Blaze didn’t lean back, but his eyes did shoot to Jill’s before looking back at Slade. “What I did should not have had that effect on her.”
“I asked you a question, not your opinion.” Slade’s voice turned deadly.
“Slade, I’m fine.” Jill grabbed onto his hand that tightened on her leg.
“And I repeat, no, she’s not,” Steve added, ignoring Jill’s death glare.
Slade glanced at her for a split second, his eyes searching hers. “Why do you say that, Steve?”
Jill sighed, rolling her eyes, ready to open her mouth, but Steve beat her to it.
“She’s been getting sick. She can’t hold down blood and—”
“I probably have a virus or something.” Jill felt every eye on her as she interrupted blabber mouth. She hated attention directed toward her. It made her more nauseous than she already was, and then she heard a plastic bag rattle. Her heart sunk as her stomach rose to the back of her throat.
Steve reached into the plastic bag. “So tell me, Doc, do women with viruses usually get pregnancy tests? It took us ten minutes to wake her up once we got here today, and she looks like shit.” He looked at Jill, raising an eyebrow. “Well, you do.”
“You’re an asshole,” Jill sneered at Steve.
“Yeah, well, I’m more afraid of him”—he nodded at Slade—“than I am of you. He needed to know and I have diarrhea of the mouth when I’m afraid of something, as you well know. And that big bastard scares the hell out of me. Oh, and just to make sure everyone in this room knows if she is pregnant, I had absolutely nothing to do with it.”
Slade took the pregnancy test from Steve, looking at it then to Jill without saying a word. The room went deathly quiet.
“Annnnd, on that note,”—Sid edged toward the door—“we’re out. You need us for anything, Slade, just....” The door shut muffling anything else Sid had to say as everyone emptied out of the room as if it were on fire. Even Sloan exited the room without a word spoken.
Jill’s eyes rose to look at Slade, who was staring at the pregnancy test in his large hand. “Listen, I know I’m not—”
“Why didn’t you tell me you were sick?” Slade’s tone was flat, neither angry nor...actually, it was just flat, no emotion whatsoever, and she didn’t like it.
“I really didn’t think it was anything and it probably isn’t,” Jill began, but could tell he didn’t believe her. She started to fidget on the table when he remained silent. “And...I didn’t want to bother you.” She finally admitted the real reason she hadn’t told him.
“I’m not like your family, Jill.” Finally Slade’s voice held some emotion, angry emotion, but it was emotion.
“I know that,” she replied, no longer sure she believed her words. Why hadn’t she told him right away she was sick? Had she been afraid he would toss her aside because she was being a pain in the ass? She knew that was exactly the problem and by the look on Slade’s face, he knew it too.
“Do you truly believe you’re pregnant?” Slade pointed the test at her. “Because if you are pregnant, there is a dead man walking out there who I need to find.”
Warmth flushed her body at his words and she shook her head. “I haven’t been with anyone but you,” she whispered.
“Then you’re not pregnant.” Slade tossed the test in the garbage can. “I want to know everything, and I mean everything, from the beginning till tonight. If you leave anything out, I will bust your ass. You hear me?” He growled the question at her.
“Yes, I hear you.” Jill nodded. Usually, she would be a little more of a smartass when answering to his attitude, but she just wasn’t up to it. She was ready to find out what in the hell was wrong with her and since Steve, the narc, told on her, she was ready to let it all out.
“Are you okay?” Slade walked up to stand in front of her, his large hand feeling her forehead, then running down her neck, feeling the pulse in her throat.
She nodded, leaning into his hand. “I’m fi...” She started to say, but his narrowed eyes told her he knew she was about to lie. “I’m feeling a little weak.”
“Do you need to feed?” The concern in his voice was palpable.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I just fed from you, but I couldn’t keep it down and while real food stays down, it makes me so nauseous that I’d rather go without.”
He tilted her face up to his. “You need to feed.” It was a demand, not a suggestion.
“I can’t keep taking your blood and then vomiting it up.” Jill responded with a frown. “It’s too good to waste.”
A small grin tipped his lips, but didn’t reach his eyes as he turned away from her, looking through a few drawers in the metal cabinets behind him. “I need to take some blood.”