You Looked Down on Me Once Now You Look Up (Patricia and Oliver) novel Chapter 702

“In a child’s mind, as long as nothing bad happens, as long as she isn’t hurt or hit by a car, everything is fine. But as a parent, after seeing so many accidents, would you really think that way?”

“Pattie, just try to put yourself in my position. If you were me, what would you do?”

Patricia leaned back against the headboard, feeling the numb ache settle into half her body. The pain was so constant, it was starting to blur her thoughts. She could have argued with Oliver about everything else he said, found excuses or given him reasons. But when he used that example about a child, she had nothing left to say.

She waited until the pain eased a little before she finally spoke. “So what do you want me to do?”

Oliver shook his head. “I don’t know. I’m not brave enough to tell you what to do.”

“Honestly, I only managed to say all this tonight because I drank too much. If you don’t want to listen, just think of it as me rambling after one too many drinks.”

He pushed himself up from the bed and wobbled a little before heading into the bathroom. The sound of running water filled the room, and Patricia felt all the strength drain out of her.

After a while, she forced herself out of bed and went downstairs. She found the night maid and asked her for the first-aid kit, then rummaged through to find some painkillers. With one hand, she popped two pills out of the packet and tossed them into her mouth.

The maid watched her move so quickly and got flustered, hurrying to pour her some water. “Ma’am, are you all right?”

Patricia swallowed the pills, waited for a moment, then let out a long sigh. “I’m fine. My hand just hurts. Don’t worry about me. Go get some rest.”

“I… I think I should stay with you.” The maid looked nervous. If Mr. Padilla found out she’d left the missus alone like this, she’d probably be out of a job. Everyone knew how hard it was to get a spot at Cloud Peak. The pay was great, the benefits unbeatable, and no need to deal with annoying office politics. Where else could you find a job like that? Night shifts even came with overtime.

Patricia didn’t want anyone hovering around her. She pushed off from the table and went upstairs again, sinking onto the sofa in the sitting area. Even after the shower had stopped, she still didn’t feel the painkillers working. For a second, she wondered if she’d taken sugar pills by mistake.

“Doesn’t feel like it.”

“What kind did you take?”

What kind? She hadn’t even looked. After all those years of rehab, she should know painkillers by heart, but tonight the pain was just too much to care.

Oliver went downstairs again and came back up with a different bottle and a glass of water. Patricia didn’t check what it was, just swallowed the pills with the water.

Right before bed, Patricia turned away from him and said quietly, “I get what you’re worried about. But Jackson… he’s been like family to me for a long time. I’ll talk to him and we’ll work on the things you mentioned. I just hope you won’t assign anyone else to watch over me.”

Oliver didn’t say a word.