Made to Love: Carmen and Cooper's Story (19 page)

Carmen opens her eyes at the smell of the
white roses. She still seems loopy, probably from the pain medicine
used to treat her fractures. Even though the left side of her body
is pretty bruised up and swollen from the impact, to me she is
still as gorgeous as ever.

“
My
Carmen, these are for you.”

Tears begin to form in her eyes. I
place the vase on the table beside her bed so the fragrance lingers
with her throughout the night. After kissing her cheek softly, I
take a seat in front of her. Her parents sit on the couch opposite
of me; Marcia and Giselle are at her bedside. I want to ask why she
is teary eyed but it’s time for me to prove my love. No more
questions for now. Instead I must make her understand her true
worth to me.

“
I am so sorry this happened, I
was a fool for treating you the way I did. And for the stupid
things I said.”

She stops me by reaching for my hand. “I was
the fool, Cooper.” She winces with pain as she reaches down towards
her ribcage.

“
I hate to see you in agonizing
pain, would you like me to call the nurse so she can give you more
medicine? Maybe get you an icepack to help with the bruising? You
just name it and I will do it,” I plead.

“
No Cooper, I will be fine, it
just hurts.”

Her parents rush to her side. Mrs. Williams is
rubbing the top of her head and places a kiss on her
forehead.

She whispers to her “Carmen we are so happy
you are alive, now please let us provide you with the care your
body deserves.”

Carmen sighs. “I’m fine, Mom. I thank you both
for coming up but it’s late. I just need to get some
rest.”

I speak up to encourage them to go
as I will stay with her through the night, reassuring all her needs
will be tended to. Mr. and Mrs. Williams look delighted their
daughter will be getting the attention she requires from the man
she truly loves. They kiss Carmen goodbye and tell her to call if
she needs anything. They thank me for staying by her side. I walk
them out as Marcia and Giselle prepare to say their
goodbyes.

When I come back in I see the
ladies taking turns to kiss Carmen. They are showing tenderness
to
my
Carmen,
happy that she is going to be okay. I can see she’s in pain. The
nurse comes in to administer more medication. We walk outside while
the nurse checks her vitals.

We hug goodbye, and they thank me
again for being there with her and say they’ll be back first thing
in the morning to check on her. The nurse hands me a brochure on
how to treat Carmen’s injuries. She will need an icepack applied to
the fracture every twenty minutes of every hour that she is awake
for the next two days. It will help reduce the swelling and help
with the healing process.

Carmen looks at me with one eye open, the
other partially shut. She reaches for my hand and I rush to
interlock mine with hers and softly kiss her forehead. She has a
small gash above her right eye; a bandage has already been placed
on it.

“
I love you and I am so blessed
you are going to be okay.”

She looks happy to hear my words
when she replies, “I love you too, Cooper. More than you’ll ever
know. When can I go home?”

“
You will be coming home with me;
I have lived without you long enough. Your wish is my command
now.”

A tear rolls down her cheek and I
wipe it away. “No tears
my
Carmen. Only happy times going forward. You have
my word.”

I think about how long it has been
since I’ve explored that body of hers. We kissed recently and I had
the pleasure of having her in my arms but it’s not the same as
being intimate. My mind should not focus these thoughts right now,
but it’s uncontrollable. To be without this woman, was like being
without food, water, and shelter. She is
my
everything.

After the medication kicks in, her eyes start
to grow heavy.

“
Go to sleep baby, I’ll be right
here if you should wake up and need anything. You need your
rest.”

She nods and shuts her eyes; I catch her
smiling once she is fast asleep. I hope she is having pleasant
dreams about our upcoming future. We just have to get her through
this recovery first.

Hours pass by, when the nurse
comes in with another dose. She wakes Carmen for a brief moment so
she can take it with some water. She looks exhausted. The nurse
asks if she would like to stay up for twenty minutes so an icepack
can be applied to the area. She weakly agrees. Thankfully, the
nurses have been on top of the medication so she hasn’t had the
chance to feel any pain. Dreary eyed, she requests that I move to
the couch on the other side and try to get some rest. I won’t hear
of it. “No, I will not think of resting, not until I have you home
with me.” She grimaces as she holds the icepack in place. “The
doctor will be here first thing in the morning to evaluate your
condition but they’re hoping to release you tomorrow afternoon at
the latest.”

I remove the icepack and dispose
of it once she is back to sleep. I stand by her side and watch her
for a moment before taking my seat. It’s close to six o’clock.
Twenty minutes; Mr. and Mrs. Williams step in. “Good morning
Cooper.” Candace says. I stand up and hug her, then do the same to
Christopher.

“
How’s our sweet pea doing?”
Christopher speaks up. I advise them with a breakdown of how the
remainder of the night went.

The doctor then steps in. “Good morning all.
How’s my patient feeling?”

Carmen cracks open her eyes at the sound of
his voice. “I’m feeling okay,” she replies, still somewhat sleepy
from the meds.

He checks her over thoroughly and said she
will be fine to be discharged this afternoon. We are all grateful.
The doctor excuses himself after we thank him for his services. He
said he will go draw up the discharge paperwork and send the nurse
in with another dose of medicine. Carmen looks just as happy to go
home; I can’t wait to have her beside me, though I can’t touch her
like I want to yet.

“
Mr. and Mrs. Williams, I want to
extend my home to you during Carmen’s recovery period. I have more
than enough room to accommodate everyone, and would love if you
would accept my offer and stay.”

They look at one another and
smile. “We accept.”

“
Great. Please excuse me for one
minute so I can call my parents to have them go and set up the
guest’s rooms. I will also text Marcia and have her gather some of
Carmen’s things for her stay.”

