Kiara's POV:

A little dazed I can hear people motioning around me and quiet but hushed voices speaking.

"So what's wrong with her Dr Pierce?"

"Don't worry too much Dean. She has a bad concussion, she should have been resting. You said she had passed out and yet worked all day?"

"Yes, she said she was fine and only needed to take it a little more easy. Damn I could see she wasn't well, I should have made her take the day off."

"Her muscles are all extremely tense too, even although she passed out. I have the feeling she is under a major distress right now, only making things worse. If she works as hard as you do, she might be over doing it."

"She does, but I think that's not the reason. She collapsed after being kicked out by her parents."

"Oh, I see. Care to share more information? Maybe we should put her up for psychiatric care?"

Even with the little power my body seems to provide right now, I can feel the anxiety in me rising and the will to escape as fast as I can.

"It's not down to me, to tell her story. But I will offer it to her. She's damn strong you know."

His words put me a little at ease again.

"Sometimes even the strongest people need help. It's usually the strong ones who suffer the most, because they endure so much and keep it to themselves."

"Like I said, I'll talk to her about it. How long do you think she'll be like this?"

"I don't know Dean, perhaps she'll wake up any minute or a couple of hours. She's lucky there's no brain bleeding or any swellings which I worried about at the beginning. Her body simply needs some rest right now."

"Can I take her home?"

"No I'd rather keep her here until we can be sure she doesn't pass out again."

It's too strenuous to keep up listening in on them, instead I decide to give into the heaviness and let my body sink into the slumber taking me over again.

*****

Waking up, I feel Dean's hand gently caressing my cheek.

"Hey Beautiful, how are you feeling today?", he whispers softly as soon as my eyes open.

Today?

"Drained", I admit and admitting weakness isn't something I usually do. "How long have I been here? And where the hell am I?"

"You're in hospital. You had passed out for about an hour. After that you kept on waking up groaning in pain and the nurses would give you painkillers so you could sleep. It's early in the morning, so you've only been here a couple of hours. Why the hell didn't you tell me you had a concussion? You shouldn't have been working."

"Because I didn't think it would be that bad. Anyway work was the better option than staying in that place" I snort. "I mean after last night you surely understand that was the last place I wanted to spend the whole day."

"You want to talk about it?", Dean asks carefully. "I mean you don't have to. But I'm here if you want. And we can get you someone to talk to you. Perhaps some psychiatric care wouldn't be too bad."

"I'm not crazy", I huff.

"No one says you're crazy, Darling. It's just a lot you've been weighing on your shoulders and I guess getting rid of some of that would do you some good. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about."

"You do?", how would he know? These words take me utterly by surprise.

"Well kind of anyway. In a different way I had my own things to deal with and I know it helps. But at the moment this isn't about me, it's about you. Honestly, I was beyond shocked what I heard yesterday and I'm sure there's much more underneath the surface."

"You know, when you get angry at me for not eating, it hurts me. It hurts me, because it reminds me of the reason I haven't been eating. It's not like I want to starve myself, you know I eat unhealthy stuff and it's not like I'm skinny either. It's just simply I never got used to eating regular. For years I didn't even know when I would have food, no one cared. So I simply got used to it. I mostly don't even feel hunger, only if I come to think about it. And when I'm so deep in my work, the last thing that crosses my mind is food."

"How could they do this to you?", Dean whispers softly and his voice is close to breaking, while on the other hand I feel his fists clenching. There's the anger contrary to his soft voice.

"When you tell me to do things, command me it gets my temper going. Because all my life, my dad told me and my mum what to do. My mum would do anything he demanded and if he had told her to eat the reminders in the ashtray, she would have done. He always said I was pathetic and a loser like my mum who only needs to be taught how to listen.

So at the age of I think about fourteen, I decided I wasn't putting up with it anymore. Watching my mum do all those things he wanted was bad enough. So I grew stronger and stronger, he lost his power over me. Brad kind of held some power over me too, but not in the way my dad did.

So I made one promise to myself, no matter who comes along, they will never have the power over me, to tell me what I'm to do or not to do. It's up for me to decide. And when someone tries to restrict me, like you do so often", I chuckle at the thought of it, "I feel the urge to do the opposite, just to prove to myself no one will ever treat me like my mum lets herself be treated."

Dean sighs. "Ok I get it, kind of anyway. But Kar when I tell you to stay where you are, like in that club, it's not because I want to restrict you, but because I want to make sure you're safe."

