“I will,” I promised before I returned to Ailani’s room. “All done, we’ll leave in a few minutes,” I told her, as I texted the policemen with the details of our trip.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she murmured, refusing to face me.
“We all have to go back home,” I replied, dismissing her worries.
She sighed. “Of course.”
“We’ll have to come back later for the trial,” I pointed out, more to check on her reaction than anything.
But she didn’t react… it was as if she was numb. “I’m well aware.”
Trying not to press her, I helped her gather all her things, and a few minutes later, we were on board my helicopter, heading to Seattle.
Ailani didn’t say a word during the whole trip, but I was sure she would say plenty when she realized where I was taking her. If something I had learned from her was that she could be incredibly stubborn, but I could be even more so.
The helicopter landed on top of the hospital. When the doors opened, a nurse was there with a wheelchair to take Ailani to her room.
“What’s going on?” she asked, grabbing my shirt in a tight fist.
“You’re not well enough to go home. I agreed to bring you back to Seattle, but you’ll stay here at the hospital for as long as necessary,” I warned her, picking her in my arms and carrying her to the wheelchair.
“Have you lost your mind? I don’t want to be here,” she ranted, trying to struggle against me.
“This is not about what you want. It’s about what you need,” I said in a firm tone. “And I’ll make you get it.”
“You can’t keep me here against my will,” she said, furious.
“Actually, I can,” I said, letting her down on the chair. “I can ask a judge to rule you incapable of deciding for yourself, due to the trauma.”
“No judge would agree with that,” she spurted, through gritted teeth.
“Oh, I’m sure I could find a few, especially when the doctors informed them that you’re a danger to yourself.”
She pursed her lips but said nothing else. I could tell I would have to watch her 24/7 if I wanted to keep her here.
A few minutes later, she was settled in her room, and the nurse was giving her the meds she needed.
“Why the hell are you doing this?” she asked when the nurse left us alone.
30
Ailani
“I can’t afford this,” I told Jayden in a stern tone.
“That’s not important,” he dismissed my worries, and I pursed my lips, wishing I could understand him.
“How can you say that?” I asked him, furious. “Why are you doing this? Whatever guilt you might have felt for what happened has been fully compensated when you rescued me,” I added, my eyes locked on my trembling hands.
“Guilt? Yes, I felt my share of that. But that was never what moved me to find or help you,” he assured me, dragging a chair near the bed and sitting on it.
“It wasn’t? What else could it be? After all, you barely know me,” I scoffed, “and I’m sure you don’t like what you’ve learned so far.”
He took my hand on his and caressed its back with his thumb, a caress I had grown used to, ever since I woke up at the hospital.
“You think? Other than your lack of judgment for marrying an asshole like Hudson, I haven’t heard anything aboutyouI didn’t like,” he assured me, kissing the palm of my hand, sending tiny waves of pleasure rushing through me.
I closed my eyes for a moment, allowing myself to fully relish the feeling before I pulled myself back to the cold reality. “Oh, please…” I grumbled.
