Healing Gabriel (16 page)

Mary shrugged.  “According to my grandson’s math teacher, he
holds the title of town freak.  It ain’t nothin’ but a simple matter of
perception Gabe.  You think you’re the town freak because you want to think
that.”

Gabe glared at her.  “You think I want to have people
staring at me?  Whispering behind my back?”

“I never said that.”  Mary said sternly.  “I’ll ask you not
to put words in my mouth, thank you kindly.”

“Sorry ma’am.”  Gabe muttered.

Mary heaved herself to her feet, wincing a little and
rubbing at her side, before she reached across the bed and patted Gabe’s
shoulder gently.  “I know I’m being nothing but a nosy old biddy and I’ll leave
you to your woman now.  But before I go, would you take some advice from an old
woman who has lived long enough to gain a bit of wisdom?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Let your woman decide what’s best for her life.  I know you
love her and you want to protect her, but she’s a grown woman.  If she wants to
spend her life with you, then you need to celebrate that, not push her away.”

Gabe stared at the bed as Mary squeezed his shoulder.  “Good
night Gabe.”

“Good night Mary.  Thank you.”

“Ayuh.”  She pushed past the curtain, and he heard her
grunting softly as she climbed into her bed.

He hesitated and then leaned down and kissed Morgan’s mouth
lightly.  She didn’t stir and he sat back and closed his eyes, keeping her hand
clasped loosely in his.

“Why are you here?”

Gabe jerked in the chair and opened his eyes.  He must have
dozed off.  He rubbed at the kink in his neck.  He had been dreaming about
Morgan.  He glanced at his watch.  It was three in the morning and –

“Why are you here Gabe?”

He jerked again and looked at the bed.  Morgan was awake and
staring at him.  He scooted closer and took her hand in his.

“Hi.  How are you feeling?”

She pulled her hand free and tucked it under the sheets. 
“I’m fine.  Why are you here?  I told Lacey not to tell you I was in the
hospital.”

“She didn’t.  Nat told me by accident.”  He cleared his
throat.  “I was uh – worried about you.”

She sighed and moved restlessly on the bed.  “What time is
it?”

“Just after three.”

She squinted at him.  “I’m pretty sure visiting hours are
over.”

“I told them I was your boyfriend so they would let me stay.” 
He gave her a small grin that she didn’t return.

“Why would you do that?”

“I told you – I was worried about you.  Peter said you had a
bad blood infection.”  He said softly.

“Well, you’ve seen me and I’m doing fine.  You should go
home and get some sleep.”  She replied grumpily.

“Why didn’t you go to the hospital?”  He asked.

She sighed.  “Because I get hurt all the time Gabriel.  I
didn’t expect it get infected like that.”

“You should have gone to the doctor Morgan.”

She glared at him.  “Don’t you dare lecture me Mr. ‘my
appendix nearly exploded because I was too stubborn to go to the hospital’
Dern.  You have no right to badger me about not going to the hospital.”

“You’re right, I’m sorry.”  He said soothingly.

She muttered something under her breath that he couldn’t
hear and then threw back the covers.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to go to the bathroom.”  She snapped.

“Maybe you should call the nurse.”  He suggested.

“No.  I can do it myself.” 

He hovered over her as she swung her legs over the side of
the bed.  She sat there for a moment, and he placed a gentle hand on her back. 

“Morgan, maybe you should – “

“I’m fine Gabe.”  She muttered.  “Just help me stand up.”

He hooked his hands in her armpits and lifted her to her
feet.  She balanced on her good leg for a moment before gingerly putting weight
on her injured one.  She flinched, her face losing what little colour it had,
and he immediately scooped her up into his arms.

“Put me down!”  She hissed.

“No.  Hold on to the IV pole.”  He brushed past the curtain
and carried her into the bathroom as she held the IV pole and pulled it behind
them.  He flicked the light with his elbow before setting her down in front of
the toilet.

“Go ahead.  I’ll wait.”

She gave him a dirty look.  “Out Gabe.  I’m not peeing in
front of you.”

He rolled his eyes.  “It’s no big deal. Just go and then
I’ll carry you back to bed.”

“No.”  She said stubbornly.  “Stand outside the door and
I’ll let you know when I’m done.”

He sighed but did as she asked.  After about five minutes,
she called his name and he opened the door.  She was standing next to the sink,
her face white with little beads of sweat running down it, and he gave her a
worried look before picking her up gingerly.

“Are you okay honey?”

