then another, but no one had ever punched her in the face.
“Here we are,” he said. “You okay?”
“Hm. Sure.”
“I’ll come around and help you down—sit tight. Is there a key in your purse?” he asked.
“I’ll get it,” she said. She found it and opened her own door. “I’m going to be fine now. You can go home and sleep.”
“Let’s get you settled. What are the chances you have frozen peas on hand?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Then how about if you change into something clean—pajamas or sweats or something. Do you need help?”
“I’ll manage. I’m not really ready for you to see me in my underwear.”
“I could do that without assuming you’re flirting,” he said.
“I’ve got this,” she said, wandering into the bedroom and closing the door behind her.
He called Drew.
“I woke you, I’m sorry.”
“Everything okay?”
“Yes and no. My friend had an accident and needed a ride home from the emergency room. She’s all bruised and has some stitches. I just wanted you to know I’m staying here to make sure she’s all right tonight. She lives alone. There’s no one to look out for her so I’ll hang out on her couch.”
“Are you okay?” Drew asked.
“Yeah, but after the ER doc told me to watch for things that meant she should get back to the ER, I don’t feel like I should leave her. You’re all right alone, aren’t you?”
“I’ve done it before, Dad. I work in the morning. Call me and let me know everything is okay.”
“Sure. Get some sleep. My phone is on if you need me. I’m not far away.” Then he found the frozen peas and a dishtowel from a kitchen drawer.
A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened and Lauren stood in a set of un-sexy pajamas with long sleeves and long pants. At first glance it looked like they were covered in a print of ice cream cones. On closer look he saw they were flowers.
“Come on,” he said, turning her around to send her back into the bedroom. “Let’s get you comfortable and I’ll give you a shoulder rub. It’s guaranteed to make you relax...”
“You really don’t have to,” she said.
“I know. But I’m here and I’m not leaving. Once you’re snoring, I’ll grab a little sleep on the couch. Just give this a chance. You won’t regret it.”
He helped her position herself on her side, her head elevated because of the swelling, the peas balanced over her swollen lip and bruised cheek. He kicked off his shoes and climbed up on the bed behind her. Then he started to gently knead her shoulders and neck. “You won’t be able to go to work for a few days. You definitely won’t be filming any cooking videos. The good news is, the swelling will go down in a couple of days and you might be able to disguise the bruising with makeup. Or you can just say you were in a car accident... Or tripped and fell... Or you can be honest. I know this stuff happens. I’m not naive. But anyone who hits his wife, even the wife he’s not getting along with, is an animal. A dangerous animal.”
“He has a lot of people fooled,” she whispered.
“Not the ER doc,” Beau said. “Could he ruin his reputation?”
“Nah. Privacy laws.”
“Too bad,” Beau said. “Well, he’s screwed. If he thought there was any hope of restoring his sad marriage, it’s impossible.”
“I think he knows that now. I think he finally realized it was the end of the line and he left me with a reminder of how cruel he can be.”
“Was it twenty-four years of that, Lauren?”
She sighed. “Like many troubled marriages, maybe like yours, there were times it wasn’t awful. But when you live with someone whose mission it is to control everything, even the good times were just a place holder.”
“That’s going to change,” he said. He massaged her neck, her shoulders. Softly. “For now, just let go and see if sleep comes. If you have to think at all, just think that you’ve turned a corner and from now on you’ll accept only the most perfect treatment. Because you’re a good person and you deserve it. You’re a good, beautiful person and no one gets to treat you like you’re not. I’m not just talking about the man you’re finally leaving for good, I’m talking about all people. You’re not without options anymore.”
“Turned a corner,” she repeated.
“Headed for a better life,” he said.
She gave a huff of laughter. “I don’t