In Memory Read Online Free PDF Page B

placed one side of the butterfly bandage down, and pulled the gaping wounds shut one by one.
    Then, to keep him from jostling the open cuts too much, I placed pads of gauze over each cut, and wrapped his arms up with the dressing.
    Moving to his chest and neck was more difficult; I used the butterfly bandages, and taped gauze over them. Mostly because the weird angles of the cuts prevented me from wrapping them properly.
    Or maybe I just need more practice with this sort of thing.
    Realised he was falling asleep without taking an acetaminophen. Shaking him, I handed him two of the pills, and sat him up, hurrying to the washroom to get a glass of water.
    G ave him the glass of water, which he emptied oddly quickly. After finishing it, he slid further down into the bed, nuzzli ng his face into the pillow. P ulled the blankets over his shoulder, smoothing it down his sides.
    He was whispering something , I leaned closer to hear .
    “… thank you, thank you, thank you…”
    T urned off the lamp, standing in the darkness beside him. “You’re welcome.”
     
    So I’ve known him personally for about two weeks. Impersonally, (like when I dream) I’ve known him for years. Since I was about twelve I think.
    S till find it hard to believe he’s just in the next room. I plan to sleep in the living room so I can be closer to him overnight, just in case.
    Terra is working the late r shift at the hospital tonight, so I wanted to be nearby, if she, for whatever reason, looked in at the guest room.
    This was all part of my clever plan to ensure that Noah has the best, most undisturbed sleep of his life, you see.
    Terra should be home momentarily, I noted, reading the digital display on the microwave.
    11 :21 p m
    A few minutes later, as expected, I heard Terra come in, followed by the familiar thunk of her purse/backpack hit the floor and the lock turn.
    She stepped deliberately down the hallway, keeping quiet until she rounded the corner and saw me busying myself with filling the kettle.
    “Good evening , Terra!” I turned around after setting the kettle up, “Your customary cup of tea is on its way!”
    She smiled feebly, obviously worn out, “Ah, Aerian, what would I do without you?”
    “You’d go to bed without tea, have dirty clothes, live in squalor, and would eat take-out every night.”
    She chuckled, rubbing her forehead. “Ahh, true. So, w hy is there a bed made up in the living room, anyway?”
    The kettle burbled behind me, “Oh, I have a guest, so I’m staying in the living room in case he gets up.”
    She arched her eyebrows, “Who?”
    “Noah Talon.”
    Her expression of surprise morphed into a frown, “Talon? Like the businessman ’s son? Of the absurdly rich Talon family? Doesn’t he have some huge estate he can stay at? Why’s he here? Little rich kid taking advantage of you, Aerian?” Apparently, she had met the patriarch of the family on her first day at the new hospital, and he rubbed her the wrong way. That dislike for the patriarch evidently extended to his family as well.
    “Terra, please! He’s my friend.”
    She gave me a disbelieving look, her distaste for the Talon name all too obvious. I turned back to the counter, preparing her tea; two sugars, stir it up.
    I bit my lip, “And… he needed my help.”
    “Couldn’t he hire a servant?”
    “Terra!” I scolded, setting her tea down, and sitting down across from her, “You don’t have to instantly hate him just because of his surname! He’s really sweet, and he needed my help!”
    “What did he need?”
    T hought about my response for a few seconds while Terra sipped at her tea, finally coming up with an adequate response.
    “Sanctuary.” I said eventually.
    “Sanctuary? From what?”
    “I don’t know. He… couldn’t tell me.”
    “Well, where is he? The spare room? I’ll go ask him. Probably nothing.” She got up decisively, and, ignoring my protests, crossed the hall and opened the door to the spare room.
    Before I