I exit the room allowing them some alone time
with their daughter while I get arrangements in line for this
afternoon. I call my mother and she says her and my dad are already
on the way to the hospital. I ask if they will instead go to my
house to get the guest rooms in order for Carmen’s parents and we
will meet them there once she is released. She willingly accepts,
and says she will make sure at least three guest rooms are prepared
for overnighters. Her and my dad will be staying as well to provide
any needed assistance.

Once I hang up, I text Marcia and ask her to
gather some of Carmen’s things for her stay at my house.

She replies no problem and says she will be by
in an hour.

Chapter
Thirty-Three

Carmen

It’s been a week since the accident and I am
going crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate what everyone is
doing, but my mother and Beverly’s constant fussing over me is
driving me insane. Marcia and Giselle come over after work to check
on me. Those two keep me laughing even though it still hurts like
hell. Giselle gives me cards the kids at the center made wishing
for me to feel better.

He was a father of two children
who was overly tired the night of the accident. He fell asleep
while driving. My presence at the funeral, I believe, will let the
children know their father wasn’t a bad person. Cooper said he
would go with me, but he would prefer if we didn’t. On Monday I am
going to work for half a day. Cooper is not going to be delighted
with this decision. He has been marvelous in taking care of me. The
only quarrel we had was when I told him that I wanted to go to the
funeral of the other driver.

Our mothers have decided to go out for dinner
tonight, thank goodness. Cooper is downstairs making dinner. The
smell of chili and fresh cornbread lingers in the air. I really
need to use the bathroom, which is a task. Having fractured ribs
has made me appreciate my health. It’s easy to take simple tasks
for granted. I get my period, and there are no tampons in here; of
course this would happen when my mom is gone. My side is hurting
and I don’t have the energy to search for the tampons. Feeling
defeated, I hold my head down, place my hands over my eyes and
cry.

“Carmen, what’s the matter?” Cooper asks when
he enters the bathroom. I cry harder. “Tell me, are you in pain?”
he asks. He removes my hands from my face and kneels in front of
me. I have to stop crying because I am freaking him out.

“
I got my period and don’t have
enough strength to go get tampons.”

He looks relieved. “Where are
they?”

“
They should be in my small Dooney
and Bourke overnight bag,” I answer. Cooper briefly kisses my lips
and exits the bathroom.

I can hear him unzipping my bag
and opening the cardboard box. When he returns he asks, “Why did
this upset you?”

“
I am not sure. I think it is just
everything that has happened. I hate not being able to take care of
myself.”

He looks concerned.
“
My
Carmen this
is only temporary and it is my job to always take care of you. Open
your legs.”

Shocked I say “What?”

“
Open your legs Carmen.” Why is he
telling me to open my legs? I just told him I am on my period. He
starts ripping off the paper and he carefully spreads my
legs.

“
Cooper, I can do this. I don’t
want you seeing this.”

“
Be quiet Carmen,” he commands. “I
want to be a part of every aspect of your life.” Before inserting
the tampon he traces my heart with his finger and
smiles.

He disposes of the applicator and
flushes the toilet. He helps me up and we wash our hands together.
I just fell deeper in love with Cooper Jackson.

He walks me back to the bed and gets me
settled. “Let me check on dinner and I’ll be right back.” He kisses
me on the lips.

I lie there thinking of the moment we just
shared. So turned on by his actions, yet I am unable to act on it.
My fantasies are interrupted as he comes back and joins me in
bed.

“
Dinner will be ready in twenty
minutes. In the meantime…”

He opens the draw to his nightstand to
retrieve something. He presents me with a velvet black box and my
heart melts. Taking the box I pry it open to see the most exquisite
ruby and diamond hoop earrings finished in white gold. A tear of
pure joy forms as I see the writing in the top of the box where the
jeweler’s information is usually stored. It says:

For my Carmen, my everything.
Love, Cooper.

I want to throw my arms around him and embrace
him tight but my injuries won’t allow it.

“
Cooper they’re absolutely
beautiful, I love them and I love you. Thank you.”

He leans over and kisses me with overwhelming
desire.

Upon release he says, “Thank you
for the customized Christmas gift you left for me, even though I
was a complete ass. Now every time I pour a glass of Scotch, I
think of you.”

He holds me the best he can so as not to cause
me any pain. I enjoy the warmth his body brings mine as his chin
rests above my head.

“
I hate to leave you right now,
but I don’t want to overcook dinner. I shall return.”

Moments later, he says, “Dinner’s served.” He
smiles as he places the silver bed tray in front of me.

The chili aroma is more intense now that it is
within arm’s reach of me. Cornbread is placed on a separate plate
alongside the blue bowl. A goblet of water is beside the utensils.
He places a napkin on my lap as he exits to gather his tray of
food. He comes back in, takes a seat beside me and we eat. The
chili is spiced flawlessly; I saturate my cornbread in it for the
ultimate combination.

“
Mmm, this is wonderful,” I say
between bites.

“
I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” he
replies as he takes his napkin to dab some remnants from the corner
of my mouth.

“
I could tell you many other
things I would like to enjoy right now.” I look down towards where
my valuable present rest between his legs.

“
In due time,” he
responds.

Chapter
Thirty-Four

Today marks my six-week checkup. My doctor
says that I have healed nicely. I ask him if I can have sex, though
I’m embarrassed. He assures me I can resume all sexual activity.
This excites me in more than one way. I am so horny and Cooper
continues to deny me. All I can think of is sex. I am turning into
Marcia. Cooper said he wanted to wait until my six weeks are
complete, which was plain torture. Masturbation hasn’t been an
option. I need Cooper and his big cock in my hungry
pussy.