Chapter 283 – Zoom zoom

Sinclair

A crash sounds upstairs. The second one today. I groan and put my head in my hand, honestly not wanting to know.

“Dominic?” I hear my mate call, requesting my assistance. I press my eyes shut, ignoring her for just…just one minute. “Dominic!”

“Seriously,” Roger murmurs, looking towards the door. “What were you thinking, letting her put this insane plan into action?”

I drop my hand and glare at my brother. “Ask me that again when you’re mated,” I murmur, steeling myself as I head out of the room. Roger doesn’t say anything as I go, though I feel his eyes on me. I ignore it.

“Ella?” I call from the base of the stairs. The seat of her stairlift is at the top, so she must be up there.

“Dominic!” Her faint voice comes to me, sounding relieved. “Can you come help? I’m…stuck.” I sigh and pull myself up the stairs.

Three days. Three days she’s had her wheelchairs and her stairlift, and while I’m pleased to see her spirits raised, it’s been a nightmare for me. Three days of watching her zoom around, crashing into every thing I own. I’ve already imagined six thousand ways this could go wrong – Ella sliding off of the stairlift and tumbling down the stairs, Ella somehow miraculously managing to run herself over with the chair, Ella crashing through the banister and flying through the air like Evil Knievel… 1

And you’d think that I was kidding, or exaggerating, but…

As I get to the top of the stairs, I turn to see her wedged, somehow, behind a potted fern in the

corner.

“How did you even…do this?” I ask, exasperated, as I walk over to her.

She gives me a bright, if embarrassed, little smile. “I don’t know,she shrugs. “I just…went forward, and it was there…”

I sigh again – my three hundredth sigh of the day and lift the plant, freeing her. She zooms backwards in the wheelchair, grinding potting soil from the plant into my carpet as she goes. I sigh again. Three hundred and one.

“What are you even do-” I start, but she’s off already, waving to me as she heads down the hall towards our bedroom.

“Things to do!” she calls, waving over her shoulder. “Go back to work, I’ll catch up with you later!”

I shake my head, following her into the bedroom, eager to put a stop to this. “Ella,” I demand, striding in after her. “This has to stop – I’m going insane with worry –”

“What!” she exclaims, appalled, turning her chair in a little half circle so that she’s facing me. Why are you worried?”

24 Zoom Zoom

I pause, staring at her, my mouth hanging open a little with my incredulity.

“What?” she demands, frowning her pouty little mouth at me. “Tell me!”

past three days you’ve broken hundreds of dollars‘

ceramics alone –”

waving a flippant hand. “We can buy

hand down my face, trying to

the side, narrowing her eyes at me, sensing a “but” coming. I oblige her. But,” I continue, “baby, you’re the..you’re the worst wheelchair driver I’ve ever seen. I seriously don’t even know how you ever got a driver’s license, you are just so

am amazing at this! What are you talking

putting a hand on my heart. “Please, please believe me when I say this – and I love you – but you

but laugh with her. It’s so ridiculous. But I’m so grateful that she finally sees my point. Now I can convince her

she asserts, giving me a

I don’t even know what to say. Jealousy… has not even come into the equation. “Ella, seriously,” I begin,

were bad at this, could I do

chair’s wheels off the ground. My stomach drops as I lurch forward, desperate to keep her from tipping over,

the chair rights itself, zooming out of

that!” I gasp, glaring

“I’m fine- this chair can’t tip over, it’s built into the

I

potted plant or two.” She shrugs. “So what? I’m fine.” She gives me a bright, happy smile, and I have to say

enough.

But I could also feel her pride every morning when she sent me off to start my day. In many ways that was the one thing keeping her together – the idea that she was doing this for the baby, and was letting me go for our people. That her misery was, in some way, an act

on my work

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time curled up with her, my troublesome little rose–gold

now, as she smiles up at me. My sweet, clever girl. How do I do this? How do I help her

my nerves are absolutely at their end. Please. For me. I’ll come to bed – we’ll watch

for a moment, tapping her chin as I take a step closer to her, intending

into her eyes.

the

of my grasp.

I turn to watch her fly out of

stop me,” she calls over her shoulder, “you’ll

up at this little taunt.

myself after her, out into the hallway and

herself on the

gives a little half scream, half cry of

button on her stairlift frantically to make it go faster. Luckily,

has one speed: glacial. I catch her with

taking two steps down the stairs

the lift. Ella gives another little cry, laughing hard and beating her little fists

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