Capítulo 19: A drunk Caroline - 2

The November air outside was crisp and chilly. Coming out of the motel, Morpheous saw the lanes decked up with fairy lights. Soon it was going to be his father's birthday month on earth.

He sighed and held onto the clothes given by Benjamin.

The sole reason why he came back to the motel was to collect them. He had tried to clean it his best, but the faded blotches because of blood stains were still visible. He couldn't bear to discard it because it was a token of kindness, but more importantly, he wanted to keep it because it was very dear to someone. Someone who had started to become very special to him.

Crossing the road, he started walking in the direction of Seattle High when he heard someone call his name.

"Morpheous!"

Turning back, he saw Dr. Van struggling to get Caroline into his car.

He rushed towards them, his eyes worried to death seeing her in such a condition. She was not in her element. Not even a bit. Her sharp eyes were hazy and glassy, and she swiveled like the pendulum of the clock he had seen in her office.

"What happened to her?"

"Aghh… nothing to worry about. She is just drunk. But God, her drunk version is heavy! Help me, will you?"

But before he could do anything, she kicked out her shoes and slumped in the backseat. He bent down, picked up her shoes, and placed them inside the car.

"Erm… you know what. Can you come with us? I am worried that she might feel nauseated later. I will then drop you where you stay."

He nodded and got inside the car. But before he could settle, he heard her mumble, "Do you know how much my ankles hurt?"

"Just ignore her. She tends to get overdramatic after drinking," Dr. Van said and started the car, but Morpheous slowly lifted her legs and placed them in his lap. The elastic of her socks had bored through her soft skin. Perhaps it was new, and she hadn't broken into them. So he carefully removed them and gently rubbed the red marks with his fingers, making them disappear in seconds.

And when his sin counter lowered, he realized he didn't do it to reduce his bad karma. He did it for her. Just her. There was something about it, perhaps a stubborn feeling, that made him feel something weird seeing her in pain. Almost to the point of discomfort.

He placed the clothes that he was holding under her head so that she could sleep comfortably. With her eyes closed, she looked divine, and no matter how hard he tried to avoid looking at her, her face pulled him back, and he couldn't stop but marvel at how beautiful she was.

Everything about her was perfect, including the tiny scar under her chin he noticed the first time. His fingers instinctively itched to touch it, but he refrained.

Not at the expense of his sin counter.

The road before the residential area started was quite bumpy due to recent digging, which made her flip. She tossed uncomfortably, and he couldn't help but inch forward and lightly caress her arms.

"Is she OK?" Dr. Van asked, looking through the rearview mirror.

"A bit nauseated, I think."

"We will reach in another 2-3 minutes. There is a pharmacy shop near her house. I will get some hangover medicine for her."

"Sure!"

"So what's your story, Morpheous?"

That question made him flinch for a second. "Well, I did my nursing education from 'University of North Dakota,' and then I landed here."

"Summa cum laude?"

"I wish. But Magna cum laude."

"Seriously? With your skills, I assumed you would be the cream of your batch."

"Well, sorry to disappoint you then."

"Oh, come on! We didn't get to talk earlier, but I must say, you had me impressed with your suturing technique. So why nursing course and why not a degree in medicine."

"I had financial constraints."

And upon hearing his answer, Dr. Van didn't probe any further into his personal life. He could sense that he was a bit uncomfortable with himself for even asking that. He seemed like a nice man. Too nice!

"Ahh… we have arrived."

With utmost care not to bump Caroline's head anywhere, Morpheous lifted her in his arms and got her out of the car. The chilly wind ripped through her hair and clothes, making her shiver, so he pulled her closer to his chest as if trying to warm her.

In response to that, Caroline wrapped her arm tighter around his neck and snuggled in as if she wanted to assimilate into his body. As if he was the cocoon she wanted to reside in.

But Dr. Van narrowed his eyes and said, "Wait, let me cover her with this!"

And pulling out a neon outdoor windcheater, Dr. Van covered her with it and then paced towards the main door of her house.

"Where is Benjamin?" Morpheous asked as he saw him unlocking the door instead of ringing the doorbell.

"She said something about him and fishing."

"OK"

As soon as Dr. van opened the door, Morpheous took her directly into her bedroom and tucked her in.

"Erm... I will be back with hangover medicine. Just wait for a few minutes, then we can leave."

Morpheous nodded in his direction briefly and then pulled her blanket even higher as she kept tossing and turning, blabbering incomprehensible things. But that made him smile. It seemed as if her fierce and so-in-control demeanor was just a facade. The true her, the her that she was being right now, was way too soft, innocent, and childlike. So lovable.

But the moment he heard the main door shut close, his rampant thoughts were pushed back. Proximity with her was something that was not good for his sanity.

So he walked towards the foot side of the bed and stood there in silence, still watching her intently. A soft smile etched on his face when she wrinkled her nose.

But then, all of a sudden, he saw her hands clutching the sheets tightly, and her brows got knotted. She shook her head once. "No," she yelled and clutched onto sheets even tighter, so much that her knuckles turned white.

"I am here. Everything is alright, Caroline!" He rushed to her side, gently patting her cheeks in an attempt to wake her up from her nightmare. But all of a sudden, she opened her eyes and hugged him tight without warning. Instinctively he wrapped her tight in his arms, wanting to protect her even from her dreams. The hollow of his neck became the perfect spot for her to rest her face on.

He could distinctively hear the beats of her heart, for there was not even a hairline of a gap between their twined bodies. Heavens knew that had he possessed a heart, it would have raced harder than hers.

Even though her breath seemed to be laced with a copious amount of alcohol, the faint smell of lavender from her shampoo compensated well. Not knowing why, he buried his nose in her locks, wanting to take a whiff, but the thing he dreaded the most happened. His sin count started clocking up.

Exasperated, he unwrapped his arms and sat silently, holding his breath, but she turned her head, her lips touching the bare skin of his neck. Her breath radiated a strange heat in him. He swallowed, for he was perfectly aware how badly that could end. He could feel it in his bones, even in the pit of his stomach.

Releasing the tension in his body with a controlled exhale, he held her shoulders and distanced himself from her. He lowered her body slowly, wanting to put her back to sleep, when she muttered, "Please don't leave me."

Morpheous turned his face towards her to respond, but she had fallen into a peaceful slumber.

Avoidance seemed to be his only defense against her.