She nodded, her lips pressed together in a grim line. 
“Yeah, it’s just sore.”

She wrapped her fingers around the IV pole again and he
carried her back to the bed.  Mary was curled into a little ball in the middle
of her bed and, despite the rattling of the IV as it dragged behind them, she
didn’t stir.  He sat Morgan carefully on the edge of the bed and then helped
her swing her legs up before covering her with the sheet.  She closed her eyes
and sighed deeply.

Frowning, he pushed the call button for the nurse.  A few
minutes later she peered around the curtain.

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s in a lot of pain and she feels warm to me.”  Gabe
replied.

“Morgan?”  The nurse took her wrist and counted her pulse
before brushing her hand across her forehead.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m alright, thanks Leanne.  I don’t have a fever.  I’m
just tired.”  Morgan said as the nurse stuck a thermometer in her ear.

“Your temp is good.”  Leanne smiled at Morgan.  “Lots of
pain right now?”

“A little.  I had to use the bathroom.”

“Did you walk on your leg?”  Leanne frowned.

Morgan shook her head.  “No, Gabe carried me.”

“Good.  We’ll get you up on some crutches tomorrow but for
now, stay off the leg okay?”  She checked her watch.  “You’re due for some more
pain meds anyway.  I’ll be right back.”

She ducked out from the curtain and Gabe followed her.  “Is
it normal for her to be this tired and in so much pain?”  He whispered.

Leanne gave him a sympathetic look.  “Yes.  She’ll be tired
for a few more days, and the cut on her leg was pretty infected so it’s not
surprising it’s painful.  Give her another week or so and she’ll be back to her
old self.”

Gabe nodded as the nurse left the room.  He went back to
Morgan’s bedside and picked up her hand.

“Why are you still here?”  She squinted at him.

“If you want me to leave honey, I will.”

When she didn’t answer, he squeezed her hand.  “Honey, do
you want me to go?”

“No.”  She said grudgingly before closing her eyes.  “But
stop calling me honey.”

“Okay sweetheart.”

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly before she
pressed her lips together and turned her face away from him.  He breathed a
sigh of relief.  Maybe she didn’t completely hate him after all.

* * *

“What the hell?”  Gabe stared in confusion at the empty
hospital bed before turning to Mary.

“When did she get discharged?”  He asked the old woman.

She smiled.  “About half an hour ago.”

He cursed and hit his thigh in frustration.  “She told me
she wasn’t being discharged until this afternoon.”

After the initial night he had spent at the hospital, Morgan
had refused to let him stay the following night.  He had gone back to the
farmhouse for most of the day, he had a large project due for work, but he had
been sure that Morgan would let him stay the night with her so he hadn’t
hurried to finish.  He had only a half an hour with her before visiting hours
were done. 

He had argued with her but she had insisted he go home to
sleep.  He had come back as soon as visiting hours had started this morning. 
He was determined to be there when she was discharged so that he could be the
one to take her home.

“I guess they decided to discharge her early.”

“How did she get home?”  Lacey and Peter were at work and
she couldn’t drive herself.  Her leg was better, but she was using crutches to
get around.

“She had the nurse call her a cab.”  Mary said cheerfully.

“A cab?  She should have called me.”  He heard the poutiness
in his voice and flushed a little.  Why would Morgan call him?  Maybe she
didn’t hate his guts but he had broken her heart.  Still, he couldn’t stand the
thought of her being alone.  Unfortunately, he had no idea where Morgan lived
and he had already badgered Lacey enough times about it to know she wouldn’t
tell him.

“Son of a bitch.”  He grunted and started towards the door
of the room.

“You know how sweet that woman of yours is?”  Mary asked him
as he passed by her bed.

He blew his breath out in a frustrated rush and turned
towards her.  “How sweet?”

“She told me that as soon as I got out of this blasted
hospital bed, she and I were going to have coffee.”

“That’s really nice Mary.  I’m sorry, but I should get going.” 
Maybe he could try bugging Lacey again.

“Oh, of course, of course.  You young people are always in a
hurry.”  Mary replied. 

He nodded distractedly.

“Why, she even gave me her phone number and address so I
could pop by her place and visit.  She wrote it down right here on this piece
of paper.”

He whipped around and stared at the old woman.  She was
holding a piece of paper in her hand and grinning widely at him.

“Your woman has lovely handwriting.  Probably because she’s
a teacher.”

“Probably.”  He said hoarsely.

