Break, page 19
Normally, Walter is up her ass, but always leaning on her or sleeping at her feet. But right now, he’s sitting at attention only a foot away, staring at her with his ears perked up. Poor dog knows something is wrong
I debate what to do when she wobbles on her feet and all my hesitancy races out of me. Hurrying over to her, I pull the plate and sponge from her hand and set them down, then scoop her up into my arms. Christ, she doesn’t weigh anything.
Her eyes are unfocused as she tries to look at me, unsure of what’s going on. “What… What are you doing?” The words are slightly slurred and my concern grows more rapidly.
When I narrow my eyes at her, I realize she must think I’m angry because she shrinks away. I do my best to soften my features, giving her a gentle smile in a pathetic attempt to soothe her. “Taking you to bed. You’re sick.”
I chuckle at her look of outrage.
“I’m not sick,” she sputters.
Shifting her weight in my arms, I rest my hand against her forehead and am surprised when she attempts to smack it away. I catch her hand easily and hold it between us. “You have a fever and need to rest.”
She grumbles something unintelligible, but she’s too weak to put up much of a fight. As I carry her towards the stairs, I feel her body relaxing in my arms. She rests her head against my chest, so I tighten my arms a little more tightly as she fights off the sleep threatening to claim her.
When we get to her room, I set her on the bed gently, and she immediately curls into a ball, pulling the covers tight around her. With a quick glance at her side table, I see a glass of water and a book, but nothing else. I need to get her to take something for the fever before it gets worse. “Mina,” I call to her softly, reaching out and brushing some loose strands of hair from her forehead. I’m relieved when I notice that the bruising around her eye has almost completely disappeared. “I’m going to grab you something for your fever. Is there anything you need? What can I do to help you?”
Her steady breathing is her only answer. She’s passed out. Sighing, I grab her glass to refill it with fresh water and find some Tylenol to set next to her. I know people get sick, but aside from taking care of myself whenever I’m ill, I’ve never taken care of someone else. I’ll talk to Vincent and Max and ask if they know what to do. I’m not even sure what’s wrong with her outside of the fever.
Returning to her room, I find Max filling her doorway, staring at her with a grim look. Without looking away from her, he asks, “What’s wrong with her? She never sleeps in this late.”
Nudging him to move out of the way, I answer in a quiet voice so we don’t bother her. “Not sure. She’s sick, though.”
“Sick?” he repeats, following me into the room and moving to the opposite side of her bed from me.
I sit slowly on the edge of her bed and rest my hand on her shoulder to get her attention. “Mina, honey. Would you sit up for me? I’ve got something to help you kick the fever.”
Peeling one eye open, she takes a moment to focus on what I’m asking her to do before she groans softly and pushes herself up. Holding out the pills to her, she reaches for them with a shaking hand and places them on her tongue. Then she wraps her fingers around the glass and takes a drink to wash them down. Sighing, Mina moves to set the cup on her side table, but I take it and set it down for her.
Flopping back onto her pillow, she lets her eyes fall shut once more, croaking out, “Thank you.”
“What hurts, Mina? What are your symptoms?” Max asks, and she jolts, clearly surprised to hear his voice.
Opening her eyes again, she looks between Max and me before answering weakly, her voice a bit hoarse. “I’ve got a headache, body aches… and I’m just so, so tired…” Her voice drifts off like she’s falling back to sleep and my concern grows.
“Do you have a doctor you normally see?” Max prods gently, not wanting to keep her awake, but needing the answer. I didn’t think to ask about that, so I’m glad he’s here.
“I think so…” she mumbles out, then slurs, “Don’t remember…”
Max and I exchange a troubled glance. As I reach out and stroke my fingers over her hair, he nods in her direction. “Try to find out who it is from her and give them a call. I’ll warm up some soup and grab an extra blanket for her.”
“Crackers too,” I add as he leaves the room quickly, on a mission to do what he can to make her feel better.
“Mina, can you try to focus for me? When you’ve had appointments before, who did you see?”
