Chapter 74: Chapter 74: A Helping Hand (Part 1)

As Don turned around to look at Samantha after she told him to begin undressing, he realized she showed no signs of leaving. 'Does she mean to fully undress in front of her?' he wondered. seaʀᴄh thё novel(F~)ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Samantha didn't seem to share the same qualms over the situation as she simply urged him, "Hurry up, Donnie, we need to get you cleaned up so you can get some rest. I'm sure you'll feel better once your body has been rubbed with a hot towel."

'I don't think she sees the problem here,' Don concluded and chose not to say anything as he proceeded to try and remove his shirt. But just as he was about to take it off, he groaned in pain when he raised it to the chest area, finding it hard to lift his arms any further without feeling immense pain.

"Donnie!" Samantha quickly called out as she walked over to him, her voice filled with serious concern. "Does it still hurt? Oh, Donnie, we should've gotten you admitted," she stressed as she raised his shirt slightly and looked at some of the more visible bruises, such as the spot where Don had been struck with the bat. She felt her heart clench just looking at Don being this hurt.

'Maybe she's right,' Don thought. He was in no position to argue with Samantha, and he knew that trying to do so now would only work against him as he couldn't even hide the pain he was in whenever he put a certain amount of pressure on his limbs.

Thankfully, Samantha just sighed and didn't stress the matter any longer. "Okay, just stand still. I'll help you undress," she quickly instructed and, without waiting for a response, began looking around the room before settling her eyes on the nearby dresser next to Don's bed. She quickly walked over to it and immediately bent over to the lowest drawer.

Don found himself staring at her more than modest rear as she did so, his heart beating faster from anxiety and something else. 'Damn, I know I shouldn't have these thoughts, but...' Don trailed off as he gulped slightly at the sight. Samantha didn't take much time and soon stood back up, prompting Don to snap his head in another direction.

Samantha wasn't the least bit aware and simply walked over with urgency, holding a pair of scissors in her hands. As she reached him, she muttered, "Try and stay still," without waiting for a reply. She began using the scissors to cut Don's shirt.

He couldn't help but ask, "Isn't this a bit wasteful to cut the clothes?"

Samantha, not turning her attention away from what she was doing, shook her head and replied firmly, "No. Clothes can be replaced, Donnie. You can't." As she said that, she fully cut open the shirt and helped Don easily remove it before tossing it to the floor. "Besides, it's all stretched, dirty, and bloodstained now.

There's no point keeping it," she added as she tossed the pair of scissors onto Don's bed and turned her attention to his pants. She was about to reach out and grab the buckle of his belt, but Don prevented her from doing so by reaching for it first.

"I can handle that."

Samantha simply sighed and adjusted her glasses. "I know you can, Donnie. I just don't want you making your injuries worse. I know you've grown a lot since you've been away, but I'm still your mother. You don't need to be shy around me." As Samantha said this, her voice became a bit low and clearly saddened. It was obvious that all she was trying to do was help her injured son.

Don couldn't help but feel inwardly sorry. 'It's not that I don't want her to undress me, but in my eyes, she's not my real mother, but instead a beautiful and caring woman. So if she ends up touching me like that and my body reacts, things could get very awkward, very fast,' Don thought.

Samantha was a woman like any other, and he was yet to adjust to being her son. Even simply calling her "Mom" was something he was trying to get used to. But at least he could control his body's reaction. However, if he did happen to react to her helping him undress or touching his body in a certain way, he didn't know what reaction he would get from Samantha.

He compared it to himself and his real mother in his former life, asking himself what would happen if it was him and her in this situation, and his body happened to react in that particular way. 'I probably wouldn't hear the end of it, but as a mom, I think she would understand. Maybe I'm just overthinking all this.'

Don sighed again, this time more audibly, as he retracted his hands from his buckle, choosing to take the risk and allow Samantha to proceed. "I'm sorry, Mom, it's not that I don't want you to help. I just hate feeling so helpless," Don lied, choosing to give this reason instead, as he knew it would garner a positive response from Samantha.

And it did. She showed him a weak smile and approached, bringing her hands over to his face and holding him by the cheeks while looking into his eyes. "Oh, Donnie, you're anything but helpless. You're my savior. You put your body on the line to help us get out of that terrible situation. Now it's my turn as a mother to take care of you.

After all, you are the man of the house now, and we can't have you injured for long, now can we?" Samantha smiled a bit more as she jokingly added this, prompting Don to smile back, genuinely finding her words comforting.

Despite the emotion present in this scene, Don constantly reminded himself to watch what he said, so he gave a calculated response, first nodding his head slightly before replying, "I understand. Thanks, Mom."

Samantha's eyes became watery, and she slightly shook her head. "No, Donnie, thank you for coming back and for protecting me." After she said this, Samantha slightly squeezed his cheeks with a bit of force as she narrowed her eyes. "But you better not put yourself in danger again like that, young man. Am I clear?"

Don gave a light chuckle. "If it means protecting you, I can't promise that."

Samantha was very touched and very worried at the same time. As a woman, she found his response incredibly reassuring and comforting, but as a mother, it worried her to her very depths. Still, she smiled and simply just shook her head as she pulled away. "Oh, what will I do with you?"

Their conversation was cut short when Aunt Amanda's voice called out from the hallway, "Sam, the water is ready."

Samantha turned to look at the turned to look at the door and yelled back. "All right. Thanks, Amanda."

Amanda then replied, "No problem. I'll be in the kitchen whipping up something for our hero, just call me if you need me."

After saying that Amanda's footsteps could be heard walking away from the door.

Samantha turned her attention back to Don, or rather to his parents before stating, "alright. Let's quickly get these off and get you cleaned up, after that you can have something to eat and rest are properly."