He took a few steps towards the bed.  “Mary, would you mind
if I – “

“Hush up for a minute boy.”  She held the piece of paper on
her lap.  “I’ll give you the address but you have to make me a promise.”

“What’s the promise?”  He asked.

“You need to promise me that you’ll do everything you can to
win her heart back.  She loves you something fierce.  She won’t admit it, but
I’ve spent nearly a week sharing this damn room with her and I know a woman in
love when I see one.  I know she’s angry with you right now and she has every
right to be, but I believe she’ll forgive you if you straighten up and do
what’s right.”

“I promise.”  He reached for the paper and she slapped him
lightly on the hand.

“Do you know what the right thing to do is, sort-of-her-boyfriend
Gabe?”

“Yes ma’am, I do.” 

She stared shrewdly at him for a moment before handing him
the piece of paper.  “Yes, I believe you do.”

He scanned the address and then gave it back to her.  “Thank
you Mary.  I owe you one.”

She laughed.  “Yes, I reckon you do.”  She pointed to her
cheek and he bent and pressed a quick kiss to her wrinkled skin.

She grinned at him like a girl.  “Now we’re even.  Good luck
Gabe.”

“Thank you Mary.”

Morgan stood in the lobby of her building and stared glumly
at the stairs.  She really hadn’t thought this through.  Her apartment was only
on the third floor but the building she rented her apartment in was old, and
the elevator had been broken the entire two months she’d lived here.

She gave the elevator a hopeful glance, praying they had
fixed it while she was in the hospital, but the same “out of order” sign was
still taped to its doors.

“Son of a biscuit!”  She muttered to herself.  She had been
standing in the lobby for nearly fifteen minutes, weighing her options, and her
leg was starting to throb.  She hooked her overnight bag across her body,
tucked her crutches under her arms and thumped her way to the bottom of the
stairs.

She turned around and, with a small grimace of distaste at
the filthy carpet she was about to sit on, placed the crutches on the stairs
and lowered herself carefully on to the third stair.  She scooted her butt up a
stair.  Her overnight bag pulled at her throat and she adjusted it carefully
before lifting herself up to the next stair.

“Only 52 more to go.”  She said grimly. 

The door to the lobby opened, the security lock worked about
as well as the elevators did, and Gabe swept in.  He glanced anxiously around
the lobby before his gaze fell on her.

“Morgan!  What the hell are you doing?”  He ran forward and
put his hand on her good leg.

“What does it look like I’m doing?”  She said crossly.  “I’m
going up the stairs.”

He glanced at the out of order sign on the elevator before
bending over her.  “Let me help you.”

“I don’t need your help.  I’m perfectly fine to – “

He stuck one arm under her legs and his other around her
back and lifted her easily.  He started up the stairs and she shoved at his
shoulder.

“My crutches!”

He bent and she picked them up as he climbed to the first
landing.  “What floor are you on?” He puffed.

“The third.”  She said sweetly.

“Christ.”  He muttered, but gamely carried on.

“How do you know where I live?”  She frowned at him as he
climbed the stairs steadily.  “Did your sister tell you?  Because I specifically
told her – “

“Mary gave me your address.”  He panted.

“Why that sneaky old woman - I thought she had my back.” 
Morgan said without much rancor.

He was climbing the final set of stairs and he shifted her a
little.  “It’s a good job she gave it to me.  It would have taken you hours to
get up these damn stairs.”

“It would not have!”  She replied indignantly as she opened
the stairwell door.  “I had it all under control.”

“Of course you did.”  He grunted as he carried her to her
apartment door.

She pulled her key out of her bag and opened it.  Before she
could tuck her crutches under her arms, he had picked her up again and carried
her into the apartment.

He glanced around at the small room, his eyes narrowing with
anger.  “You are not staying here Morgan.”

“What are you talking about?  It’s perfectly fine.”  She
muttered.

“Like hell it is.” 

The apartment was a small bachelor suite.  The ceiling was
covered in water stains and the walls were painted a dingy grey.   The
appliances were old and she had barely any furniture.  He stared with distaste
at the mattress on the floor.

“Where’s your furniture?”

“I haven’t bought any yet.  The guesthouse at the farm was
furnished so I didn’t need any, and I’m not planning on staying here for long,
so there’s no point in buying furniture.”

“Why are you even staying in this godforsaken place anyway?”
He frowned.

She rolled her eyes.  “It’s not that bad.  Stop being so
dramatic.  You have no idea how difficult it is on a teacher’s salary to find a
nice townhouse or condo to buy in this town.  I lived in a motel for two months
before Lacey offered me the guesthouse.  I didn’t want to stay in a motel again,
so I rented something cheap until I can find a place to buy that fits in my
budget.”