"Alright I know at the club I was damn stupid. Yea I'll even admit to it now, ok? But let's be honest Dean, you're a control freak and you want people to do what you want. In that club it might have been for my own safety, but it was also about gaining control over me. And I'm not the person who will let herself be controlled."

His hands run through his hair and I can see he is thinking about my words. "You know what Kar, you're right. It drives me insane I can't control you like I do it with others. And at the same time it turns me the fuck on. No matter what, I will never treat you, like your dad treated you or your mum. And I promise I will try to take it a nudge down, but honestly Kar, it's in my nature. There will always be times I want to control you."

"Perhaps I'm willing to give you some control over me in some situations", I answer with a wink.

"Kar stop. Don't freaking say such things, while you need to rest and recover in a hospital bed", his voice sounds a little husky suddenly. I love the way he reacts to my words, just as I react to his.

Damn this thing between us really can switch on from one second to the next. No matter how drained I'm right now, the thought of how he could control me turns me on.

"Don't give me that look Kar", he warns me.

"What look?", of course I'm trying to play innocent.

"You know what look, I mean. You're thinking about it right now and I know it turns you on, at the moment that's not good for either of us."

"Hmmm you mean, things like me imagining what you could do to me with that tie of yours? Or the things you promised you would do if I disobey you again? Or the desk you bent me over?", leaving like a dramatic pause in between, I speak up again. "Nope, I was totally not thinking about any of it", a huge self-confident grin appears on my face.

Dean gulped hard during my words, his jaw started clenching and I'm sure if I sat on his lap right now, I'd feel the rock-hard bulge in his pants.

"Sure, totally not, you little bitch. You always have to be a tease, don't you? Wait until you are fit enough and I can show you what it means to tease me like that. That's going to be a hard lecture for you my dear."

"Is that a promise? I kinda like hard things, especially if they have to do with you."

"Especially? The only hard things you will be getting only have to do with me. No one else", he growls possessively.

Just as I want to retort, to keep up teasing the Dr comes walking in.

"Good morning Ms Summers, I'm Dr Green. Good to see you're awake. I got all the information from Dr Pierce, who was treating you last night. So how are you feeling today?"

"My head is still pounding but I guess ok otherwise. I don't feel like puking or passing out any second anymore."

"Good to hear. The nurses will be checking in on you once an hour. They did that during the night too, but I heard you weren't responding too well during the night. We would like to keep you here for at least two more days, just to make sure there's no belated bleeding or other complications."

"I can't stay here. I need to sort things out", my body's at full alert immediately.

"You don't understand Ms Summers; your body badly needs some rest. That you collapsed last night, was due to you not taking care of your body after the accident."

"And you don't understand that I just lost my home and sure have other things on my mind, than to lie in a hospital bed all day. I have work and I have a life situation to sort out and both I can't do by just lying down here with a lazy ass."

My stubborn attitude has got its upper hand again and I try to stand up. For a moment I had forgotten Dean was here too, who immediately pushed me back down into bed.

"I'm taking care of this", he says to Dr Green, who simply nods and leaves the room.

"Get your hands off me Dean, you know I have no time for this shit", I growl angry and stressed.

"Now listen to me carefully Kiara", Dean's angry eyes are burning themselves into mine. "I don't care what for a shit you're going to dish me now. If you leave this bed for any other reason than peeing or brushing your teeth, I'm going to fire you. You know that's the last thing I want to do, but I promise I'll do it if that's the only way to keep you safe."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You are blackmailing me? Who the hell do you think you are?", I know I'm being unreasonable, but right now I feel helpless and pushed against my will. So much has happened and changed in the last hours. And again I feel like my life is being controlled, controlled by circumstances my damn own parents have inflicted on me.

"I'll tell you who I am. I'm the one who won't watch careless how you harm yourself. I'm the one who won't just ignore that you're injured. I'm the one who wants to be there for you. And I'm the one who cares about you and will make sure you won't be harmed by anyone anymore including yourself. So for heaven's sake, stop fighting me."

His words stir me up and I start sobbing again. God I've become such a weakling.

Dean moves on to the bed next to me and pulls me against his hard but comforting chest. "Don't fight me Kar, not with this. I'm here for you, you hear me? And we'll find a solution. I told you yesterday you can stay with me as long as you like."

