Carson's pov
She felt small in my arms. Just curled up on the dirty couch, her head snuggled on my chest, her eyes closed. Breathing evenly. She felt really small.
Not the kind of small you think about. It was like all the fight had just… leaked out of her and she was just all tremors and hitched breaths against my wet shirt.
I held her. What else was I supposed to do?
I followed her because I saw the look in her eyes when she drove away from that mansion. It was the same look I'd seen in the mirror a long time ago. The look of someone who'd lost everything and had nowhere else to go.
I thought she would at least check into a decent hotel, that way I could simply turn around and return to the life I had before I met her but I found her here...in a dirty rundown motel, trying her damnedest not to break.
The motel room was worse than I thought. It smelled like a day old piss and something rotten. We weren't staying here. No way in hell.
"We're not staying here," I said, my voice low.
She just nodded into my chest, too tired to argue. "Five more minutes. I'm too tired to move my legs right now"
"That's okay, Ms Emilia. You don't mind if I pick you up, do you? I worry your little one might be affected by the mold on the wall"
"I'm too heavy to carry, Carson Gibbs" she started to complain half asleep on my chest.
I picked her up. Her car and personal belongings, I could come back for, later, after she was carefully placed on a good bed and well fed...but I didn't want leave her grandmother's potted fern on the porch of the motel, so I had to pick up the fern too.
Stupid, maybe. But it was the one thing I could carry for her.
My truck was parked around the corner. I helped her into the passenger seat. She curled up against the window, tears still tracking through the makeup on her cheeks. She looked so young...so terrified.
If this was Lani or Lorraine or any of my girls, I would lose my mind. Hell, I was losing my mind already and I have only known her for a day.
I drove to my rented place. It's not much. Just an apartment above a garage I rent from a friend whenever I was in the city.
It's clean. It's quiet. And most importantly, no one knows to look for her here.
I carried her up the outside stairs. She snored softly...I did my best not to jolt her awake. Trying to open the locked door while keeping her comfortable was a little tricky but I managed.
Inside, I flipped on the light. "It's not the Ritz but it will do," I said.
She murmured something I couldn't make out and then she was out like a light.
"Let's get you comfortable, okay?"
I took her to my bed, struggled whether I should wake her to take off her wet dress, take it off myself or let her sleep in it.
It was an easy decision.
"Sorry, Ms Emilia. You will catch a cold if I leave it on"
***
It was hours before she opened her eyes. I was fast asleep on the armchair in the bedroom, didn't want to take the couch in the living room. If she needed me, I wanted to be close by.
I opened my eyes when I felt someone's gaze on me. She was just standing there, hands folded, looking furious.
"Hey, you are awake–"
"Who changed me?" She asked gesturing to my shirt that I dressed her in. "How did my dress get over there?"
I sat upright. "How are you feeling? Are you hungry?"
She blinked. "Well, yes but... I'm more concerned with why I'm wearing your shirt and how I got here, Carson. Who changed me?!"
"The motel was no place for a pregnant girl and the dress was too wet. So, I took you out of it and dressed you in my shirt"
"You saw me naked?!" She screeched and I found myself who didn't scare so easily, taking a step back.
"You were gonna catch a cold and I—"
"Take off your clothes" She told me.
"What?" I blinked back.
"Well, you saw me naked. I wanna see you naked too, Carson. I like getting even"
"You are joking, right?" I asked her but she simply folded her hands and held my gaze. People weren't lying, Vanderbilt were bat shit crazy.
"We don't have all day, Carson Gibbs. Let me grope you. Now"
I blinked. "I'm gonna go make you dinner, okay? Do you want dinner?" I asked her.
She thought about it and then nodded. "Alright. I will grope you later"
"Thanks. I think"
She followed me out. She took in the small living room, the old couch, the kitchenette. It was probably smaller than her old closet.
"This your place?" She asked me.
"Yes"
"It's dry," she whispered. And that was that.
I got her a glass of water. She drank it like she'd been lost in a desert. I found a pair of sweats.
"You can change into that. Your feet will be warmer in those" I said, putting it on the arm of the couch. "Bathroom's through there."
She just stood there, holding the cloth, suddenly looking lost.
"Emmy" I said, her name feeling strange on my tongue. "You're safe here. I promise"
That did it. Her chin started to wobble. A fresh wave of tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't sob. She just stood there, and the tears fell silently, like she didn't even have the energy to cry properly.
I couldn't stand it.
I walked over and took the sweat from her hands. I guided her to the couch and sat her down. I noticed I had neglected to take off her wet socks earlier.
I knelt in front of her and took off her soaked soaks. Her feet were cold.
I rubbed them between my hands, trying to get some warmth back into them.
"Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked, her voice thick. "There's no money. I'm… I'm nothing now. I can't pay you Carson Gibbs"
I looked up at her. She really believed that. That bastard and that witch had gotten inside her head.
"You are not nothing.You are my wife, Ms Emilia," I said. "I am not doing this for your money"
"why are you helping me?" The question was a plea.
I looked over at the stupid fern I'd put on my kitchen counter. Its leaves were a little bruised from the rain.
"I don't know. Liliana would want me to. She was the one with the big heart and the kindness. She wouldn't stop taking in my head" I said, the words coming out before I could stop them.
"Liliana is your...wife" she asked me.
"Yes" I answered truthfully. "She would have loved the fact that you tried to defend me at the press conference. No one's ever done that before." Without thinking I caressed her face, pushing a rogue strand of hair away from her face. "God, you remind me of her"
I stood up instantly, my knees cracking. "Now, change into the sweats. You'll feel better."
I turned to give her privacy and started making tea at the small counter. I heard the rustle of fabric behind me.
After a minute, she spoke, her voice a little steadier. "You really stole the fern."
I glanced back. She was swimming in my clothes, the sleeves hanging past her hands. She was looking at the plant with a faint, watery smile.
"Seemed a shame to leave it," I said, turning with two mugs of tea. I handed her one.
She took it, her fingers brushing mine. They were a little warmer now.
"Thank you, Carson," she said. " You are gonna make proper food, aren't you? I'm starving"
"Yes, Ms Emilia"
I nodded. "Get some sleep."
She was asleep again before I finished dinner curled up on my couch, holding a pillow like it was a life preserver. I put a blanket over her and turned out the light.
I sat in the dark for a long time, just watching her breathe. Someone had to make sure she was okay.
Tonight, that someone was me.