Chapter 2
Stella’s POV
“Stella?” Mac whispered in my ear. “You have to wake up.”
“Hmm. Why?” I mumbled back.
“You have to wake up every hour. You have a pretty bad concussion remember?”
I opened my eyes and saw that Mac was still sitting in the chair next to my bed. I noticed he was holding my hand.
“I just talked with your doctor. He told me that you can get home tomorrow, if there’s someone who can wake you up every hour.”
“Oh.”
“I told him that I would personally take care of that.” Mac finished.
“Mac. You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t want you to spend the holidays at a hospital and you already agreed to come over, so don’t worry about it, okay?”
“Okay.” I whispered to him, knowing that there was no point in arguing.
“I think Flack and my mother are still outside, do you want to talk to them?”
“Your mother is here? At the hospital?”
“She was very worried about you Stella.”
“Wow. Ehm yeah, you can let them in.”
Mac opened the door and Flack and Millie stepped in to the room.
“Stella.” Millie said softly.
“Hey. Mrs. Taylor.” I said back.
“You can call me Millie, you know that. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.” I answer with a smile on my face, which quickly turns into a painful grimace, because of my ribs.
“Stella, easy.” Flack warns with a serious expression on his face.
“You should try to get some more sleep.” Mac adds.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.” Flack says and he leaves the room.
“I’ll be back tomorrow too.” Mac says.
“Bye Stella. See you soon.” Millie carefully hugs me and walks towards the door.
“Bye.” Mac stands up and kisses my cheek. “I’m sorry … I don’t know what I was thinking … I shouldn’t have done that … really inappropriate.” he says shyly.
“It’s okay Mac. You can stop blushing.” I reply with a smile on my face.
Then he also leaves my room and I close my eyes. I quickly fall asleep again.
Every hour a doctor walks into my room and wakes me up, but the fourth time I recognize Mac’s voice.
“Hey. You’re back.” I smile at him.
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided I’d keep you company.”
“That’s very sweet. But you should spent some time with your mother. It’s nearly Christmas.”
“I know. I’m here to take you home.” he says with a big grin on his face. And I can’t help, but return it.
He hands me some clothes and quickly turns around to give me some privacy.
“Mac, wait. I think I need some help.”
“Oh eh … yes. Of course.”
Mac turns around again, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.
I try my best not to embarrass him, much, and as soon as I have my clothes on Mac puts his arm around my waist to steady me as we walk towards his car. He helps me into the car and carefully drives us both home.
Mac’s POV
“Pfeew! I survived. I actually survived while helping Stella getting dressed.” I think to myself, when I’m focusing on the road. I turn my head slightly and watch Stella. She’s looking out of the window, and for the first time, I don’t know what she’s thinking about.
The sound of my cellphone interrupts my thoughts, and I’m quick to answer it.
“Taylor.”
“Hey Mac. I thought I should let you know that we got the guy.” Flack’s says from the other end of the line.
I sigh of relieve.
“He was hiding in some dirty alley.” he continues.
“Did he confess?”
“Immediately. “
“Good.”
“How is Stella?”
“I’m taking her home right now. Hospital released her.”
“And you don’t mind looking after her.” it was a fact.
“Don?”
“Relax, I won’t tell anyone … yet.”
“Just go back to work.” I quickly answer, before this turns into a big discussion. I already noticed the glares Stella shot in my direction, and I know this must have sound like a really weird conversation. So I just hang up.
Stella doesn’t say anything, and I’m glad.
Stella’s POV
When we arrived at Mac’s apartment building, he helped me out of the car again. Really sweet. And all the way up to the front door, he kept his arm around my waist. I know it’s just to steady me, but I can’t help but think of it as a nice gesture, as something that should happen between people who are more than just friends.
Before Mac can put the key in the hole, the door flies open, and Millie throws her arms around us. It looks like she’s not even surprised to see Mac’s arm around my waist. Or she’s just really good at hiding her emotions. That would explain Mac’s behavior sometimes.
“Stella. I’m so happy you’re here. You can keep me company, while Mac is at work.”
“So am I, Mrs. Taylor.”
“Millie.” Mac en Millie, almost yell at me.
“Millie.” I reply softly.
When we’re inside Mac turns to me.
“You should put your things in my bedroom. My mom is sleeping in the guestroom, and then I can take the couch.”
“No.”
“What no.”
“I won’t let you take the couch.”
“You are not gonna sleep on it either.”
“I promise, I won’t. but we can just share a bed together, right. We’re both adults.”
Mac’s POV
“Damn it.” I think. “I’ve survived helping Stella getting dressed, but I’m still recovering from seeing her half naked before my eyes, and now she wants us to share a bed. I’m a dead man.”
Stella’s POV
“Stella?” Mac whispered in my ear. “You have to wake up.”
