Read Recovery (Doctor Dom Volume 5) (A BDSM & Medical Play Novella) for Free Online Page A

night.
    I’d been expecting the call any day now. Petra had been texting me updates on Andrea’s condition, and when I was in the hospital doing my rounds, I checked up on her myself. For days now, Andrea had been showing signs of improvement. Unlike what’s shown on TV, most patients awaken gradually from comas, showing increasing signs of awareness.
    Andrea had been showing these signs all week. And she was fully awake now.
    “How is she?” I was worried. With a head injury, Andrea’s speech could have been impacted, or her ability to eat, speak or walk.
    “Surprisingly good,” Petra said. “Her speech is fine. Some minor loss of mobility. She’ll need physical therapy, but there’s no reason why she shouldn’t make a full recovery.” She cleared her throat. “You did great work, Patrick.”
    I shrugged the compliment aside. Not that it didn’t matter, because Petra Janakovich was a fantastic surgeon, and I valued her opinion. But for the moment, I was more concerned with Andrea.
    “ I’ll be over this morning,” I told her.
    ***
    I’m a guy. I’m not particularly in touch with my feelings. But even I knew to wait for Lisa to wake up. She had a thing about Andrea. I understood it. Even though her relationship with Nick O’Malley was thirteen years ago, and ended in disaster, I still felt impacted by it in some strange way.
    W hen two people love each other, we stake our claim, and in the togetherness that we make, just between each other, we think we are special and unique. But someone’s walked that path before. Someone’s shaped that path. And just as much as Nick shaped who Lisa was, Andrea did that to me.
    I could understand Lisa’s insecurity, because I felt a version of it myself.
    I cooked breakfast and waited. I did want to go to the hospital, but there was no particular need to hurry. I didn’t need to be at Andrea’s bedside when her eyes fluttered open or some other kind of movie bullshit.
    Also, Andrea’s awakening just emphasised that Liam Henderson, the guy who had beaten Andrea up badly enough to put her in a coma, was still out there. Toronto police had no clues about where he was. Liam was an ex-cop; it was enough for me to lose faith in the system, to wonder if the police were protecting their own. I didn’t want to leave Lisa alone in my house, asleep, unaware.
    ***
    She eventually wakened at nine, and wandered down, her eyes sleepy.
    “ You wake up too early,” she accused me, coming into my arms like she belonged there, and laying her head on my shoulder. I grinned at the sleepy bundle in front of me, and I kissed her hair. Lisa was adorable when she was half-awake.
    “ Guilty,” I said. “Coffee?”
    I waited for her to sip her coffee, and I slid some toast and eggs in front of her. She looked at me and smiled. “You spoil me,” she said.
    I made a face at her. “I’m not exactly bribing you,” I started, “but Andrea’s awake, and I’d like to go check on her.”
    Her expression softened immediately. “For fuck’s sake, Patrick, I’m not entirely insensitive,” she scolded. “Of course you need to go to the hospital.” She leaned forward and kissed me. “I trust you not to be charmed by her bedside wiles.” Her tone was wry. She was joking.
    I could have quipped something back. But instead, I spoke true words from my heart. “There’s only one woman I want to be with, and she’s wondering if she can have more sugar in her coffee.”
    She gazed at me, her eyes startled. “How did you know?”
    “You gave the sugar dish a discreet look of longing,” I replied, laughing. “ I’m a little offended you don’t check me out the same way.”
    “Well, y eah,” she replied, with that sweet, sweet sass in her voice. “It’s because there’s nothing discreet about the way I check you out, baby.” Then she pinched my ass as I got up and brushed past her to get the sugar.
    I laughed aloud, and kissed the top of her head. I promised her I’d join her