MADMAN'S HAVEN

39

"Frank, would you please do me the favor and bring me some wet towels? I also need a set of clean bed sheets and a bandage. There's been an accident, and I need to stay in here with Mr. Barlowe,"

With my head out the door slot, I quietly spoke to Frank who was standing right outside. At first he looked concerned, but with my confident smile of profession assuring him that I had the situation under control, he formally nodded his head.

"Right away, Nurse Frazier. Do I need to call for backup? Is the patient violent?" He inquired as he began to walk his way down the corridor.

"No he's not. I just need the supplies. Thank you, Frank," I said before closing the door to the cellar again.

"You're a good liar," Brandon's voice was heard from behind.

"Only when I need to be," I answered shortly and swallowed the sudden nervousness sneaking onto me.

"That's good," He said.

"I thought you hated liars," I looked at him in confusion.

"I never said it's a bad capacity being able to be one," He replied while keeping the same relaxed face of confidence.

Another move of intelligence. He was so observant, and smart. Knowing exactly how to handle another human being and expose them without feeling confronted.

Before I could come up with anything else to say, a knock was heard on the door to interrupt the moment. I grabbed the requested things from Frank and thanked him once again for bringing it. The only reason I actually couldn't go get it myself was because of the dried stains on my inner legs. The blood on my dress and the sheets was explainable, but the blood track on my skin wasn't.

I used the wet towel to dry my legs, and gave the roll of bandage to Brandon.

"You need to wear this for a couple of days. You had a breakdown and clawed up the wounds on your arm," I hated to do this to him. Forcing him to lie and appear more sick because of something that happened to me, but they couldn't know. No one could know.

"Right," He said willingly, and started unwrapping the white cloth roll. I was happy with his response, no questioning, no rudeness, no contradiction. Probably he understood that the previous situation was already hard enough for me to deal with, and that's why he chose to be cooperative.

"Let me help you with that," I stated, and grabbed the piece of fabric from his hands.

Slowly I started wrapping the bandage around his left arm, and the silence filled the air with tension of attraction as we were now so close to each other once again.

"I can tell you've done this before," Said Brandon, looking at me with a smile.

"If you only knew," I replied, while still focusing on the arm. Every time I laid eyes on his destructed skin, my heart broke into pieces. I just couldn't seem to get used to it.

"You look hot as a nurse," He grinned.
My cheeks flared in blandishment, and I slightly looked up at him with a smile.

"I am a nurse," I replied, and his grin grew even bigger with it.

"Very funny," He muttered.

I winked at him, and within the next second I felt his cold lips pressing against my cheek still burning from his earlier compliment. Then his hands embraced my hips.

"I thought I'd lose you," The seriousness entered the room and I swallowed hard. Once again he felt the need to remind me of what I had done, but his composing way of speaking only confirmed to me it was all out of concern.

I sunk my chin, tried my best to prevent the choking guilt.

"I know,"

"I could never handle that... Losing you," He spoke so quietly, sniffling out the words, still it made my heart shatter.

"I can't explain how truly sorry I am, Brandon,"

I cupped his cheek, stroked my thumb over the cold, soft skin as I dared looking up at him again, meeting with his pitch-black pair of eyes.

"No, Beverly. I'm the one who should be sorry, I just... I can't handle those horrible fucking thoughts,"

"I'll never leave you," I whispered as I pecked a small kiss onto his lips, assuring him I spoke the truth.

He squeezed my hips gently as he closed his eyes, only to feel me closer and delight in the moment with me being alive and well, rejoicing having me still in his hold.

Yet everything between me and Brandon appeared to be more perfect than ever, I couldn't fully rely on it. This whole moment of what we both thought would turn into my death kept me in shock since my expectations were completely disproved.

Instead of killing me himself, he embraced me, for once understood why I chose to do what I did, and he managed to handle it with calmness and sympathy. Never would I believe that this confession of crime would turn into him telling me that he loved me. But it did.