to his computer and typed a few things before he shut it. "I am going to take a shower and shave though." He smiled again as if he was enjoying rubbing it in, and Faye couldn't help but stick her tongue out at him in response.
He laughed as he walked into the bedroom and Faye snuggled down under the blanket falling asleep almost instantly, feeling happy that she had made him laugh. The trip to the bathroom and eating had taken its toll and she was exhausted.
*******
When she awakened a second time, the sun was streaming in the windows and she guessed it to be mid-afternoon. On the table in front of her was a water bottle, a medicine bottle, the remote control, and what could only be described as a bodice ripper romance, at least that was what the picture on the cover implied.
She gratefully reached for the water and took the medicine before reaching for the remote control. She flipped until she landed on a news station where the images flashing across the screen caught her attention. The news was about a small eastern European country, and Faye thought it might be the one where Chole's father was working.
She continued to watch as the station flashed an image of Valentine Juric on the screen, he had been fighting against his uncle for the freedom of his small country for the last ten years, at least it been making headlines for that long. Faye watched the images as the handsome Valentine, who was aptly named, shook hands with some world leaders from the UN, he was attempting to get his country recognized with the UN but there had been some upheaval at home, so he had to leave the talks, bringing everything to a halt.
They showed an image of Valentine Juric from before he had begun fighting his uncle and the difference in his appearance was dramatic. He was no less handsome, but his dark hair had streaks of grey, and the lines around his eyes had deepened, but the changes only made him appear more dangerous.
She wondered if Chole had ever had the chance to meet him before, it was a passing thought and she soon grew tired of the horrible images she was seeing, so she turned the channel until she found a game show to watch. She spent the next hour trying to guess how expensive things were. It was no wonder she was always broke.
Eventually, she fell back asleep wondering when Silas would return.
*******
When she heard his key in the door, she awakened immediately, peeking her head up over the couch in time to see him enter while carrying a bag of something that smelled delicious, and her stomach growled loudly.
"You are on the road to recovery by the sound of it," Silas said with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. It was the smile she was used to seeing him give strangers.
"Is everything alright?" she asked as she watched him put the bag and his keys down on the table.
He paused, turning to look at her as if considering something important. "It's fine, why do you ask?" He took off his suit jacket and threw it over the back of a chair, then he took off his tie, and rolled up his sleeves, but through the entire process, she noted his mind was somewhere else. She didn't even bother to answer him, what would be the point since it was obvious something was wrong, but he didn't want to talk about it.
She stood up and walked on shaky legs over to the table, pulling out a chair and sitting as she reached for the bag of food.
"You don't have to get up," he insisted, watching her as she began to pull stuff out of the bag.
"I think I do, I need to move a little bit." She inhaled deeply in appreciation as she pulled the lid off her soup container. It looked like Chicken Noodle.
Silas reached into the bag and pulled out a fresh loaf of bread to go with it. He worked around her while she ate, cutting the bread and fixing them drinks while she sipped at the soup. He was still distracted so she didn't try to make conversation as she snuck the occasional glance at him.
"I'll take a shower now, if you don't mind?" Faye said once she was done eating.
He looked up at her as if he had forgotten she was there. Whatever was weighing on his mind must be heavy, and she wished he trusted her enough to share. He nodded and stood, walking to his bedroom and then reemerging a moment later with a fresh shirt that he handed to her.
"That's all I have, please keep the door open a crack so that I can hear you if you need help. I promise I won't look." There was no teasing tone to his voice like there had been the night before.
Faye nodded and moved quietly towards the bathroom, thinking that Silas was a stranger and she really knew nothing about him. As she stripped and turned on the water, she thought about what she knew about him.
He was stubborn and kind, he had two grown children who adored him only he wasn't their biological father, he had married their mother for the children's sake, he was a baron, he worked in war zones, he was a trauma surgeon, he was rich, Dutch, and handsome, and for some reason, only known to him, he claimed to like her and even desire her. Why? Why her, what was so special about Faye Brantley.
She really couldn't see it.
Faye stepped under the water and let it wash away the sweat and germs of the last two days. She reached for some shampoo and it smelled like Silas, she reached for his soap and thought how there was something very intimate about using it on her own skin.
She wanted to stay under the water forever, but eventually, she started to tire, and she turned it off, reaching for a towel. She halfheartedly dried herself off and reached for the shirt he had given her. It was at that moment that she realized that she had no underwear.
She pulled his button-down dress shirt over her head without unbuttoning it. It fell to her knees so she was decent, but she knew she wasn't wearing any underwear, and if Silas was smart, which he was, he would know the same thing.
"Put your clothes in the basket, I'll wash a load tomorrow," he called. It was all so domesticated.
"I can do a load," she said as she rejoined him in the main room, the tile floor was cold on her feet.
He looked up from his computer and when he saw her something flared in his eyes. It looked like a cross between ownership and desire all rolled into one. No man had ever looked at her that way.
She self-consciously padded in her bare feet over to the couch and sat down, reaching for the remote control to change the channel. The vibe in the room was tense and she was looking for a way to break the tension when her eyes landed on the book. She reached for it and held it up. "I didn't think this was your type of reading material doctor?" she teased.
He smiled, but again it didn't reach his eyes. "I've read one or two in my younger years to see what the hype was all about, but that one's not mine, Andrea left it behind."
Faye nodded then laid it back down, reaching for the remote once more. "Is it alright if I change the channel?" she asked.
He nodded, turning his attention back to his computer screen.
Faye landed on the news again, they were back on Valentine Juric and the talk was of a potential coup and hostage situation. Faye listened for a moment and was trying to understand what was going on when she heard Silas let loose with some words that sound fierce.
A moment later his phone rang and he answered it immediately. "Yes, Chloe, I've heard. No, I have no news." He switched to Dutch and Faye caught on that he didn't want her to know what was being said, so she stood up and walked towards the bedroom door. She was halfway there when Silas reached out and caught her arm stopping her.
He looked down at her as he listened to Chloe's voice on the other end of the phone. He didn't say anything, but he was trying to reassure her with his look, that much she got.
Faye gave him a smile and pulled away, walking towards the bedroom. She had a lot to think about, but she didn't want to, so she would try to go to sleep.
She crawled into bed and closed her eyes tight, willing sleep to come, eventually, it did but it wasn't such a deep sleep that she didn't feel when Silas crawled into bed beside her and pulled her close.
When she was in his arms once again, she drifted off into a deep sleep, knowing that for the moment she was safe and cared for, whatever was wrong in the world.