[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
As they walked to the waterfront he busied himself with making reservations by phone for the show and for
a trendy restaurant. He d show Aurora a good time, all the while keeping his eyes open for another attack
from the mysterious force that seemed bent on hurting her. But he wouldn t become too attached. If sex
was binding them closer and closer, he should sever that connection. He couldn t deal with the emotional
bond that seemed to be entwining them as surely as the thick vines that had barred their exit from the castle.
Such strength of feeling frankly scared the hell out of him.
Keep it light, Joel. Show her a good time, get her set up in the world, and then walk away. You have
too much work to do to become involved with this girl.
But as Aurora excitedly gripped his arm and called his attention to the amusement park on the wharf,
Joel feared it was already too late. He was, to use an old-fashioned word, smitten. Struck hard by the desire
to cherish and protect this innocent yet wise young woman who d bloomed in his life like an unexpected
flower shooting up from a crack in the asphalt.
By the time they d ridden the carousel, the Ferris wheel, which left Aurora breathless, and a rinky-
dink rollercoaster that left imprints of her fingers on Joel s arm, he decided they d had enough excitement
for one day.
However, there was more to come, for as they began to stroll toward the exit a child, who d somehow
managed to free himself from his safety harness, stood up on the still-spinning merry-go-round, crying for
his mother as he stumbled into the hardness of brightly painted horses and fire engines with flashing lights.
Although the youth in control of the ride immediately put the brakes on it, the child wouldn t wait and
tumbled off the platform before anyone could reach him. He fell heavily, screaming with fear and pain.
Since the woman who was clearly the boy s mother rushed to him immediately, Joel felt no need to
intervene. Aurora, however, bolted across to the scene, her compassion, presumably, outweighing her
knowledge of her own uselessness in such a situation. She was a pampered princess who hadn t been able
to dress herself until two days ago. How did she imagine she could aid an injured child?
Nevertheless, Joel felt his heart warm to her instinctive desire to help. She really was adorable when
she demonstrated her caring. As he strolled forward in her wake, he realized that not for the first time he d
misjudged her. The child s mother knelt by his side, her hands tugging at her hair while she screamed for
68 www.samhainpublishing.com
Awakening Beauty
an ambulance. It was Aurora who stroked the boy s hair and spoke to him in low, soothing tones that
calmed him, while with her free hand she felt his arms and legs. Joel realized she was asking him about
where the pain was, and receiving answers that she seemed to understand.
The mother stopped screaming too.
I think his arm s broken, Aurora said to her quietly. And certainly it lay at a very peculiar angle. A
physician must set it.
Tears still streamed down the boy s cheeks, agony glared out of his terrified eyes and twisted,
trembling lips. Aurora, still touching his arm, frowned in concentration, then suddenly jerked it.
The boy gasped. His eyes widened and a smile lit his face like the sun after a storm. That s better,
he said.
Aurora smiled from him to the stunned mother. Not broken, she said. Just& She struggled for the
right words. & knocked out of place.
Dislocated. Joel supplied the word, staring at the kid in wonder.
Oh, said the mother, understanding dawning on her relieved face. Thank you so much, miss.
You ve saved us a doctor s bill too.
How did you know? Joel demanded when he managed to drag Aurora away. He was ridiculously
proud of her and yet only too aware of the harm that would have come both to the child and to Aurora if
she d been wrong in her snap diagnosis.
It didn t feel right, Aurora said airily. I felt around it and knew where it should be. And then I
realized the bones all felt straight and unbroken. The same thing used to happen to my father s best hunting
hound. I watched once, as its keeper jerked the leg back into place. The next time it happened, I did it. She
laughed. My mother said bone-setting was not a suitable occupation for a princess. She said the same
about midwifery when the kitchen maid&
As if struck, she stopped in her tracks and Joel had to pull her along by the arm. Do you have female
physicians in this age? she asked.
Yes, of course.
She said nothing more, but for some time after, her face wore a thoughtful expression that Joel found
it hard to look away from.
At last she said, And doctors must be paid. You paid the doctor in Schlaushagen, didn t you?
Yes.
But you are wealthy. That woman, the boy s mother, she would have struggled to pay if they d
needed a doctor?
Maybe. There are ways of saving, but many people do still struggle. Actually, that s one of the issues
I want to bring before the Assembly a reform of our health service to make it fairer and more accessible
to all.
www.samhainpublishing.com 69
Bonnie Dee and Marie Treanor
He stopped, wondering if she would understand what he was talking about, but she nodded, hugging
his arm to her side and smiling at him with all the force of a sunbeam. It felt like a reward before he d even
done anything, and his rebellious loins stirred.
After the excitement in the park, rather than ride the tourist ferry, they returned to his apartment to
rest before going out again.
He knew he was in trouble from the moment they hit the door. His desire for her had been growing all
day as they did the sightseeing thing. In fact, he d dragged her beneath the boardwalk near the amusement
park and they d made out for a while. Joel had felt like a teenager again, frantically groping, dry humping
and kissing in a semi-public place because he and his girlfriend had no place else to go. But he wasn t a kid
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]