Doctor Angelo, a lanky man with a bald spot and reading glasses placed on top of his nose, spotted Raul, who was leaning on the wall opposite Karla's ward. Noticing his dark and menacing aura, Doctor Angelo reflected on how much the boy had grown. He had been the doctor of the Valdez family for years, and had been there when Raul had been born. Now that only Raul was left, he was still the doctor.
"Well?" Raul demanded.
"She seems to be suffering from a rare form of food poisoning that comes along with paralysis. It is most likely caused by the shrimp I gathered she ate for dinner." The Doctor said. He had questioned the head of household and maid who'd found the woman, as well as running some test to reach his conclusion.
"If she's allergic, why did she eat it?" Raul growled, mostly to himself.
"She might not necessarily be allergic." Dr Angelo corrected. "The saxitoxins sometimes present in shellfish is poisonous to everyone, allergic or not."
Raul's eyes darkened, as he placed his hands into his jean pocket and processed what the doctor had just said. According to him, the shrimp Karla had eaten was unhealthy. As far as he knew, his entire household ate the same meal, except him, but he hadn't received reports of anyone else falling sick. Why had it only been Karla? There was a high chance that it was all coincidence —she could have unluckily gotten the poisoned shrimp. But what if it wasn't?
"She's out of the woods now. We've given her rehydration solutions and some antitoxins. You should be able to take her home this afternoon."
Abruptly snapping his head up to look at the doctor, Raul asked, "Out of the woods? Are you saying she could have died?"
Dr Angelo chose his next words carefully. "If you hadn't brought her in when you had... Things would have gotten... Complicated."
Raul slammed the wall at his side with his fist, startling the good doctor. Raul was furious, the blood pumping through the vein in his temple was evidence of that. He wasn't sure who he was angry at, or if he even should be angry, but he knew why.
•~♥~•
That afternoon, Aurora, a maid for the Valdezian Mafia, pushed Karla, who was on a wheelchair, out of the hospital. Her paralysis was much reduced, she had some feeling in her hands and legs, but it wasn't enough to walk or do anything on her own. She could now talk also, but she preferred not to, as her mouth was still a bit numb. The painkillers had helped a lot. She wasn't a mess anymore.
Now that she could think clearly, Karla reflected bitterly on the previous night. She'd only felt as helpless one other time, the horrifying night she'd lost her virginity. However, this time, the cause of her predicament hadn't been evil men or savage gangsters, but the failure of her own body. Her body had betrayed her, and left her at the mercy of others. It would have been hilarious if a dangerous mercenary like herself had died from food poisoning, after all the times she'd narrowly escaped a violent death.
At least the the two most demoralizing moments in her life had something in common —she had cried at both times.
•~♥~•
Back at the Valdezian HQ, Karla was pushed into her room. Raul and Nana remained outside, watching Aurora help her get on the bed, through the open door.
"Do you wish for a maid to bath her or for me to bath her myself?" Nana asked.
"What?" Raul was surprised by the question.
Nana looked at him as if he was crazy. "The girl can barely stand on her own. We would be expecting too much if we expect her to bath herself."
Raul turned to continue watching Karla. She looked fragile —a sight he thought he would never see — and he didn't like it one bit.
"I'll bath her."
"What?" It was Nana's turn to be surprised.
"I SAID, you or anyone else can't bath my mistress. I'll do it myself."
Nana opened her lips, as if to protest, but she shut it back up. Her eyes narrowed as she assessed Raul.
"Have it your way." She said briskly, and walked away.
Raul stepped into the room and ordered the maid to leave. She scurried away, wondering what she'd done to deserve the glare he was giving her. Next, Raul faced Karla. She seemed to be asking what was going on, through her startled and widened eyes. He didn't bother answering —she would find out soon enough.
Sitting beside her on the bed, he slipped his palm under her head and brought it to his chest, so that she sat up. They stayed that way for a while. Karla wondered what was going on. To her, it seemed Raul was embracing her. It was so unusual, she felt a bit uncomfortable, but she couldn't deny that she was enjoying it. She enjoyed the feel of his chest, as it rose and fell. She enjoyed hearing the steady beating of his heart. And she enjoyed the comfort his hand on her head gave her.
"I'm going to undress you, then give you a shower. Is that okay?" He said, surprising himself by his softness.
Karla disentangled herself from his embrace, and looked into his eyes.
"It's okay." She replied, hating how light and raspy her voice sounded.
Raul went to work. Karla was wearing the thick cotton robe which Nana had been thoughtful enough to take to the hospital. He undid the belt, then slowly slid the robe off her shoulders. Inside, Karla was wearing a sexy black lace nightgown. The nightwear showcased her captivating cleavage, and stopped a little below the beginning of her thighs. No doubt, she had worn this gown for him, even though he wasn't sure he would come, even though he never came.
Next, Raul placed his hands on Karla's knees, then slid them up her legs, till he felt the cloth of her underwear. He gripped the material at both sides, and slid it down, finally taking it off by disentangling it from her feet. He then moved on to grab the hem of her nightgown, and pulled it up, over her head. Karla was now stark naked before him.
For the first time, he saw the mesmerizing "V" between her legs, and his breath caught. Immediately, he mentally scolded himself for feeling aroused. His mistress was ill, he would be worst than a monster if all he could think about was his own pleasure.
He lifted Karla in his arms and carried her to the bathroom. Carefully, he dropped her in the bathtub. He made sure the water was warm before proceeding to fill the tub, them foaming it. Using a sponge, he began rubbing her body, starting with her legs.
Karla rested her head on the edge of the bathtub, and closed her eyes. She'd never had someone bath her before, not since she was a baby. And never had she thought that someone would be Raul Valdez. Somehow, the simple act of scrubbing her feet was seriously arousing her. She relaxed, letting herself relish the sensation.
"Is this too much?" Raul asked, as he dabbed her shoulders.
"It's okay."
The bath lasted for nearly an hour, thanks to the snail-like pace Raul had adopted in order to avoid hurting Karla. After he brought her out and dried her body, he looked through her closet for something comfortable to wear. That proved to be a challenging task —most of her cloths were seductive, not comfortable. He settled for a red turtle neck top with a cut out at the cleavage, and a long skirt with a slit at the side. Next, he helped her get into the clothes.
As he lay her down on the bed, he remembered a technique his mother used whenever he was sick. She would lie him on his side, according to her it always made an ill person feel better. No sooner had Raul had the thought, he realized he had been thinking of his mother, and banished the thought to the back of his mind. This was not the time to be burdened by emotions so intense he could barely process them.
Raul sat beside Karla on the bed, watching her drift into sleep. After all these years, she still looked beautiful as she slept.
TEASER: MYSTERIES OF THE VALDEZIAN MANSION BEGIN TO UNRAVEL.