The things we do for love. (19 page)

With fingers that were still shaking she reached into her bag and removed her front door key and then brought the key to the lock.

The door moved, she frowned, her door was unlocked and open. She pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside before pushing the door to.

“Faye. Are you home?” She called out. What had happened? Had something gone wrong and she had come back?

Cassie reached for the light in the hallway and flicked it on before she gasped as the colour drained from her face and she looked at the scene that confronted her eyes.

Chapter 25.

Things were strewn all over the place, her things. She stood rooted to the spot as she took in the carnage before she.

Even the books on the small book shelf in the corner of the hallway had been dumped on the floor. All tossed about with little regard.

She realised quickly that her home had been broken into and that she had been burgled. Why would anyone do that? Do this? She had nothing. Worse than that she had more than nothing. Nothing worth taking anyway.

She brought a shaky hand to her chest to try and calm her breathing and her racing heart. Her eyes swept around in confusion and shock.

The feeling of violation ripped through her as she looked at her belongings and cushions all scattered about. Tears welled up in her eyes and she held her breath as she stood stunned feeling small and vulnerable.

The feeling of safety she always felt when she came home completely taken from her. It was as though her home had become a stranger to her instead of warmly inviting like it normally was.

She could smell the faint smell of what smelt like an unfamiliar aftershave. Was that the aftershave the intruder had been wearing?

“Great.” She mumbled and she gingerly made her way into the living room, preparing herself for seeing what damage had been done in there.

But just as she was about to turn on the light someone grabbed her.

She screamed out in terror as she turned round to face her assailant. She couldn’t see in the dim light but it was definitely a man.

Hands came round her throat and they squeezed hard. She couldn’t breathe. she scratched at the person holding her trying desperately to free herself. She pushed and wriggled. Her throat hurt. She could feel the fingers biting.

She was no longer able to take a breath and a strange relaxing dizziness invaded her brain as she felt pressure build up in her face.

Her eyes felt as though they were going to pop out any minute and she felt the throb of her pulse beating on her skin all over her head. She was going to die. She realised sickeningly.

She tried to push herself away from whoever had her, in a last ditch attempt at saving herself. Her knees began to buckle beneath her and a strange noise escaped from her.

And then, he let her go and she stumbled, her arms flailing about as she tried to correct her balance. she felt him shove her hard, her neck snapping back, the muscles in the back of her neck and across her shoulders tensing painfully in response as they were wrenched and she fell.

There was the sound of a loud sickening thud and she felt the side of her head hit the corner of her coffee table. A sharp stinging pain exploded at the impact and then she was lying still on the ground.

With severe pain exploding though her head and her throat sore and bruised. She coughed and spluttered and gulped in large quantities of air. Her body began shivering as though she were cold.

She laid still on her rug, not daring to move. Her body shaking as shock set in filling her with a strange numbness. She would lie here for a while, she decided. Catch her breath and then get up. The man had gone, she had heard him run out the door. So she would be fine to just lie here for a while. She was tired anyway.

“Cassie?” She was dimly aware of someone calling her. It seemed to come at her from a great distance away. There was a noise and a rustle. Then she heard the click as someone turned on the light.

She groaned as the light hit her eyes and made them sting. “Cassie.” The voice came again, closer this time. It sounded worried and tortured.

Hands were on her arm. Gently turning her so that she was lying on her back and looking up into Luke’s worried face.

She groaned again and tried to bring a hand up to her head where it was throbbing and stinging. Wow it really hurt. Why was Luke here? Why was she lying on the floor?

Luke gently took hold of her hand and moved it away. Bringing it down to rest it on her stomach as he brought his hands back up to her head.

She watched him work, watched the look of concentration as he frowned. She wanted to reach up and smooth away those tight lines. “Keep still, let me stop the bleeding.” Bleeding? Was she injured. What had happened? Where was she? Why wasn’t her brain working properly?

“Hey.” She greeted him cheerfully. Her voice sounding a little croaky.

“Hey yourself.” Luke said as she felt him hold something against the side of her head.

“How are you?”

“Fine,”

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure.” Luke told her as he continued to work. She winced as she felt him apply pressure to the wound. “Sorry.”

“That’s okay.” She replied.

“How are you feeling?” He asked her.

Yes, how was she feeling? A strange calm had shrouded Cassie. Nothing seemed real to her. Her brain refused to think. Her body felt relaxed and even her skin seemed to have no feeling.

“I hit my head.” She told him promptly.

“I can see that.”

“There was a guy here.”

“Yes, he ran out of here like a bat out of hell. Gave me a hell of a fright.” Luke’s face looked grim as he concentrated on what he was doing.

“I’ve been burgled.” She told him. What was wrong with her. Why wasn’t her brain functioning properly? Everything seemed so strange, like nothing was quite real. Maybe it was shock.

“Yes I can see that too.” Luke told her. “Well, luckily it doesn’t look that bad.”

“What doesn’t?” She asked him.

“The cut on your head. It looks superficial.”

“Will it scar?” Not that she cared, it was a silly question really.

“No, and if it does it won’t be very big.” He reassured her. His voice soothing.

“Do I need to see a doctor?” She asked him. Perhaps she needed stitches or something.

“You’re seeing one.”

“Did you need a needle and cotton. I have a sewing kit.” She said.

“Why would I need that?” Luke frowned down at her.

“In case I need stitches in my head.”

“Oh,” There was a pause. “I think it will be fine without that. But thanks for the offer.”

“Well, if you are sure.”

