what had gone on in her previous relationship. He recalled what she’d said at the station. None of the things he said were true… he tried to make me think everything was my fault, that I deserved all I got… Her eyes had been filled with guilt. Now it made sense, her defensiveness, though he hadn’t really accused her of anything. He dearly wished he could get hold of the bloke who’d done this to her and give him a taste of what it felt like to be on the end of bullying, abusive behaviour.
‘He really was a piece of work, wasn’t he?’ he growled, his throat tight.
She nodded, a visible shudder running through her.
Bastard. Josh cursed silently, hesitated, then carefully reached to take hold of her hand. ‘We’re not all like that, Kim,’ he said softly. ‘I promise you.’
Swallowing, she wiped her other hand across her eyes and then looked back at him. ‘I know.’ She attempted a brave smile. ‘You’re clearly not. I’m really sorry I was so horrible to you.’
‘You’ve already apologised,’ he reminded her. ‘And it wasn’t necessary that time either.’
‘Er…’ She closed one eye and laughed. ‘A bit, possibly.’
Thinking it prudent to say nothing, Josh smiled instead.
‘Did you ring the school?’ she asked, her eyes growing wide, as if she’d just remembered there was somewhere else he should be. The guilt was back, he noticed despairingly.
‘I did. They’re okay about it. No problem.’
‘Good.’ She breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Even so, you should probably go,’ she said. ‘I’ll be fine now. I’m really grateful for your support, Josh. Thanks again.’
‘Right,’ he said. ‘And you propose getting home how, exactly?’
‘Um…’ She furrowed her brow. ‘I have no idea. The train, I suppose, if I ever get out of here. They seem to be taking ages to organise the X-ray.’
‘Backed up probably. The waiting room’s packed,’ Josh said. ‘Don’t worry about how you’ll get back. I’ll pay for a taxi. I rang my stepdad hoping he might be able to fetch us, but he’s out on site, so a taxi’s the only other viable option.’
Kim looked at him aghast. ‘I can’t let you do that. It will cost an absolute fortune.’
‘It’s not open for debate,’ Josh said firmly. ‘It’s the least I can do. There’s no way I’m going to let you hop about on public transport. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I suspect you might be just the tiniest bit accident-prone.’
He winced inwardly as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He’d be willing to bet that was how she would have explained away her injuries on her many previous hospital visits.
Thankfully she didn’t seem to pick up on it. ‘Damn, I’m found out.’ She sighed dramatically. ‘It’s a ploy,’ she said, ‘to win men over in the hope I’ll find my white knight.’
Josh smiled, but he felt his heart drop. He couldn’t be her white knight. He was feeling more like the villain lately, rather than a hero. She had won him over, though. Who wouldn’t feel protective of a woman who’d fallen victim to some coward’s manipulation and abuse?
As he tried to think of a suitable response, the porter bustled in with a wheelchair. ‘Your chariot, ma’am,’ he said. ‘If your boyfriend would like to be a gentleman and assist you down, we’ll be on our way to the executive waiting area in no time.’
Kim laughed as they helped her into the chair. ‘Do I get to sip champagne while I wait?’
‘Er, no, sorry. Vending machine’s out of order,’ the porter replied with a despairing roll of his eyes.
‘Honestly, you wonder why you bother to book first class, don’t you?’ Kim played along as he wheeled her to the corridor. ‘Oh, Josh,’ she called back, ‘could you grab my phone from the locker, please?’
Two hours later, the taxi pulled up outside Kim’s sister’s house on the Ravens Wood estate.
Josh opened his door and climbed out to help her, though Kim protested she’d be fine. ‘Uh-uh,’ he said. ‘I’ve come this far. I’m not going anywhere until you’re safely at your front door.’
‘A white knight, definitely.’ She gave him an amused smile.
‘I try,’ Josh said, and went around to open her door for her.
Making sure she was stable on her crutches, he glanced at the driver. ‘Two minutes,’ he said, turning to walk her up the path.
‘Josh,’ Kim laughed, ‘I’ll be fine from here. You’ve already run up a fortune on the meter, and the driver probably has another fare