She tugged at his arm.  “You can put me down now Gabriel.”

He shook his head.  “I’m serious Morgan.  You’re not staying
here.  It isn’t safe.”

“Oh for goodness sake Gabe!  It’s fine.”

“The door to the lobby has no lock, the lock on your apartment
door is flimsy as hell, and what if there was a fire?  How would you get out of
the building with your leg like that?”

He set her on her feet and walked to where the mattress was
lying on the floor.  She had no dresser and her clothes were stacked neatly in
her suitcase.  He checked out the door on the far right, and grunted with
satisfaction before disappearing into the bathroom.  He reappeared with her
toiletry bag in his hand.

Balancing in the middle of the room on her one good leg,
Morgan watched as Gabe dropped her bag of toiletries into the suitcase and then
closed and zipped the suitcase.  “What are you doing?”

“Packing your things.”

“Just where the heck am I supposed to go Gabe?  This place
may not be much, but it’s my home and I don’t appreciate you – “

“You’re coming back to the farmhouse.”  He carried her
suitcase to the door and set it down neatly.

She gaped at him in astonishment.  “Oh no I am not Gabriel
Dern.”

“Yes you are.  No arguments Morgan.”

“No arguments?”  She crossed her arms over her chest.  “When
exactly did you become the boss of me?”

“You took care of me when I came home from the hospital, now
it’s my turn.”  He smiled at her.

She shook her head.  “No, it doesn’t work that way.  I don’t
need your help, and you made it perfectly clear that you don’t want my
company.”

His face fell and he looked down at the floor for a moment
before looking up at her.  “Morgan, please.  I – I want to take care of you and
I’m worried about you staying here all by yourself.  You’re going to need some
help for the next few days, you know you will.  Please, let me help you.”

She sighed and he felt a glimmer of hope at the look of
indecision on her face.  “Gabe I – “

“Just for the weekend okay Morgan?  I’ll bring you back here
on Sunday night, I promise.”

She bit at her bottom lip.  “Alright.  But you should know
upfront that I’m not interested in being your friend or – or anything else
anymore.  And this weekend isn’t going to change that.”

“I know.”  He picked up her suitcase.  “I’ll be right back
for you.  I’m just going to take this to the truck.”  She nodded and he headed
down the hallway towards the stairwell.

Morgan stared at the door before rubbing her forehead. 
“This is a very bad idea Morgan.”  She muttered to herself.

She sighed.  It was only a bad idea because she was in love
with Gabriel Dern, and two months apart from him had done nothing to change
that love.  While her leg was hurting and she didn’t relish the idea of staying
in her crappy apartment all by herself, neither was the reason she had accepted
his offer for help.

She missed Gabe with every fibre of her being, and she
wondered if he could see through her flimsy excuses.  She sighed again and
stared moodily out the window.  She would be wise to remember that Gabe may
care about her but nothing else had changed.  He would never accept that they
could have a relationship.

* * *

“This isn’t a good idea Morgan.”

“It is.”  She insisted.  “Please Gabe.  I really want to see
Daisy and Lemon.  I’ve missed them.”

He sighed as he stacked the lunch dishes in the sink.  “How
does your leg feel today?”

“Fine.  Much better than it was even yesterday.”

He eyed her suspiciously as Morgan smiled hopefully at him. 
He had brought her to the farmhouse yesterday and set her up in the guestroom. 
She had spent most of the last 24 hours tucked into the bed.  He had brought
her books to read and his laptop to surf the internet on.  She had slept a lot
the first day.  She hadn’t slept well in the hospital and catching up on her
sleep had gone a long way towards making her feel better.

“If I don’t get some fresh air and feel the sun on my face,
I’m going to turn into a mushroom.”

“Alright.”  He acquiesced.  “But only on one condition.”

“What?”

“You let me carry you to the barn.”

“I have crutches.”  She frowned at him.

“Don’t take this the wrong way Morgan but you can barely
walk on two legs.  I heard you fall down last night when you got up to go to
the bathroom.”

“I didn’t fall down.”  She muttered.  “I ran into the wall.”

He didn’t reply and she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted
at the floor.  She looked up in time to see the small grin cross his face.

“What are you smiling about?”  She asked grumpily.

“You’re adorable when you pout.”  He gave her another grin
that made her heart speed up.