“Umm…” She crinkles her forehead as she tries to remember. “It’s the same one Danny went to. A guy. Maybe Pallen, or Paulin?” That’s enough for me to work it out. Our area isn’t huge so I’m sure there aren’t a ton of doctors in the area. Searching local doctors, I scroll through until I find a Doctor Gregory A. Pauplin.
“Pauplin? Does that sound right?” I ask her.
“Yeah,” she mumbles out.
Taking a screen shot of the information, I send it to Max and then tuck my phone away.
I don’t move from my spot, choosing to stay where I’m at and continue to run my fingers through her hair. My heart softens a bit when she leans into my touch, so I slow down the movement and feel confident in touching her a bit more firmly.
“I don’t want to be a burden,” she whispers. She had been silent for the few minutes after Max left, and I’m surprised to hear her voice, thinking she was asleep.
Leaning forward, I whisper back, “You’re not a burden. Just rest and let the meds work for you. One of us will always be around in case you need something.”
Nodding slowly, she drifts off fully this time. I keep up my movements for a while, then slowly slip off the bed to go find the guys. Low murmuring from the kitchen guides me there, where I find Max warming up the soup at the stove and Vincent leaning against the counter as they talk. Most likely about Mina.
When Vincent sees me, he stands up straighter. “How is she?” he asks immediately, his own concern for her etched all over his face.
Heading to the fridge, I pull out a couple bottles of water and the jug of orange juice. I want to keep the water on hand for her, so she stays hydrated, and maybe the orange juice will give her a little boost. “She’s asleep. Did you call the doctor?” I ask Max, busying myself by filling up the glass and then looking for a tray to carry everything back upstairs.
“Left a message. Just waiting for them to call back. Wonder where she picked up the bug.”
“What do you think she’s got?” I ask, hoping they don’t think it’s anything too serious.
“She probably picked it up at the hospital, maybe? But her body has been through a pretty big trauma, so her immune system may be bogged down, letting this take over. She’s got what? A headache, fever, body aches?” Vincent asks me, and when I nod yes, he considers it. “Sounds like the flu. There’s not much you can do but treat symptoms. Gotta take her in if her fever gets too high and keep fluids in her so she doesn’t get dehydrated.”
I raise my brow at him. “How do you know all this?”
Laughing, he leans back against the counter again, crossing his ankles. “Dude, when one person in my family got sick, they all got sick. My mom was a champ at nursing us all back to health.”
“Alright Doctor Mercer, you just got added into the rotation,” Max snarks back at him.
Chuckling, Vincent grins at him. “Wouldn’t have it any other way. One of us should get a nap in today so they can stay up tonight with her.”
“I will.” I’m quick with my response and both Max and Vincent eye me curiously.
Looking at me like he knows something, Vincent’s lip tilts up in a half smile. “Okay, big man. You can have the nighttime snuggles. I’m gonna get them this morning.” Grabbing the tray I’ve set out on the table, he runs off and goes up to Mina’s room for Mina-sitting duty.
“I’m going to run to the store and grab shit she might need. Text me if you think of anything,” I tell Max, then pick up my keys and head out the door.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It’s been thirty-six hours of watching Mina fight off the damnable flu, and I’ve hated every fucking second of it. She’s so goddamn miserable, it’s making me want to punch something that I can’t make it stop for her.
Vincent, thankfully, has a few days off. He also called in and asked to take an extra three days of vacation so he can stay here and help. Max looks like he’s running on next to no sleep, on the verge of panic that she hasn’t seemed to get any better. He’s been on the phone repeatedly with her doctor’s nurse, only getting reassured that it just needs to run its course and this is completely normal.
Right now, I’m settled into the chair that we moved into her room to keep watch. We’ve been helping her up so she can make it to the bathroom every few hours, and pushing her to drink and take meds the moment our alarms say she’s due for the next dose. Her fever just won’t fucking break, and she’s practically delirious from the chills and fever-dreams. It makes her body shake and contort all day and night.