"I can't. I mean, god dammit Dean we only know each other one and a half weeks and most of the time we wanted to rip each other's head off. We don't even know what this is between us."

"You know what? I don't even care, because right now this isn't even about us. It's about you. You need help and I can help, easy as that. Jeez, I'm not even asking you to move in with me for good. But at least take the time at my place to figure things out in peace." His breath comes stagnant and I know he's in rage because of me being so stubborn. "And don't dare think of going back to work, before you are really fit enough for it."

"Wow, I think you're the first boss who has told me that."

"Is that the only part you have caught on to?"

"You know what? Fine. But only if you can lend me your phone to look for an apartment while I'm in here. Maybe I can get things sorted out quickly then."

"Nope can do, you're supposed to be resting your head."

I huff in annoyance, but as there is no way I'm getting what I want, for once I give up defeated as I'm too drained to fight. After all I'm lying here with a concussion, had a total fall out with my non-caring parents. And to top it off, I'm homeless due to my ex-boyfriend and parents.

"Fine."

"Fine now that, that's sorted, you should try and sleep some more." It's only now, I notice Dean is wearing the same clothes he did yesterday, did he spend the whole night here?

"What about you? Have you slept? And shouldn't you be at work?"

"My girlfriend needed me more than work. I called in sick today?"

Wait did he just call me his girlfriend? And my boss, called in sick because of ME? Damn this heart is nearly killing me right now, I'm sure if I was on a heartrate monitor the docs would be rushing in here right now.

"Girlfriend?", I mumble against his chest and try to hide my face.

Gently he tilts my head back, to make me look into his eyes. "Yes girlfriend, Kar. Jeez, I thought I made that clear in front of that sucker Brad last night."

"Well no, you only made clear, I can't be his girlfriend anymore if you're the one to fuck me at the moment."

"And I told you before you're more than just a fling to me, so what does that make you Kar? God, I know we hardly know each other and want to work this out. But you're not just a fling and you're sure not just friends with benefits so in my definition that only leaves you to be my girlfriend.

And seeing that douchebag yesterday and hearing him say that word, made me know it. As I can't bear to hear someone else call you that. So I don't care as what you see me and you can take your time to think about it, but to me you're my girlfriend."

My face surely looks ridiculous at the moment as my eyes are as wide as can be and my jaw has dropped to god knows where. Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend. I mean is that at all possible? After all he only knows me like two seconds.

There are only two other guys who ever claimed me as their girlfriend. There was Harry in high school whom I dated like on and off for half a year and then there was Brad.

Brad who I had known since we were kids. I mean Brad is a damn cheater and sure didn't treat me too well during our relationship. But not everything was bad with him, we had good times and obviously there must have been some reason we ended up together for two years. Brad knew practically everything about me.

And yet he never reached this level of whatever I'm feeling within this short time with Dean.

"Stop over thinking it, ok? Maybe I shouldn't have said that just yet, you're obviously not ready to see it that way", he says and although he's trying to hide it, I can hear a little hurt and disappointment in his voice. "Sleep now Honey, your head needs some rest."

"What about you? You need to sleep too."

"Scoot over a little more", he demands. "I'll sleep right here and hold you."

"But this is a hospital bed and you could get into trouble."

"Says the girl who participates in illegal races. Do I look like I give a fuck about being in trouble for it? You need to sleep and I do too. So scoot over."

"Yes Sir", I mock and see his eyes widen for a few seconds.

With my head resting on his chest, his soothing scent filling my nose, I find myself drifting off into a peaceful sleep, even with everything that has happened around me.

Waking up at lunch with a head feeling twice the size again, I notice the bed next to me is empty. Dean is gone and by the way the bed is cold, he's not just left for a pee. On the bedside table I find a tiny note.

Will be back soon, take care

Yours Dean

A/N: Originally this chapter was a lot longer, because I couldn't seem to find the right cut and then decided for this point. Therefore you'll be getting two updates today, the next one will come shortly later. As a single chapter it would have been so freaking long so I made two out of it, which are a tiny bit shorter than the averrage chapters in this book.

These two chapters are meant to help you understand more what's going on in Kiara's mind and why she sometimes reacts the way she does. I hope they aren't too boring for you.

Thanks for reading my story, if you're out there reading this and enjoying, please hit that little star and vote for it. Have a smashing day/ night, where ever you are!

Jackie xoxoxo