“Quite sure.” He said. “Do you feel sick. Do you hurt anywhere else?” Luke asked her as he looked her over.

“Aren’t you going to hold up three fingers?” She asked him and he looked back at her face.

“Why?”

“To see whether I can see them of course.” She told him.

“What good would that do?”

“I have no idea. I saw it on a tv show.”

“Ah…” He said.

“Ah… what?”

“Ah… nothing.”

“Ah… something.” She complained.

Luke held up three fingers dutifully and with a smile on his lips he asked her.

“How many fingers am I holding up?” she looked at them.

“Four.” She said. Luke lifted another finger so that he was holding up four fingers.

“How about now?”

“Three.” She told him. “How did I do?” she asked him.

“Fantastic.” He said. She smiled up at him.

“Has the bleeding stopped?”

“Yes, nearly. Head injuries bleed quite a bit. They often look more serious than they are.”

“Oh. What about my throat?” She asked.

“What about it?” Automatically Luke transferred his fingers to her throat as he looked at it. She heard him gasp. “Did he put his hands round your throat?”

“I thought he was going to kill me.” She told him as she gave a high pitched nervous giggle. “He was squeezing so hard. I couldn’t breathe” She watched Luke purse his lips into a tight line as his fingers felt along her trachea.

“There’s a little bruising but there doesn’t seem to be any permanent damage.”

“I could feel my whole head throb. And I thought my eyes were going to pop right out of my head.” She said.

“You’re okay now. I’m here. I won’t let anyone hurt you.” He promised her and she did not doubt him for a second. He wouldn’t lie to her.

“I went very dizzy.” She told him and his eyes came back to hers.

“That does happen when no oxygen gets to your brain.” He explained to her calmly. She took in a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, I seem to be a lot of trouble.”

“It must run in your family.” He joked and she laughed.

“Well if it is any consolation I don’t mean to be trouble. Am I trouble?” she asked him.

“Almost as much as your sister.” He agreed.

“Really?” she couldn’t help the hurt note that crept into her voice.

Her voice remaining strangely calm and childlike. In fact, she felt very calm and relaxed. Almost chilled out. Why was she so calm? Something bad had just happened, she was aware of that, but she was lying on the floor tranquilly as though it were a natural thing to do.

“Just in a different way.” Luke told her as he brushed hair away from the wound at her head and then rested his hand on the top of her head. She felt his other hand on top of her own hand. His thumb stroking it softly.

“I am very sorry. I don’t mean to be.” She told him.

“I know.”

“I do try to make myself invisible.” She told him.

“I had noticed that too.” He gave her a little smile. “I wish you wouldn’t.”

“I like being invisible, It’s easier that way.”

“It’s safer that way.” Luke corrected. “You fail miserably at it though.”

“I do?”

“No one as beautiful as you could ever manage to go unnoticed.” He replied.

“Oh.” For she really did not know what else to say to that.

“Don’t you realise how many men you had looking at you tonight?”

“No.” Had men been looking at her tonight. She had no idea.

“A lot.” Luke told her.

“I think you could be wrong.” The poor man, perhaps he hit his head or something.

“Trust me, I am not wrong. You got many appreciative glances.”

“Oh.”

“You seemed oblivious to them all.”

“I guess I don’t expect to be noticed.”

“You don’t want to be noticed.” Luke corrected.

“Maybe it was the dress.” It was a little daring, she conceded.

“The dress certainly helped.” He agreed. “But, it wasn’t just the dress.” Luke brought a hand to her cheek and crushed a solitary tear that escaped and was falling down her cheek with a sweep of his thumb. “Though the dress is very nice.”

“Adam made me buy it.” She confessed. “I didn’t want to. I thought it was too much.”

“Too much or too little.” He asked her and she smiled up at him.

“Too much at being too little.”

“I’m glad Adam managed to convince you.”

“It’s okay you can go. I’ll be fine now. I must be keeping you from something important.” She did not want to put him out, or be too much trouble. He probably had better things to do than be sitting on her living room floor.

“My diary is free right now.” He said.

“Are you sure.”

“Positive, I think I should stay.”

“Oh no, really it’s okay. I don’t need any help. I can manage on my own.” She tried to reassure him. She did not want him to worry.

“Why don’t you just let me manage things for you for a while.” He suggested softly. He looked worried she noticed and quite pale.

“I think you’re suffering from shock.” She informed him confidently. “I should make you some sweet tea.”

“Why?” he asked her.

“Because I don’t have any brandy.” She explained. “Do you not know how to treat shock? You’re a doctor, surely that was one of the first things you were taught.”

“Don’t tell me? Tv show again?” he looked amused, a smile playing on his lips. His very nice teeth on show and a little shiny twinkle in his eye.

“Yeah, how did you know?” she frowned and then winced. The skin on her forehead felt stiff and sore.

“I think I need to ban you from watching tv. You might start trying to operate on someone.” He remarked, she could hear the humour in his voice.

“I don’t have any anaesthetic.” She said.

“Thank god for some small mercies.”

“I suddenly don’t feel very well.” She told him as feeling seemed to returned to her skin like a slap. Reality sunk into her brain, and she re-joined the world. And, before she could stop it she burst into tears.

“And there it is.” She heard him say and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her so that he could hold her against his chest and hold her like a baby whilst she cried.

Finally, the tears stopped. The sobs died away and she lay still against him emotionally spent. His hands stroking her arm and her back.

“Feel a little better?”

“I think so. I am so sorry. I don’t know what happened.” She tried to apologise for her actions.

“The shock wore off.” Luke told her.

“I should get up.”