Chapter 381: He Was Awake

Stuart felt Edie’s fingers tighten slightly on his arm. He slowly inhaled then exhaled with a sense of relief. He looked at her for a long moment, during which his brow tightened as if he were trying to bring them into more precise focus. Concern had touched him. ’Has she been here the whole time?’ he wondered. Something stabbed at his heart. ’How pale and fragile she looks.’ He watched her breath, studying the way her eyelashes shadowed her cheeks. Then he noticed the tear tracks down the side of her face. ’I’ve been so worried about her!’ Thinking about how frightened she must have been, wondering what kind of terrible memories must be plaguing her. Stuart gently moved her hand from his arm, trying his hardest not to wake her up. The gentle touch on his hand woke Edie up.

Her first instinct was to look at the clock and see what time it was. "It’s late," Edie said. She got up and stumbled to the bathroom. As she did, her shoulder hit against the wall. "Ouch," she moaned, rubbing her shoulder.

"What is she doing," Stuart said under his breath. He leaned forward on the bed to watch her. Edie rubbed her eyes and squinted. She brushed her teeth, fixed her hair, and filled a basin with warm water. It had become part of her morning ritual over the past few days. She walked over to the bed and started undressing Stuart. She immediately started to give him a sponge bath. He had no idea that he was awake. She wiped his whole body and hadn’t even touched his wound. Stuart was amazed. He slightly raised his eyebrows and didn’t know if he should laugh or cry. "You didn’t even touch it," he said.

Edie opened her mouth to speak, but shock prevented the words from escaping her throat. She looked up into Stuart’s eyes. "You’re.....awake!" she cried out. Her voice quivered with excitement. Her eyes were wide, red, and glassy from the tears that had filled them.

Stuart gently caressed her cheek with his hand. "Was it hard taking care of me?" he asked in a soft voice. "You never left my side, did you?"

Edie shook her head. It was a slow shake, one with disbelief. She sniffed, and a twinkle of a tear slid down her face. Her head lifted, and another tear slid down. "I’ve missed you so much...I....." she swallowed hard to finish so she could finish her sentence. "I’ve been so worried about you," she said and smiled through her tears.

Stuart grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him, and he held her tightly as if he’d never let go. Tenderly he whispers in her ear. "Everything’s going to be okay," he said, trying to reassure her.

Edie tried to pull away. "Your wound. I don’t want to hurt you," she said in a concerned tone.

Stuart pulled her closer. "I just want to hold you a little longer. I’ve been told that my arms are very comfortable to sleep in," he said as she winked at her. His voice was low and filled with amusement, but he sealed the sentence with one of his soft smiles, which made Edie weak in the knees.

"Stuart," Edie giggled. Knowing very well, he was joking.

"I just wanted to see your smile," he replied.

Edie didn’t refuse him, and she allowed him to take her back into his arms. "Only for a few more minutes. I want the doctor to come and examine you," she said with her worrying tone of voice. She put her head against his chest. Then she looked down and forgot she had taken all his clothes off. She covered her eyes and cautiously peered at him between her fingers. "You don’t have any clothes on," she said, blushing.

Stuart rubbed his hand over his knitted brow, then he looked blankly and said, "Are you not the one who took them off?"

Edie looked at him with surprise and was embarrassed at what she said. She removed her hand from her face and took a deep breath to calm herself down. "I forgot! You’re my husband...." she hesitated and continued. "I guess it’s okay if I see you like this," she laughed.

Stuart kissed her cheek and said, "That’s right. I’m all yours, which means you’ll have to take good care of me." His gentle voice was so close to her that it made her smile.

Edie pulled a blanket up over his chest and said, "I’m going to call the doctor now."

She was just about to turn away, but Stuart gently grabbed her wrist. His hands were so gentle and so warm. "Please don’t go. I’ve missed hearing your voice," he pleaded.

Edie’s heart fluttered violently, her face was a little pale, and she had to make a desperate effort to keep back her tears. But no matter how hard she tried to blink them away, she couldn’t stop them. She sniffed, trying to fight back more tears. "I’ve been waiting for so long to hear your voice, too," she sobbed.

Edie hugged him, and Stuart held her tightly. He wouldn’t let her go, and she didn’t want him to. "How long I’ve waited to see your face. It seemed like an eternity." The soft sincerity of his voice, the tone of it, rippled over Edie’s flesh and took her breath away.

***

While Stuart was recuperating, Edie went to the Bolton Chateau several times to check on Aaron. "How’s Aaron doing today?" Edie asked.

Wilson sighed. "I’m worried about him, and he never leaves his room." He frowned, and a serious look came into his eyes. "I wish I knew how to help him."

"Have you thought about taking him to a psychiatrist?" Edie asked. "Maybe he’s depressed."

Wilson shook his head. "He would never agree to that," he replied firmly.

"I think he just needs some time to accept what happened," Edie told Wilson optimistically.

Wilson’s eyebrows flinched, and he looked away. "Yeah, maybe," he muttered.

Edie looked around like she was looking for someone. "Where’s Anne?" she asked.

"She’s in her room. The servants have been keeping her quite busy." Wilson’s voice grew inevitably quiet. "She brings the house to life with all her laughter, she’s a happy little girl, but she has no idea what happened that day." He sighed with relief.

"Everything’s calmed down, so I hope it stays that way," Edie said with a little uncertainty in her voice. "I have to go, but tell Anne I’ll be back to see her."

Wilson nodded his head and took Edie to the door.

When she got home, she went to the garden to pick some flowers, then suddenly she heard a voice calling her from inside the house. "Mrs. Yates, Donald is on his way."

Edie froze for a moment, and she looked confused. "Why would Donald be coming to see me?" she said out loud. "I thought he was getting treatment?" She entered the living room and saw the back of a man standing there. He slowly turned around. "Donald, you’re here," she said, sounding surprised.

Donald’s face softened, and he smiled. The whole time he was gone, Edie was all he could think of. He never stopped loving her. His plans, everything he aspired to become insignificant the moment he laid his eyes on her. "It’s so good to see you," he said.

Edie looked at him doubtfully. "I thought you were going to be away for a while? Why are you back so soon?"