Page 225 of Fighting Chance

soldier standing down

Nestling in bed with Layla in my arms, I’m about to kiss the nape of her neck when she makes a small noise, but it’s not her sound of pleasure I’ve committed to memory. No, this sound has me scrambling upwards, the sheets tangling around my legs, my heart pounding a furious beat. Layla is doubled over, her face scrunched up in pain.

“Layla. Oh my god, Layla, what is it, sunshine? Talk to me, tell me what’s wrong.”

My words are a jumble of heaving breaths and panicked questions, my hands running over her hair and down her body, trying to find what’s got her face twisted in agony.

“C-call Bella,” she manages to stutter out.

My frown etches deeply between my brows. “I will, but Layla, please, what is it? Do you need your medication? Do I need to call an ambulance?”

Her eyes fly wide open. “No more hospitals.” Gritting her teeth, she places her hand flat on the bed and tries to push herself up but gasps, a surprised sharp breath. “It’s a flare-up…my bones…”

Jumping from the bed, I snatch up my phone, my thumbs already moving to dial 911, but Layla’s voice cuts through the air and it’s the only time I’ve heard such a demand in her tone. “Don’t you dare call anyone but Bella. The hospital can do nothing for me. I can’t mix heavy drugs with my medication. Please, trust me and call Bella.”

Kneeling beside the bed, beside the love of my life, it goes against every instinct within me not to call for an ambulance, but I can see her determination and know that if I go against what she’s asked of me, I’ll be in for a world of hell.

I haven’t lived with her disease. I don’t know what works or doesn’t, and I have to trust her enough that if she truly needed the hospital, she’d tell me.

But my body is tense, my fingers shaking as I hover over Bella’s contact. Every inch of me is screaming to take care of her myself, to step into the role of what she needs right now.

Lifting my eyes to Layla’s I find her icy blue’s pleading.

“I’ll message her, but Layla, please tell me what I can do. Let me take care of you.” I reach out and gently lay my hands over hers that are fisting the sheet. “Please, sunshine, let me do this. I can take care of you, I promise.”

She bites her bottom lip before nodding. “Okay.”

I heave with relief. “They say hot water helps. I’ll run a bathand when Bella gets here I’ll make a juice blend of everything anti-inflammatory.”

I stand so quickly I only just make out her surprise. Running to my ensuite, I turn the tap and begin running a bath. Without her needing to tell me, I bend low under the sink and take out the Epsom salt I use after hard practices or games.

Walking out of the bathroom, I quickly check the baby monitor, relief swallowing me whole when I find Emmy still sound asleep. Then I fire off a quick message to Bella, telling her to come over when she can and to use the key I gave Grayson.

Placing the phone on my nightstand, I come back to Layla, her porcelain skin paler than usual.

“Ready, sunshine?”

She nods but the motion quickly cuts off as she grits her teeth in pain.

Bending, I gently slide my hands under her body, noting how she winces every so often. “Sorry, baby,” I murmur.

“It’s okay.”

Her voice, usually full of snark and sass, is so soft my heart aches. If I did this to her, if the rough sex made her flare up like this, I’ll fucking hate myself.

“Breathe in, baby. Take a deep breath,” I coax, and once she does, I lift her as slow and controlled as I can, but she still squeezes her eyes shut tightly through a wave of pain. I’ve never known anyone with arthritis, but if I understand it correctly, then this will be painful regardless of how gently I try to move her.

Standing in the bathroom, I look from Layla to the bath, not sure how I can get her in there without falling or hurting her.

“Fuck it.” I step into the bath.

“Kieran!” she scolds.

Ignoring her, I slowly bend until I’m fully submerged in the warm water, gray sweatpants and all, with Layla in my arms. The heat vanishes from her eyes as the warmth of the water soothes her aches. She sighs, laying her head on my chest before removing her arm from around my neck and submerging her hands in the water.

I kiss the top of her head. “That’s it, sunshine.”

“Did you tell Bella?”