Irene hovered the electrode uve Adam’s leg, hesitating just long enough for him to notice.
“We’re switching locations tonight,‘ she said, her tone making him look up.
Something passed between them that silent understanding they dilt over weeks. Adam nodded, ready.
“Going deeper this time, she explained, adjusting settings. ‘Fair warning–it’s going to hurt like hell, just say when if you need a
break.”
She brushed back her hair. “You might run a fever after. Don’t worry it means it’s working
The corner of Adam’s mouth quirked up. “Let’s do it.”
After weeks of this routine, he’d learned to trust her judgment, even when it meant sitting through hell. The whole Matthew thing from earlier still nagged at him, but right now, getting his legs back took priority.
When rene triggered the second electrode, the color drained from Adam’s face.
What she hadn’t mentioned was that she was targeting his main neural highways. The jolt would feel like lightning racing through his legs–the kind of pain that made grown men pass out.
Adam’s jaw clenched so hard a muscle jumped in his cheek. His lips went white, but he didn’t make a sound.
Watching him, Irene abruptly stopped. She knew exactly what that kind of stimulation felt like.
“Keep going. I can take it,” Adam bit out, thinking she was calling it quits.
Instead, she pulled out a pill and held it out to him. “Take this.”
Their fingers brushed during the handoff. Adam barely registered it, but Irene’s hand faltered before she quickly pulled back, busying herself with the remaining electrodes while the current did its work.
As minutes ticked by, sweat beaded on Adam’s forehead and slipped down his temples. Without making a thing of it, Irene grabbed a tissue and dabbed at his face. Her touch was light, clinical, but when her fingers grazed his skin, she noted the warmth–exactly what she’d expected.
“Got it,” Adam said, slightly embarrassed by the babying. He took over the tissue. Their fingers brushed again, and this time, something flickered between them that had nothing to do with the treatment.
He sat rigid on the bed, waiting out the storm in his legs. Catching his locked jaw, Irene softened.
“First few rounds hit hard, but it gets better once your body adjusts, she said, her voice lacking its usual edge.
Noting his gray pallor, she ducked out for water. When she handed him the glass, Adam took a small sip, his eyes following her movements. That laser focus on her face reminded him of watching her work at the hospital.
The fifteen–minute session stretched like taffy, but the silence between them felt right–comfortable, not awkward.
After shutting down the machine, Irene pulled out a vial that caught the light with an amber glow.
“Lie down,” she said, uncapping it. Her voice stayed even, but something shifted in her eyes.
“What’s that?” Adam asked, eyeing the liquid.
cycing……
1/3
Chapter 109
She gave it a quick shake. Specjal blend I made for massage, Helpspeed things up. Absorbs straight through the skin. After a heat, she added, “It’ll feel warm–that’s normal. Means it’s working.
At the mention of treatment, Adam stopped asking questions and lay back with a silent sigh. Irene kept inventing new ways to torture him. At this rate, she’d break him eventually, Weirdly though he didn’t mind–not when each scan showed progress.
Oblivious to his thoughts, Irene poured the solution into her palm and rubbed her hands together. The scent intensified with the friction. Without hesitation, she placed her hands on his legs and began working. Her fingers moved with certainty, finding each pressure point like she had a map,
The room’s atmosphere shifted. Though purely medical, when her palms glided over his muscles, something changed in the air between them. The herbal scent filled the space, covering whatever was building beneath the surface.
Adam found himself watching Irer face–the slight furrow between her brows, the way she caught her lower lip between her teeth when concentrating. It reminded him of how she’d looked when Matthew’s name came up, sending an odd twinge through his chest.
After making sure the solution covered every inch it needed to, Irene capped the bottle and went to wash her hands. Her breathing came a little quicker than normal–from focus or something else entirely.
When she returned, Adam had conked out completely.
A small smile tugged at her mouth as she draped a light blanket over him and slipped out quietly.
Downstairs, Thomas was still hunched over his laptop. Irene tried to shake the lingering heat from her cheeks as she approached
him.
“Watch him tonight,” she said, passing Thomas a small pill box. “New treatment might cause fever. If he hits 38.5, one of these should help.”
Thomas pocketed it with a knowing look. “Need a ride, Doc? You look beat.”
“To walk fifty feet?” She smoothed her hair, suddenly self–conscious. Call me if anything happens. Anytime.”
“Sure thing.” Thomas’s grin widened as he showed her out.
Back home, Irene was dead on her feet. Between the surgery research and Adam’s upgraded treatment plan, she was running on fumes. After a quick shower, she face–planted into bed, out before her head hit the pillow.
Irene slept in the next morning, her body demanding payback for last night’s intensity. When she finally made it downstairs, the house was suspiciously quiet.
Joseph stood by the window with his watering can, looking far too amused.
“Where did the kids disappear to?” she asked, stifling a yawn.
“Your neighbor’s sick,” Joseph replied. “The moment they heard ‘fever they inhaled breakfast and raced over to play nurse.”
ది
Alarm bells rang in Irene’s head. A mild temperature was expected, but she’d given Thomas meds to keep it under control.
“I need to check on him,” she said, already heading for the door.
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