Cassie’s POV
"What happened?" the doctor asked, his tone serious.
"I slipped and fell," I muttered.
"Are you hurt?"
"Obviously. Can’t you see she’s in pain?" Damien cut in, sounding like I had just been shot.
"Yes, Doctor," I said quietly. "I think I might have broken my ankle... and maybe my arm."
The doctor began checking my vital signs. My eyes drifted around the room until they landed on Damien, who was standing close, watching every movement the doctor made with sharp attention.
"I suspect a sprain, but we need an X-ray to be sure," the doctor finally said. "We’ll have to take her to the hospital."
"Okay... but how am I supposed to get downstairs when I can barely walk?" I asked.
"I’ll carry you down to the elevator," Damien said without hesitation.
I looked at him. "Won’t you be late for the dinner?"
He checked his watch. "There’s still time. Right now, this is more important."
A small smile almost formed on my face, but I quickly shut it down. He should feel responsible. After all, he was the main reason I was in this situation in the first place.
"...Fine."
He carefully lifted me from the bed and carried me all the way down to the hospital van. He stayed with me the entire time as we drove to the hospital. Once we arrived, I was taken to the radiology unit for further examination.
After the tests were done, I was moved to a ward. Damien sat beside the bed.
"Are you okay?" he asked softly.
"No. I’m still in pain," I replied. "And I’m still not happy with you. You could’ve caught me. You already had me... and then you let go."
He raised an eyebrow. "You’re still thinking about that?"
"Of course I am. If you had actually held on, I wouldn’t be in pain right now." I paused. "Maybe you just like seeing me suffer."
"Me?" He let out a short breath. "You know nothing."
"What is that supposed to mean?" I asked, curious despite myself.
"You’ll find out soon enough."
Just then, the doctor walked in and stood beside Damien.
"How do you feel?" he asked me.
"Pain. A lot of it."
"You must have fallen quite hard," he said. "But thankfully, there is no fracture. It’s a sprain on your ankle. I’ll prescribe some medication, and you’ll need to rest it properly for a faster recovery."
"Okay," I said softly.
"You’ll be discharged soon. Just rest for a bit. The nurse will bring your medication."
"Thank you, Doctor," Damien said.
—
Hours later, we returned to the hotel. The dinner was already underway, but Damien was still in the room with me.
"Aren’t you going to the dinner?" I asked.
He looked at me. "In your condition? I can’t just leave you like this. I’ll go and greet them later, but I’m not spending hours outside while you’re like this."
"Am I not a liability right now?" I asked quietly. "You brought me here to help you take notes during the conference, and now I can’t even do that."
"That’s not the only reason I brought you," he said after a short pause. "I wanted you here... with me."
My voice softened. "What do you mean?"
He cleared his throat. "I mean... you’ve been working hard. I wanted to give you a little time off. A chance to relax."
"Relax from work? But I’m here for work."
"Just forget it and get some rest," he said. "If you need anything, let me know."
"Okay."
—
When I woke up, I didn’t even realize I had fallen asleep. I tried to stand, but the sharp pain in my ankle made me fall right back onto the bed. I couldn’t walk properly.
I reached for my phone and saw several missed calls from both Kate and Edward.
I called Edward first. I knew he probably just wanted to check on me. I had texted him earlier about arriving safely, but he hadn’t replied—most likely because he was busy at the hospital. After that, I called Kate. She picked up almost immediately.
"What have you been doing? And why haven’t you been answering my calls?"
"I’m sorry," I said. "I had a minor accident, but I’m better now."
"What happened? Please don’t tell me that arrogant boss of yours did something again."
"No, he didn’t," I said quickly, defending him without thinking. "I slipped and fell in the bathroom."
"Oh my God, Cass. You have to be more careful."
"I know. It just happened so fast."
I didn’t tell her that Damien had the chance to catch me..and didn’t.. just because he was somehow bothered by my loose hair.
Just then, I heard the door open. Damien was back.
"I’ll call you back. Damien just walked in," I said before ending the call.
