I don't wait for his response as I storm past him down the hallway.
Before I go into the bathroom, I peek my head into the bedroom to make sure she's still asleep and then I get to work, scrubbing every inch of glass in the shower until I'm positive there's no more messages that could fuck with my girl's head.
Chapter Forty-Five
Jaylen
By the time Kaleb and Leo fix the door and leave, it's early hours in the morning, and I walk around the apartment closing all of the curtains so that when the sun begins to rise in an hour or so, they should block out all of the light.
I silently move around Aurora's kitchen, trying to find which cupboard the mugs are in so I can make myself a coffee, and fumbling with the stupid crutches I'm having to use due to overdoing myself earlier.
Once I've made the coffee, I leave one crutch behind and awkwardly make my way down the hall and into her bedroom, precariously balancing the mug in my hand, hoping not to spill any of it on her carpet.
I place my coffee on the bedside table, and then crouch down beside her, gently swiping my thumb across her forehead in an attempt to smooth the lines away, but her frown deepens, her body begins to tremble, and a whimper leaves her lips.
Wrapping my arms around her again, I gently move her over on the bed so that I can climb in next to her, and then I pull her closer to my chest, rubbing my hands along the length of her back, hoping to soothe her.
Her whimpering cries subside, and the shivers that wracked her body stop as her arms circle around me, and she clings to me, nuzzling her head against my chest.
My eyes drift shut, and I smile as I savour the feel of her body close to mine.
God, I've missed her. More than I've ever missed anyone or anything before.
The last few days have been hell without her, and although I'm now here, with her cuddled up against me again because of some fucked up circumstances, I'm glad to be back with her.
"Jaylen?"
At the sound of her voice, I'm immediately on high alert, my eyes shooting back open desperately searching for her as I pull my body back, trying to get a glimpse of her face.
When she keeps a tight hold on me, and tucks her head down, clearly indicating that she doesn't want to be seen just yet, my body relaxes, and I press a few kisses against the top of her head as I run my fingers through her messy curls.
"I'm here, darling. You're okay," I whisper.
A shudder runs through her body, and her nails bite into my skin as she pulls our bodies impossibly closer.
"I'm scared," she admits, finally turning her head so that I can see her, and the look on her face absolutely kills me, shredding my heart to pieces inside my chest. "He knows where I am, Jaylen. He's been in my house."
"I know, baby. I know. You have every right to feel afraid, but you know I'm never going to let anyone hurt you. Not anymore."
Her brows furrow as tears leak from the corner of her eyes, dampening my T-shirt.
"I'm sorry," she sobs, slinging her arms around my neck and crawling into my lap, burying her head into the crook of my neck. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to get hurt, so I pushed you away, but I shouldn't have."
"Hey, it's okay. I get it. I understand why you pushed me away," I tell her, grasping her face between my hands and pressing a delicate kiss against her forehead. "You don't need to be sorry, baby. You did what you thought was right."
"I thought you'd be safer at home," she says, her tear-filled eyes peering up at me with so much fear and concern swirling around inside of them.
I frown at her, swiping away the tears dripping down her cheeks.
"You knew he was here, in London?"
She nods, rolling her quivering lips together.
"The other day, there was a picture, and a note left in my locker at work. It was a picture of us, when we were kissing in your room."
"And that's when you came and told me you wanted to stop being intimate while we were at the hospital," I add, finally starting to understand and put the pieces of the puzzle together.
"Yeah. I thought it might've been from another nurse at first, but then I called Chrissie, and she told me that they didn't know where Danny was. They couldn't find him. That's when I knew, and that's why I told Markus that I thought it was a good idea for you to continue your recovery at home. I didn't want you to be involved in this mess."
