Chapter 18

Shelly walked through to her office, after spending the afternoon assisting Cynthia on a rather gruelling in-depth accounting job.

She dropped her bag onto her desk and leaned across to switch off her monitor.

The flashing lights behind her eyes were the first warning.

She gave a low shaky groan and dropped down onto her chair as the hot knife-like pains raced through her head, leaving a heavy throbbing in their wake.

“Shelly, I just wanted to...” Cynthia stopped short in the doorway. “Shelly are you okay? What’s wrong?”

She came across and crouched down in front of her, and her brown eyes narrowed with worry at the white face and the shadowed eyes.

“Yes ... yes, it’s just a migraine ... it came on fast but it ... it’s nothing serious.” she smiled wanly trying to reassure her, but the glazed look in her eyes belied the smile.

“Not serious my eye!” Cynthia snapped softly. She straightened up and gently helped Shelly to stand. “What can I do? I can’t let you leave on your own like this, so who can I call ... or can I get you a lift to somewhere?”

“She smiled stiltedly again. “My ... partner is waiting outside for me, to take me home, and the fresh air will help – if I can just walk outside to meet him.”

Cynthia put Shelly’s handbag over her own shoulder and put her arm around Shelly’s waist.

“Come on then I will help you out to him.”

Dean was leaning impatiently against the wall. Making him wait like this – that was just one more penalty for tonight.

His lustful smiled slowly faded as Shelly and another – older woman stepped out of the building.

He was upon them in two strides. “Shelly!”

“Ah you must be her partner,” Cynthia smiled up at him. “I am afraid that Shelly has suffered a migraine attack ... a pretty bad one I am guessing.”

Dean put his arm around Shelly and held her to him. “What can I do?” he demanded huskily.

The other woman held out Shelly’s bag to him. “I think you should take her home and put her to bed, she needs to be taken care of for a few days, I think...” she looked at the still dazed looking Shelly. “And take tomorrow off, Shelly, have a long weekend and only come in on Monday if your feel totally fit to come in ... I will explain it to the others, and we can rearrange your workload for tomorrow – so don’t worry about anything here.”

“Thank you, Cynthia,” Shelly smiled absently at her, and Cynthia sighed.

“Go on then you take her home.”

Dean needed no other urging, as he gently guided her down the street.

As they turned the corner the low sun glared at them, and Shelly gave a low sob and leaned heavily against Dean, as she winced away from it.

Dean looked down at her full of concern as she closed her eyes and a tear slipped from beneath her lid.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes,” she nodded slowly, keeping her lids lowered. “It was just the brightness of the sun – it surprised me.”

He sighed then and gently he scooped her off her feet and held her against his chest.

“It’s not far, so just you keep your eyes closed until you’re in my car.”

He carried her easily down the rest of the street, and suddenly Shelly found herself curled up in his car.

He closed the door as quietly as he could and strode quickly around to the driver’s side.

“Do you need to go home for anything?” he asked softly.

She frowned and then gave a tiny shake of her head. “No ... I don’t think so...”

“Good, you can come home with me then ... I will take good care of you Shelly – I promise.”

Only once she was safely in his bed, with the curtains drawn, did Dean begin to breathe properly again.

She had looked so pale – so vulnerable and her pain was visible for all to see.

He held out a glass of water for her, and she shakily took two pain killers, and gulped down some of the cooling fluid.

“Thank you,” she whispered huskily as she sunk down into his pillows.

He sat beside the bed as she sank almost immediately into a deep slumber.

He had helped her to undress, and for the first time since meeting her, his first thought had not been how to get her into his bed, as fast as possible. He smiled at the irony of the situation since that was exactly where she was.

He gave a little sigh, and then shook his head, as he walked silently from the room, pulling the door until it was almost closed but not quite – just in case she needed him.

He sat down on his sofa and scrolled through his phone’s contacts, and then tapped on the one that he sought.

“Brian ... I’m sorry to disturb you, but I need a favour...”

“Why do you need Kelly’s number?” Brian demanded suspiciously after a startled silence following Dean’s request.

Dean sighed. “I’ve got Shelly here at my place ... she suffered a migraine attack, so I thought I should keep her with me ... but we came straight from her workplace and she had nothing with her.”

“Ahh poor Shelly;” Brian’s tone warmed sympathetically. “She doesn’t get them too often – thank god, but when she does, they really do floor her for a few days.”

“Yes, I guessed that by how fast it crippled her now.”

“Kelly’s number is...” there was the sound of fumbling and then Brian reeled off a number. “Do you need me to come over – is there anything I can do to help?”

“No, thanks,” Dean murmured absently as he scribbled down the number. “But you can cover for me tomorrow at work, because I don’t want to leave her right now.”

“Ok.”

It was less than an hour after he called Kelly, that his intercom buzzed, and she strode in purposely.

“Where is she?” she demanded in a forced whisper.

He indicated the door. “She is sleeping so try not to disturb her.”

Kelly nodded and glided across the room.

Five minutes later she joined him on the sofa.

“When did she take her pills?”

Dean instinctively glanced at his watch. “Almost as soon as we came in, perhaps five – ish by the time she was undressed and in bed, that was when she took them ... she fell asleep almost immediately after.”

“Yes, those pills do that, that’s why she didn’t take them as soon as the attack hit her; she knew she had to be in a safe environment, before she could take the painkillers.” Kelly sighed. “She will probably sleep through till morning, and then when she wakes up – though the migraine should have gone, she will need to take it slow to properly recover – something that she is always reluctant to do.” She finished almost warningly. “She hates to feel incapacitated and her previous partner was not the most sympathetic, so you will have to be firm with her.”

Dean nodded – the previous partner was not even worth a mention in his opinion. “What can I do for her then?”

Kelly hesitated, as she assessed him. “She will probably be feeling ... grotty by then. She will rest better if she is feeling a little fresher – washed, I mean. Just a damp cloth for her face and hands and arms to start with, if you know what I mean – not a full-on bed bath. She will need something to drink – plenty of fluids she will be dehydrated after so long without anything and the toll it will have taken on her system ... light food to start with...” she sighed again and leaned forwards a little. “Perhaps I should come and stay too, for a couple of days, and take care of her.”