“I wasn’t pouting.  I was thinking.”  She ignored the way
her heart was knocking against her ribcage and hoisted herself to her feet,
using the table to steady herself.

“Fine.  You can carry me.”

He picked her up, one arm curving around her waist and the
other gripping her legs firmly as she put her arm tentatively around his broad
shoulders.  Immediately, a slow throbbing began in her lower body.  She cursed
to herself.  Her nipples were tightening and her cheeks were flushing, and she took
a few deep breaths.

“Are you okay?”  He asked as he walked out the door and down
the steps of the porch. 

Delilah and Vincent were dancing around his feet and she
frowned at him.  “You’re probably going to trip over those darn dogs and crush
me under your body.”

He laughed and tightened his hand around her ribs.  “I
promise if I start to fall I’ll try and toss you to safety.”

She tamped down the giggle that was rising in her throat and
looked away from him.  Her eyes lingered on his large hand.  It was only inches
from her breast, and she wanted to grab his hand and place it directly on her
breast.  Her nipples throbbed anew with the thought.  They were clearly visible
through her t-shirt and she had to fight the impulse to cover them with her
arm.  Maybe he wouldn’t notice.

She reached out and unlatched the barn door, and he pushed
it open with his foot before carrying her inside.  He set her down gently in
front of Daisy’s stall, and steadied her with his hands on her upper arms.  His
gaze dropped to her breasts and lingered on the outline of her nipples against
the fabric of her shirt. 

His hands tightened on her arms and he lifted his gaze to
hers.  Her breath squeaked out in a soft little moan at the look of dark need
in his eyes.

“Gabe?”  She whispered.

“Yeah?”  He reached out and cupped her face, stroking her
cheek with his thumb.

“Maybe you should go and get Lemon while I’m visiting with
Daisy.”

He blinked at her and then nodded, disappointment carved
into his face.  She reached into the stall and petted Daisy’s soft forehead as
Gabe left the barn.

He returned after about ten minutes, his cheeks rosy from
the chilly air, and picked her up without speaking.  He and the dogs had herded
the sheep towards their barn, and they were milling about in front of the large
door that led to their pens.  She searched the group for Lemon, her heart
quickening when she saw her familiar, fuzzy body.

“Lemon.”  She called loudly.  The ewe stared at her.

“She’s forgotten me.”  She said a little forlornly.

“She hasn’t.  Just give her a minute.”  Gabe replied.

“Lemon, come to mama.”  She called.

She grinned broadly when the ewe left the herd and trotted
towards her.  Lemon butted her head against her hip in a friendly manner, and
Morgan petted and rubbed her soft head.

“She’s getting so big.”  She smiled at Gabe, and his lips
turned up in an answering grin. 

“I think it’s mostly wool.”  He laughed.

She continued to pet and talk sweetly to the young ewe for
close to fifteen minutes.  Gabe stood silently beside her before touching her
arm gently.  “You’re starting to shiver honey.”

She nodded and leaned against the wall of the barn, watching
as he opened the door of the sheep shed and Vincent and Delilah herded the
sheep into their pens.  Lemon continued to stand beside her, and she petted the
ewe one last time before pushing gently on her flank.

“Go on Lemon.”

The ewe took a few hesitant steps forward, and then ran
quickly into the shed when Vincent crowded behind her and nipped lightly at her
right leg.  Gabe settled the sheep into their pens and returned to Morgan.  He
frowned at the way she was shaking, and quickly picked her up and carried her
back to the farmhouse.

As he climbed the steps of the porch she twisted so she
could look behind him at the guesthouse.  Her heart ached at the sight of it,
and a small sigh slipped from her throat.  He squeezed her tightly.

“You okay?”

“Yeah.  I just – I miss it.”  She said honestly.

“You could move back in.”  He replied hesitantly.

“That’s not a good idea Gabe.  You know that.”

He nodded and carried her into the house.  She sighed with
relief at the warmth.  Her leg was aching a bit from the cold, and she gave
Gabe a weak smile.  “Can you take me into the bathroom?  I’d like to take a
shower.”

She hadn’t had a shower since leaving the hospital yesterday
morning, and she knew a hot shower would help warm her up and ease the
throbbing in her leg.

He frowned but carried her to the bathroom.  As he set her
down next to the tub, he said, “I’m afraid you’re going to fall in the shower
Morgan.”

“I won’t.”  She bent and turned the shower on, testing the
water with her hand.  She adjusted the knobs until the water was steaming and
turned to face him.

“You can go now.”