I waited as he stepped into the room, carrying a bag filled with snacks.
"You’re awake," he said, handing the bag to me.
"Yeah... what are all these?" I asked, looking through it. "These are mostly snacks and sweets. Thanks, but don’t you think this is a lot?"
"No. You’re going to be limited in movement for a while, so this should keep you busy."
"That’s actually thoughtful of you," I admitted. "I feel a bit bad."
"Why?"
"You brought me here so I could assist you, not the other way around. I feel useless."
"You don’t have to feel that way. I’m not complaining. Just rest."
He stood up from where he had been sitting and slowly unbuttoned his shirt, leaving him in a plain white singlet. I looked away quickly... but not before taking a glance.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"I’m about to shower, so I’m taking off my shirt."
"You don’t have to do that here," I said, my voice coming out a little too tight. "You can take it off in the bathroom."
He stepped closer. "Why, Cass? Does my body make you uncomfortable?"
"No... I just feel like you should... go..."
My words trailed off. He was close enough now that I could feel his breath. My mind went blank for a second.
"You know what? Forget it," I said quickly, pulling back before I did something I would regret.
He stepped away and disappeared into the bathroom.
I let out a long breath.
That was too close.
What was he trying to do? I had a boyfriend, for God’s sake.
I picked up my phone and texted Edward again, asking how he was and why he hadn’t returned my calls.
I laid back down, still feeling the ache in my ankle. A moment later, Damien’s voice came from the bathroom.
"Can you hand me my towel? It’s in the room."
"I’m still hurting. I can’t move properly," I muttered.
"You can limp over. It’s just a few steps," he said. Then, after a pause, "Or would you prefer I come out like this?"
"No.. no," I said quickly. "I’ll get it."
I carefully stood up and limped over to where his towel was, then made my way back to the bathroom door.
"I’m here. Just stretch out your hand."
He did, and I handed him the towel with my eyes half-closed, just in case.
"Thanks," he said.
I limped back to the bed.
A few minutes later, he came out of the bathroom wearing fresh pajamas, though water was still dripping from his hair.
I picked up a pillow and started to get up again.
"Where are you going?" he asked, watching me.
"I’m going to sleep in the living room. This room was meant for you, and I don’t want to inconvenience you more than I already have."
"You’re not inconveniencing me," he said firmly. "I insist you stay here. Even if you hadn’t fallen, you still would have slept in this room. So put the pillow back and rest."
I hesitated. "Then where will you sleep?"
"I’ll sleep on the bed too. It’s big enough for both of us."
"...What?" I stared at him. "I don’t think that’s a good idea. You’re my friend’s ex, and she wouldn’t like it if I shared a bed with you."
"Cece?" he asked. "We already broke up. You don’t need to worry about that. The relationship wasn’t even that serious."
I frowned. "Wasn’t serious? Were you using her?"
"No. We just broke up. It was mutual," he said.
"But you know she really liked you."
He exhaled. "Aren’t you sleepy yet?"
"No," I protested.
"Well, I am."
He walked past me and lay down on one side of the bed.
"Are you coming, or do you prefer to sleep standing there?"
After a long moment, I carefully climbed onto the other side of the bed, leaving a clear space between us. My mind was already racing with everything that could go wrong.
Then my phone buzzed.
It was Edward.
I’m sorry for not returning your calls. I’ve been busy at the hospital. How are you doing? Hope he’s not stressing you out.
I smiled a little as I read the message. At least he was okay.
"Why are you smiling like that when you’re supposed to be sleeping?" Damien’s voice came from the other side of the bed, sounding slightly irritated.
I glanced at him but didn’t reply. Instead, I went back to my phone.
A moment later, he reached over and switched off the light on the nightstand.
"I was still using that," I said.
"Yeah, but I need to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow, and you should rest too."
"I’m talking to my boyfriend, so I’m not going to sleep just yet."
I noticed the way his body shifted slightly after I said that.
After a few minutes of silence, he got up, took his laptop, and walked out into the living room... leaving me alone in the bedroom.