“Hmm. Why?” I mumbled back.
“You have to wake up every hour. You have a pretty bad concussion remember?”
I opened my eyes and saw that Mac was still sitting in the chair next to my bed. I noticed he was holding my hand.
“I just talked with your doctor. He told me that you can get home tomorrow, if there’s someone who can wake you up every hour.”
“Oh.”
“I told him that I would personally take care of that.” Mac finished.
“Mac. You don’t have to do that.”
“I don’t want you to spend the holidays at a hospital and you already agreed to come over, so don’t worry about it, okay?”
“Okay.” I whispered to him, knowing that there was no point in arguing.
“I think Flack and my mother are still outside, do you want to talk to them?”
“Your mother is here? At the hospital?”
“She was very worried about you Stella.”
“Wow. Ehm yeah, you can let them in.”
Mac opened the door and Flack and Millie stepped in to the room.
“Stella.” Millie said softly.
“Hey. Mrs. Taylor.” I said back.
“You can call me Millie, you know that. How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better.” I answer with a smile on my face, which quickly turns into a painful grimace, because of my ribs.
“Stella, easy.” Flack warns with a serious expression on his face.
“You should try to get some more sleep.” Mac adds.
“I’ll come back tomorrow.” Flack says and he leaves the room.
“I’ll be back tomorrow too.” Mac says.
“Bye Stella. See you soon.” Millie carefully hugs me and walks towards the door.
“Bye.” Mac stands up and kisses my cheek. “I’m sorry … I don’t know what I was thinking … I shouldn’t have done that … really inappropriate.” he says shyly.
“It’s okay Mac. You can stop blushing.” I reply with a smile on my face.
Then he also leaves my room and I close my eyes. I quickly fall asleep again.
Every hour a doctor walks into my room and wakes me up, but the fourth time I recognize Mac’s voice.
“Hey. You’re back.” I smile at him.
“Yeah. I couldn’t sleep, so I decided I’d keep you company.”
“That’s very sweet. But you should spent some time with your mother. It’s nearly Christmas.”
“I know. I’m here to take you home.” he says with a big grin on his face. And I can’t help, but return it.
He hands me some clothes and quickly turns around to give me some privacy.
“Mac, wait. I think I need some help.”
“Oh eh … yes. Of course.”
Mac turns around again, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks.
I try my best not to embarrass him, much, and as soon as I have my clothes on Mac puts his arm around my waist to steady me as we walk towards his car. He helps me into the car and carefully drives us both home.
Mac’s POV
“Pfeew! I survived. I actually survived while helping Stella getting dressed.” I think to myself, when I’m focusing on the road. I turn my head slightly and watch Stella. She’s looking out of the window, and for the first time, I don’t know what she’s thinking about.
The sound of my cellphone interrupts my thoughts, and I’m quick to answer it.
“Taylor.”
“Hey Mac. I thought I should let you know that we got the guy.” Flack’s says from the other end of the line.
I sigh of relieve.
“He was hiding in some dirty alley.” he continues.
“Did he confess?”
“Immediately. “
“Good.”
“How is Stella?”
“I’m taking her home right now. Hospital released her.”
“And you don’t mind looking after her.” it was a fact.
“Don?”
“Relax, I won’t tell anyone … yet.”
“Just go back to work.” I quickly answer, before this turns into a big discussion. I already noticed the glares Stella shot in my direction, and I know this must have sound like a really weird conversation. So I just hang up.
Stella doesn’t say anything, and I’m glad.
Stella’s POV
When we arrived at Mac’s apartment building, he helped me out of the car again. Really sweet. And all the way up to the front door, he kept his arm around my waist. I know it’s just to steady me, but I can’t help but think of it as a nice gesture, as something that should happen between people who are more than just friends.
Before Mac can put the key in the hole, the door flies open, and Millie throws her arms around us. It looks like she’s not even surprised to see Mac’s arm around my waist. Or she’s just really good at hiding her emotions. That would explain Mac’s behavior sometimes.
“Stella. I’m so happy you’re here. You can keep me company, while Mac is at work.”
“So am I, Mrs. Taylor.”
“Millie.” Mac en Millie, almost yell at me.
“Millie.” I reply softly.
When we’re inside Mac turns to me.
“You should put your things in my bedroom. My mom is sleeping in the guestroom, and then I can take the couch.”
“No.”
“What no.”
“I won’t let you take the couch.”
“You are not gonna sleep on it either.”
“I promise, I won’t. but we can just share a bed together, right. We’re both adults.”
Mac’s POV
“Damn it.” I think. “I’ve survived helping Stella getting dressed, but I’m still recovering from seeing her half naked before my eyes, and now she wants us to share a bed. I’m a dead man.”