My eyes are locked on her huddled-up form, buried under three blankets, but doing nothing to combat the chills racking her body. I just… I can’t take it anymore. Making the decision that I’ll ask for forgiveness if she’s upset with me, I make my way over to her bed, lift the blanket and slide under to wrap my body around hers.
She’s shivering so hard that I’m afraid she’ll pull a muscle. I just want her warm. Wrapping my arms around her upper body, I pull her into my chest, then throw my leg over hers to pin her to me.
Mina’s soft crying completely unmans me, and I rest my forehead against the back of her head and try to soothe her.
“I’ve got you, darlin’. Sshhh.” I mutter, offering whatever words I can think of to give her comfort.
Another tremor wracks her, and she whimpers. “I-I… c-can’t… please…”
Shushing her, I run my hand over her arm. “Can’t what, Mina?” I’m not sure what she’s trying to say or if she even knows I’m here.
“That’s n-not…” she starts, then mumbles something unintelligible.
Another dream then. She’s been having them on and off, talking in her sleep about random things that haven’t made any sense to us. Settling my head into the pillow while I continue to pet her, I get her to relax. Eventually, her tremors start to slow down, my added body heat working its way into her body.
I think I’ve got her back to sleep until I feel all of her muscles go tense under my hands, and she lets out a blood-curdling scream. “STOOOOP!”
Fuck! What the fuck is she dreaming about? My heart is racing at a gallop, then I jolt when I hear her bedroom door slam open and Vincent charges into the room. Her scream must have woken him because he looks like he was dead asleep. We’ve all been absolutely exhausted, and he only went to bed an hour ago.
“What? What the fuck is happening?” he asks, looking around the room for whatever caused her to scream like that.
Waving a hand to quiet him, I whisper, “She’s having another nightmare.”
He takes a deep breath and jerks his fingers through his hair, then walks to the other side of her bed to check on her. Feeling her head, he winces and then shakes his head at what I already know. Her fever is spiking again. I can feel it radiating through her skin like a furnace, making my body feel overheated as well.
He’s just as worried about her as Max and I are, and I’m thankful that Mina has a group of people that are able to take care of her right now. “What are you doing in her bed?” He’s not accusing me, just curious.
“She won’t stop shaking,” I tell him.
Nodding in understanding, he looks slightly sheepish when he admits, “I crawled in with her earlier today for the same reason. Move over so I can get in.”
I hesitate, wondering if Mina would feel upset that there are two men in bed with her, but when she begins to sob, and says, “Danny… n-nooooo,” I move.
Scooting back toward the edge of my side, I pull her limp body with me, and Vincent slides under the covers in front of her. I ignore his arm and leg as he slings them over the both of us, adding his body heat into the mix.
I’m surprised when he rests his lips against her forehead, giving her a soft kiss in comfort, then softly reassures her. “Danny isn’t here, and he won’t ever be here. We got you, sweetness.”
I don’t know if she’s awake enough to hear his words, but I feel my body relax right along with hers as she melts into the bed, letting her limbs go lax.
The three of us lay together silently, both Vincent and I wide awake as we listen to her slightly raspy breathing.
I don’t even notice that my fingers are threaded through hers, clasping her hand tightly until she gives it a gentle squeeze. Maybe she is a bit more aware than I thought. That squeeze is just enough to let me know that she’s okay with us being in here.
With that reassurance, I let myself drift off to sleep next to her.
Chapter 26
Jealousy Sucks
Max
Gripping the stuffed dog in my hand, I’m frozen as I take in the scene before me.
Limbs. Limbs everywhere.
Wait. I only see male limbs everywhere with no sign of Mina’s leaner, more feminine ones in the mix. There’s a lump of blankets between Ethan and Vince that shifts slightly, then remains motionless again.
Moving forward quietly, I’m surprised to find a tuft of Mina’s hair poking from the top of the blanket. She’s completely buried in there.
