Morning came too soon and Jessie woke up groggy from the lack of sleep. She had been tossing and turning during the night and every time the pain had woken her up. The haunting and erotic images of Clara taunting her stayed as she was served breakfast by the maid.
The pain had settled into a dull ache as the nurse arrived. She smiled at the bed bound brunette as she put her bag down on the low table next to the bed.
"So how are we feeling today?" She again let her hand rest on Jessie's forehead
"You feel a little bit hot, have you been sleeping ok?" She sounded concerned and Jessie shook her head.
"No, the pain had been keeping me up all night." Clara nodded and searched her bag.
"You need your rest for your body to heal properly. I'll have a look and see what I can do." She came back to the bed and started to massage first the legs and then the sides getting a sense of how the muscles in Jessie's hip and back felt. This time there was no erotic fog but her gentle but firm hands still felt amazing to the isolated woman. Jessie craved the touch and intimacy of another human being and with everyone but her maid gone the visits from Clara was the only moment during the day she felt seen.
"I'm sorry." The words came out as a whisper and she felt herself tear up again. Clara looked up and smiled at her. She nodded and let a reassuring hand rest on her former tormentor's shoulder.
"I know and I forgive you." She went back to her bag and brought a small plastic cup with two pills in it.
"These will help you relax and sleep. Your hip feels very tense and these will let it rest. They will take a short while to take effect but I'll stay with you if you want?" Jessie nodded feeling grateful for Clara's presence. She swallowed the pills and had a glass of water with the nurse's help. She closed her eyes trying to relax. She felt the bed shift and a light caress on her stomach. She inhaled sharply but didn't open her eyes.