Free Blurred Lines by KD Williamson by K.D. Williamson Page A

bathroom. Alarmed, Nora called out. “Ms. McCabe?”
    A loud groan was her answer.
    Based on that alone, Nora made her decision. “Ms. McCabe, I’m coming in.”
    Nora did not hesitate as she entered the bathroom. She expected billowing steam. She expected…she did not expect this. Kelli leaned against the wall of the tiny shower with a metal crutches at her feet.
    Kelli’s hair was plastered to her head, and her eyes were wide open and wild with pain. Her face was pale except the blotchy red patches on her cheeks and the blue tint of her lips. Her whole body trembled. Kelli was soaked and the Seahawks pajamas clung to her.
    Nora was shaken to find Kelli like this, and she schooled her features to her habitual calm so Kelli wouldn’t detect her alarm. Her heart thudded against her chest, but she ignored it. She stepped forward, and Kelli, fraught with visible tension, shriveled back even further. Nora was not a master of social cues and interaction, but through the years, she’d learned to recognize fear and anxiety when she saw it. Now, was not the time to be formal. “Kelli.”
    Kelli’s gaze finally met hers. Nora held up a hand. “I would like to make the water warmer.”
    Kelli gave a jerky nod of her head. She watched Nora’s every move. Nora turned the knob and held her fingers under the spray until it increased to a desirable temperature. Then, she moved back to a safer distance.
    She glanced down at Kelli’s feet. “You lost your crutches. Would you like me to get them for you so you can get back to bed?” Nora spoke with a slow, measured tone. Despite Kelli’s obvious pain, Nora wanted to give her a chance to assert some autonomy before she offered additional help.
    “Can’t. Hurts.” Kelli licked her lips. “I…just wanted it to stop.”
    Nora instinctively knew that “it” had nothing to do with physical pain, but she still had no idea what ‘it’ was. That, however, was not the point. “Did it?” She asked softly.
    Kelli shook her head vehemently and croaked, “No.”
    A pang of sympathy reverberated through Nora. It was an odd, peculiar feeling, and very much a shock to her system. She felt lightheaded, breathless, but continued to defy the emotions bombarding her. “Would you like something to help you sleep?”
    Kelli looked away. She seemed ashamed. “I guess…I need to.”
    “I’ll call a nurse—”
    “No! They—”
    “No nurse.” Nora interrupted, seeing the distress.
    “You get it,” Kelli pleaded.
    Nora swallowed as she held Kelli’s gaze. Something passed between them. A moment of trust that she hadn’t really earned, but it was there nonetheless. “If I bring a wheelchair, will you allow me to help you to get cleaned up and back to bed?”
    Kelli’s eyes closed briefly, and the tension in her body dissipated. “Yes.”
    Nora didn’t wait. She left immediately to gather what she needed. The on-duty nurses watched her warily but said nothing. Re-entering the room, she searched the small chest of drawers, and found another set of pajamas. Her hands were shaking. She looked down and tried to understand why. There wasn’t time to ponder.
    Back in the bathroom, Kelli stood unmoving. Her eyes were still closed, her brow was wrinkled in misery, and water trickled around her.
    “Kelli,” Nora murmured.
    Kelli opened her eyes slowly.
    “I’m going to turn the water off now.”
    Kelli was silent as Nora twisted the knobs. The water stopped.
    “Can you come toward me?”
    Kelli shook her head and muttered, “No.”
    Without another word, Nora moved forward into the shower away from Kelli’s injured side. “Lean on me.”
    Kelli did so without hesitation. Her body was heavy, solid, but not unmanageable. Nora moved quickly. Within a few minutes, Kelli was dry and back in her bed. Nora picked up the syringe she’d left on the bedside table and administered it quietly.
    Kelli lay there and her discomfort was obvious. Her eyes were closed again and her face was