Chained (Caged #2)(29)

His hand slipped to my belly and I lowered my own, the cannula that was stuck in the back of my hand catching and making me hiss. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as shame made my stomach twist. “I shouldn’t have said those things I said to you. I was angry. You will be a fantastic father. You have so much love to give, so much gentleness inside you.”

Sorrow seemed to seep from him. I didn’t understand; I thought he would have been happy. “Anderson?”

Shaking himself, he rubbed my tummy. “I know. I hurt you. You had every right to say those things.”

Before I could say anything else, I felt the bed move as Anderson stood. “You need to eat. You need building up, for you and our child.”

I opened my mouth to say I wasn’t hungry but the sound of the door clicking closed made me blink. Something was bothering him. Still, even now, he lied to me. He hid things from me. My heart had soared when he had told me he no longer blamed me, that he had been wrong. Now there was room for hope, for our future, and for both of us. But I sensed Anderson didn’t think that way, that something was holding him back.

The silence made my blindness all the more real. My head flipped from side to side as my ears picked up various noises. Panic made my chest grow tight and my fingers dug into the sheet covering me. Being trapped inside a vacuum of blackness was brutal. We take sight for granted, well I did, and all of a sudden it was gone, leaving nothing but a gaping hole of things I couldn’t see, things I was vaguely aware of but unsure of. Every sound mocked me and my head spun from side to side, my eyes even narrowing as if I would be able to see through tiny slits instead of wide eyes.

“Miss Grant?” A female voice cut through the loud silence in my head and broke the suffocating dread drowning me.

Confusion set in at the unfamiliar voice and I frowned, moving my head around to try and determine where she was.

“My name’s Caroline.” A small hand covered mine. “And I’m helping to take care of you.”

I shuffled back at her touch, my body recoiling at the contact. Quickly, she removed her hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I, uhh, I can’t see you.”

She paused, but lowered her voice as if it would bolster my confidence. “Ahh. That’s okay. Then I can be your eyes until you can use your own.”

Once again she rested her hand on mine. It scalded me, my skin screaming at her contact. My breathing stuttered and I choked on a cry.

“It’s okay,” Caroline urged hurriedly. “You’ve been through a lot. We have to get to know each other, but please, I am not going to hurt you. I’m here to help you, Miss Grant.”

“Kloe,” I choked out, forcing myself to concentrate on her words instead of the excruciating fear overwhelming me. My heart was beating so fast that I felt light-headed, and my skin felt clammy and too tight around my bones.

“I’m just going to do some checks, Kloe,” Caroline informed me as she moved around the room, my head following the sound of her trousers sweeping against her thighs. “I’ll try not to touch you as much as possible, but if I have to then I’ll tell you. Is that okay?”

I nodded, gulping. I couldn’t focus on anything but Caroline. Nausea lay heavy in my stomach and I dug my nails into my palms to stop myself from lashing out at the dark nothing in front of me.

Sounds I couldn’t register taunted my judgement, playing with each of my senses until I couldn’t distinguish between real and what my mind was making up, and I started to tremble.

“I’m by the window, Kloe,” Caroline said quietly. “And now I’m moving to the dresser to retrieve some things.”

“What things?” I snapped. Panic was threatening to overwhelm me and I was wrestling with the need to sink further into the headboard.

“I need to take your temperature. You were running a fever and I’d like to check that the medication did its job.”

I scrambled back when her voice became closer.

“Is that okay?” she asked softly, but I still jumped at the sound of her so close.

My lungs were becoming too stimulated as they tried to cope with the deep pull of oxygen. I sucked at air like it was a liquid substance, drawing breath before I had chance to release the last influx of air.

“Kloe,” Caroline urged gently. “You need to calm down. I’m not going to touch you, I promise. We can do this later.” Her voice moved away but I still couldn’t find a grip on anything tangible.

I reached out with my hands, trying to find something solid to outweigh the feeling of illusion, my mind overcompensating for what it couldn’t figure out.

Nothing broke contact. Nothing invaded my space. Yet I still couldn’t calm the anxiety engulfing me.

Reality blurred and dizziness began to take my consciousness. I gulped at nothing, fighting with the thickness in the air to fill my lungs with substance.

And then his hand rested on my cheek. His breath swept over my sticky forehead. His presence lulled the terror claiming me and instantly my body turned into him. Air charged into my lungs and I gasped at the sudden rush to my head. “Calm down, Kloe,” Anderson urged. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

I snatched at him, greedy for the feeling of safety his presence brought. “Anderson.” I buried my face in his chest, inhaling his scent and revelling in the feel of him.