Ella Awakened Read Online Free Page A

don’t really know me, but I promise I will help you
get through this.  I will explain everything to you, but right now I’m
going to go to the kitchen so I can get you something to take away the pain and
help you rest.”
    Ella just
sat staring at him.  Tears of pain were streaming down her face.  Of everything
he had just said, she was focusing on the something to take away the pain part. 
She let go of his shirt.  Burke ran to the kitchen and put a cup of water in
the microwave.  While it spun he put some of the herbs he had collected earlier
into a tea infuser ball.  As soon as the little buzzer went off, he grabbed the
mug and dropped the ball in.  He opened a cabinet and rummaged around until he
found a bottle of Demerol.  He shook a pill into his hand, removed the infuser
from the tea, and returned to the bedroom.  He held the pill out to Ella.  She
took it without asking any questions and drank the tea.  At this point she
didn’t care what it was.  Hell, if it was poison and she was dead within a few
seconds that’d be A-Okay.  Burke took the cup from her and set it on the
bedside table.  He gently pushed her over a little and sat next to her, leaning
against the headboard with his legs stretched out across the bed.  He pulled
her close.  Ella lay with her head on his chest while he softly rubbed her back
and hummed some kind of lullaby she had never heard before.  The tea worked
quickly.  Within a few minutes she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. 
Mixed with the Demerol she would sleep through the rest of the night and most
likely well into tomorrow afternoon.  Burke would be able to make the trip to her
room in the morning to get her things.  Right now he thought he would just sit
here for a while and hold her.
    ~~
    Burke woke
up just after seven o’clock the next morning.  He’d fallen asleep holding
Ella.  Taking a deep breath, he edged out from under her.  The weight of her
across his chest was pretty amazing, but he had things to do.  If he was going
to run over to her room and get back here before she woke up, he needed to get
moving.  He pulled some jeans on and ran his hands through his hair.  After
grabbing his wallet and keys he scribbled Ella a quick note saying he’d gone to
get a few things for her, and he would be back in less than an hour.  More than
likely he would be back before she woke up to read it anyway.
    A few
minutes later, Burke was sitting in the school parking lot looking around.  It
wasn’t that he felt he had time to kill; he just liked to be aware of his
surroundings.  Besides, he’d made it here even faster than he had hoped.  As he
expected, the campus grounds were almost entirely deserted.  He got out of his
car and walked to Ella’s room.  He stood outside the door with his ear against
it.  It only took him a second to confirm that no one was inside.  His hearing
was very good.  He quickly picked the lock and let himself in.  Almost
immediately, his eye fell on the bag Ella had packed just before he had picked
her up the previous day.  He walked over to it and opened it up.  Everything she’d
need was right here and ready to go.  This was going a lot easier than he could
have hoped for.  Burke slung the bag over his shoulder and stepped to the door,
quietly listening.  Satisfied the hallway was clear, he let himself out and
locked the door behind him.  Burke’s return to the front seat of his SUV
prompted a smile – mission accomplished.  He started his truck, turned
out of the parking lot, and headed home.
    ~~
    The first
thing Burke did when he got home was check on Ella.  As he walked into the
bedroom she opened her eyes.  “How are you feeling?” he asked her.
    “Well,” she
replied, “I’ve definitely felt better.”
    Burke
crossed the room and touched Ella’s forehead with the back of his hand. 
“You’re a little warm; tell me your symptoms.”
    “My head still
hurts, but not as bad as it did last