Shakespeares Landlord Page 0,55

attention to my ribs. He ran his fingers over each rib, gently but firmly, asking me questions as his fingers evaluated my injury.

"Take two aspirin and call me in the morning," he said finally. "I don't think anything's broken. But you'll have a bad bruise and you'll be sore. I'll tape you. It's lucky he's a sedentary alcoholic, or you'd be in the hospital now. How much warning did you have?"

"Not as much as I should have," I admitted. "He was waiting for me in the carport, with the mask and dark clothes on. But still ..." and my voice trailed off, as I found I could not put one coherent thought together. He got my first-aid kit from the little linen closet and worked on me for a while.

"I have to shower," I said. "Out."

"Keep the tape dry. Turn that side away from the water."

"Yes, sensei."

"I'm sleeping on your couch tonight."

"It's a love seat. You'll get cramped."

"Sleeping bag?"

"Nope. Don't like camping."

"Floor."

"You can sleep with me. It's queen-sized."

I could tell he wanted to ask me why I'd left his bed earlier in the night. I was glad he was too decent to badger me when I was so exhausted. He helped me off with the rest of my clothes and then just left, without saying a word. I felt immense gratitude and relief. I turned on the shower and as soon as the water ran warm enough, I stepped in, pulled the curtain closed, and just let the water run over me. After a few seconds, I got the soap and shampoo and made as thorough a job of it as I could with Marshall's strictures. I even shaved under my arms, though bending over for my legs was too difficult.

When I stepped out into the steamy room and brushed my teeth, I felt much more like myself. My nightgown was hanging on the hook on the back of the door, and I pulled it over my head after my automatic deodorant, skin cream, and cuticle remover routine. I'd almost forgotten Marshall was there until I went in my bedroom. It was a shock to see the black hair on the pillow next to mine. He'd civilly taken the inside of the bed and left me the outside by the night table, and he'd left the bedside lamp switched on. He was sound asleep, on his left side, turned away from me.

Moving as silently as I could, I checked the front and back doors and all the windows - my nightly routine - and turned off the lamp. I slid into bed cautiously, turned on my right side, my unbandaged side, so my back was to his, and despite the strangeness of having someone in my house and bed, I was sucked down into sleep like water circling around the drain in my sink.

My eyes flew open at eight o'clock. The digital clock on the bedside table was right in front of me. I tried to think what was so different... . Then I remembered the night before. My back felt very warm; it was pressed against Marshall's. Then I felt him move behind me, and his arm wrapped around my chest. My nightgown was thin and I could feel him pressing against me.

"How are you?" he asked quietly.

"Haven't moved yet," I murmured back.

"Want to move some?"

"You have something specific in mind?" I asked as I felt his body respond to contact with me.

"Only if it won't hurt you. ..."

I arched harder against him and felt him press against me fiercely in response.

"We'll just have to try it out, see if it hurts," I whispered.

"You sure?"

I turned over to face him. "Sure," I said.

His strength enabled him to hold his weight off me, and his eyes showed nothing but pleasure. In view of my scratched face and the black bruises on my side, I found this touching and amazing. I realized I'd already gotten used to his acceptance of the scars. So it was doubly dismaying to me, after we had finished lovemaking and were lying side by side holding hands, when he said, "Lily, I've got to talk to you about something." His voice was serious, too serious.

I felt my heart shrivel.

"What?" I asked, trying to sound casual. I pulled the sheet up.

"It's your quads, Lily."

"My... quadriceps?" I said incredulously.

"You really need to work on them," Marshall told me.

I turned to stare at him. "I have scars all over my abdomen, I have scratches across my face, I have