“She’s been asleep since we got back,” Christine whispered, obviously having no clue that I had woken up. I blinked my eyes until I could focus on something and noticed her in the kitchen with Holden. He hadn’t changed out of his work clothes, so I assumed he’d just gotten home.
He had his back to me, but that didn’t stop his husky voice from traveling into the living room where I lay curled up on the couch. “At least the antibiotics should start to kick in by tomorrow. Don’t those usually take twenty-four hours to kill the fever and dramatically lessen the symptoms? She’ll start to feel better tomorrow, right?”
“I hate to say this, Holden, but I doubt she’ll feel better for days. The antibiotics will help with the strep, but it won’t touch the flu. I would love to stay and help out with her, but I can’t. She’ll probably sleep a ton for the next several days, but she needs to make sure she’s staying hydrated. That fever is no joke.”
There was a long beat of silence before he spoke again. “I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done. I want you to know I never would’ve asked you for help today if I had another option. I hope you know that and how much I appreciate it. Thank you so much for this.”
Holden turned around to walk Christine to the door and noticed I was awake. I managed to offer her a wave, although she might not have recognized it as that, and then smiled weakly in response when she wished me well. She asked Holden to call her and let them know how I was doing and if we needed anything else, and then left.
After closing the door behind her, he came to kneel next to the couch, close to me. “How are you feeling?” he asked with his palm on my forehead. I wanted to slap it away and make fun of him for his intense show of concern, but I didn’t have the energy. Not to mention, his reaction warmed my heart in ways I refused to acknowledge.
Instead, I groaned and closed my eyes.
“I stopped by the store on my way home and picked up some drinks. They’re in the fridge. I’m sure they’ll feel better on your throat once they cool down, but I can pour some over ice in the meantime.”
I hummed at the thought of something icy on my throat. I’d had water, but no matter how cold it was, it was horrible and tasted awful. I was convinced it was poison and refused to drink much. Of course, I didn’t tell Christine that. She had taken my prescription to the pharmacy and dropped it off so Holden could pick it up on the way home, and I knew if I complained about the taste of the water, she’d find a way to get me something else to drink. And she’d already done enough.
A crushing weight settled over me when I reminded myself once again about her anxiety while we waited to be seen. I knew she wasn’t obligated to tell me, neither was my brother, and she even admitted that it had happened more times than anyone knew of. But that didn’t stop my heart from breaking at the thought of their silent pain and secret battle.
The quiet in the room became almost unbearable, forcing me to open my eyes just to make sure he was still there. I wasn’t sure if I’d fallen asleep or just gotten lost in my dark thoughts, but when I found him on the floor in front of me, tapping away on his phone, I knew he hadn’t left me. “You didn’t have to do all this, Holden. But thank you. It means a lot to me.”
“Do what?” he asked, genuinely confused.
“Everything. Calling to check on me, having Christine come over and then take me to the one place she hates more than anything. Getting me something to drink and picking up my medicine. Being here. Everything, Holden. Thank you for everything.”
Rather than respond, he ran his fingertips along my forehead, down my cheek, and paused on my chin. It was so close to my bottom lip I wanted to kiss it, but then he pulled it away and stood. And after regarding me without a sound for a long moment, he walked off. I had to close my eyes and curl into myself even more beneath the heavy blanket just to ward off the chill caused by his absence.
I didn’t remember closing my eyes or falling back to sleep. But apparently, I did, because the next thing I knew, I opened my eyes and found Holden kneeling next to the couch. However, this time, he no longer had on work clothes, and a piping-hot bowl of chicken noodle soup sat on the coffee table in front of me. At first, I assumed he’d ordered it or had someone bring it over, because there was no way I could’ve slept through someone cooking a few feet away. But when I watched him through the walkway into the kitchen, I noticed the big pot on the stove and realized he’d cooked for me. Which meant he had to buy the ingredients at the store while he was there.
If I’d had enough energy, I would’ve swooned.
Holden brought his bowl to the living room and sat next to me on the couch. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and started flipping through the channels, as if this were any other night. I expected him to settle on one of the shows he liked to watch, but when he stopped on a reality show about wedding planners, I knew it was for me. He had no interest in a show like this, but he knew my dream was to plan events, and a wedding was considered an event.
“If you keep spoiling me like this, I may never leave,” I croaked out.
He held his bowl close to his face and blew on it while cutting his gaze toward me. “You’re sick, Janelle. Everyone deserves to be spoiled when they don’t feel well.”
This fever needed to go away, and fast. I wasn’t sure what I expected him to say, but when he didn’t make any comment about me staying, I felt like an idiot. I grabbed my bowl off the table and held it in my lap on a pillow, unable to look in his direction. It wasn’t his fault I felt let down. It wasn’t even like I had meant to fish for anything. But in the throes of my illness and the seeds Christine had planted in my head, I guess I’d hoped this meant more than him worrying about the health of a friend.
“You don’t have to sit in here with me if you don’t want to.”
He whipped his head to the side so fast it was nothing but a blur in my peripheral vision and it made me glance up at him. His narrowed gaze silenced my argument long enough for him to respond. “Why would I want to eat at the table all by myself? And leave you in here alone?”