Reanalyzing the situation, it becomes obvious that she had a rough night, and they laid with her. A bubble of jealousy starts to boil inside me, but I don’t think it’s because they’re in bed with her. Admitting to myself that it’s because I’m not in there too isn’t something I can do at the moment. She’s the least comfortable with me, and I don’t blame her.
Nudging Ethan, I don’t speak for fear of waking up the woman who’s been battling this fucking flu for two days now. He cracks his eye open, then closes it again to rub a hand over his face, scratching the stubble on his neck that’s grown overnight. Once his eyes open again, this time more awake, he sees the dog I’m holding in my hand and looks at me with his silent question.
I’m not fucking embarrassed about it, and I’ll continue to remind myself of that if either of them gives me any shit about it. “It’s for her,” I hiss out, keeping my voice low. “The hell are you guys doing in her bed?”
His voice is like rocks, scratchy from just waking up. “Nightmares.”
Shit.
“Were they bad?” My voice rouses Vincent on the other side and I watch as he reaches under the blanket. He moves his hand around until he stills a moment and then sighs with relief.
“Her fever finally broke,” he whispers as he pulls his hand back out. I can tell Ethan is just as relieved by that news as I am.
Ethan answers my previous question. “It was pretty bad last night, but she settled down once we got in here.” Lifting his arms to stretch, he winces when his back cracks. “You need to replace this bed. It’s hard.”
Narrowing my eyes at him, I step back so he can get out of bed. “Noted.”
Ethan slips out of the room for a moment, returning with a couple of fresh bottles of water for her side table. Then, he collects the empty ones and leaves after informing me he’s going to shower. Vincent is slower to leave her bed, but eventually he’s standing and adjusting himself under his sweats. “I’m gonna shower, too. You good in here? She’s due for another round of meds in about half an hour.”
Nodding, I check over Mina, whose face has been unburied after the guys left, still sleeping peacefully. Her color looks like it’s coming back, and she seems more at ease than she has been in the last two days.
I’ve done a lot of thinking as I spent hours sitting in here. Remembering as many interactions I’ve had with her over the years. I kept going back to that day in her room when Danny and I destroyed her paper house. I remembered when Danny tore apart that stuffed rabbit laying alone in the center of her pristinely made bed.
There hasn’t been a good opportunity to talk to her and apologize, but that’s probably partly an excuse because I’m dreading it. Not that she doesn’t deserve to hear it, but because I’m nervous. Getting her something to replace what I destroyed felt like a good ice-breaker. It’s not a rabbit, but a Dane that looks like mine. She seems to really love Walter.
Just thinking about him was enough for him to come into the room, then jump up at the foot of the bed like he belongs here. Holding back a laugh when he flops to the side and falls right to sleep, I slip the stuffed dog in next to Mina’s hand so she’ll see it when she wakes.
Going back out to the hall, I pick up another bag of items I got for her this morning to replace the rest of what I ruined. There’s a small desk in the room where she’s left the rest of the paper that Ethan gave her when she first arrived.
Setting a stack of multi-colored paper, some solids, and some with prints, I lay them in neat piles. I look them over to make sure they’re presentable before stepping back.
“What’s this?” her sleepy voice calls out.
Turning around quickly, I love that she’s tucked her new gift against her chest. She eyes me warily before darting back to the papers I’ve arranged. “How are you feeling? You look better.”
Her deep breath confirms that she would agree. “A bit, yes. Max… what is this?” she asks again.
“I didn’t know,” I admit, then kick myself for not thinking before I spoke. Guess I’m gonna do this now, then.
“Didn’t know what?”
Holding out a finger, I point at the stack of papers and beg her to understand what I’m trying to say. “I didn’t know this was your thing. It doesn’t excuse what I did, not in the slightest, but I need you know that I didn’t know.”
I watch her struggle to sit up for only a few seconds before I’m moving to help her. I stuff an extra pillow behind her back so she can be more comfortable. “Max, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” She sets the dog in her lap and runs a slender finger down the nose, petting the plush fur. “Where’d this come from?”
