Duskwood: Love's Beginning

46 - Jake

I awoke with a sense of peace. No matter what transpired during the conversation with the attorney, I would not lose Jayna. I had been dreading the time when I had to move on and leave her behind so she could go back to her normal life. I would not cope well without her, now that I'd experienced having her with me.

I knew that Jayna was far from stupid and did not make rash decisions. I might not always agree with her choices, but I recognized that they were measured and weighed carefully in her mind. And above all else, I trusted her. If she told me she was certain of her decision to flee with me, then I believed her.

Warmth suffused my chest as I traced the side of her face with my hand and her lips curved upward at my touch. "Jake," she mumbled.

"Yes, Jayna?" I asked, brushing her hair back from her face.

Her eyes popped open. "I'm hungry."

I grinned and kissed her forehead. "Let us remedy that situation."

We ate cold Chinese food out of the containers while snuggled up in bed together. We fed each other morsels of food, laughing and kissing. This was yet another first for me–waking up with someone, and eating together in bed. After we ate, Jayna insisted on once again checking my temperature, pulse, and blood pressure. Then she did the torturous cleaning and redressing of my injuries, during which she had to remind me to keep breathing and try not to tense up.

"I'm sorry," she said softly, rolling me onto my side carefully. "Are you still in a lot of pain?"

I sighed. "It is certainly not the most pleasant feeling, but I am more than grateful that you are addressing this for me."

"Of course I am, silly," she responded, kissing my cheek. "Even if you knew what you were doing, it isn't like you could reach those spots on your back. The good news is that it's already starting to look much better, and I think within a few days we won't even need to pack it any longer."

"Good news indeed," I tried not to wince as I shifted slightly. Jayna brought me a cup of water and two Tylenol, which I managed to drink without sitting up. She left me to rest while she went to take a shower, and once she returned, I smiled fondly at her damp hair and flushed skin.

She raised her eyebrows at me. "I am just admiring your beauty," I commented.

She laughed, flustered. "Y'know, for such a serious guy, you sure do know how to put on the charm when you want to."

I raised my eyebrows. "I speak only the truth to you, Jayna. I hope you know that."

Her smile faded. "You're right, I do. I'm sorry, I'm just not used to men saying nice things to me and meaning them. Especially without ulterior motives. But I shouldn't project that onto you; you have never been anything but kind and respectful to me."

I tried to keep my anger to a minimum at thoughts of whatever she had been through. "Any man who has hurt you in the past is an utter fool. Clearly, he didn't understand what an absolute treasure was being offered to him. I assure you, I will never make that mistake."

That brilliant smile was back. "Sounds good to me." She kissed me lovingly and then helped me to sit up, propped against strategically placed pillows. Jayna sat next to me and handed me my laptop. "I have something to show you, and I hope you won't be mad." She held an SD card between 2 fingers, chewing on her lip.

I grinned. "Is that the backup from your old phone?"

She rolled her eyes. "Why did I think you wouldn't notice?"

"You were smart to do this. There is valuable information on this card, and if we pair it with data from Nym-OS, we may have evidence of the FBI illegally hacking into your phone."