36. Derrick
36
DERRICK
T he constant beep of the machine next to my mom's hospital bed was like Chinese water torture, reminding me how useless I was to help her.
Oh God. Was that cultural appropriation?
Whatever. That sound was fucking annoying.
The harsh fluorescent lights overhead did nothing to lighten my mood in the sterile room I'd been in and out of for the past few days.
My mom lay in the bed, eyes closed, her face pale and sunken. A severe kidney infection at her age–sixty-five–was no joke. The doctors said it started as a simple UTI but it quickly escalated when untreated.
Sunday night, Dad said she woke up shivering with a temperature over a hundred and complaining of severe back pain. She was delirious and panicked so he called an ambulance. Now, she was here, hooked up to IVs and monitors, fighting off the infection. The pain in her kidneys was too much for her to handle so her doctor put her on strong pain meds that made her sleepy.
Dad had been in and out, doing his best to juggle running the deli and being here. He was a tough guy, but this was wearing on him. I'd been splitting my time between helping my dad at the deli and sitting here, monitoring my mom. The constant worry gnawed at me, and exhaustion had settled into my bones, making an uncomfortable home.
I rubbed my eyes, trying to stave off the sleep that kept threatening to pull me under. It hit me suddenly, and it wouldn't release its grip on me.
My head jerked up when I heard the door open. I glanced over my shoulder, expecting to see a nurse or one of my sisters. Instead, it was Rachel.
She stepped in hesitantly, chomping on her lip, looking out of place in this somber setting with her vibrant clothes and colorful hair.
I blinked, wondering if I was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.
"Rachel?" My voice came out raspy, and I cleared my throat.
She gave me a tentative smile. "Hey, Boss. I heard about your mom. And I...um, wanted to see if I can help."
My heart lurched, but I was so tired I couldn't even process any emotions about her being there. I was too exhausted to analyze anything.
"How is she?" Rachel asked, glancing at my mom.
I gave her a quick rundown and she nodded, taking another step into the room. The sight of her, the smell of her lemongrass lotion, brought all the feels back in a tidal wave, and I wasn't sure I could handle it right then. Dealing with my mother was taking nearly all my energy.
"How are you?" she asked.
"I'm running on fumes," I admitted.
Rachel stepped closer, her presence making the sterile environment a bit warmer. A sharp tug in my gut urged me to yank her to me and collapse in her arms.
But I stayed where I was, and she moved to my mom's bedside.
"She's got color in her cheeks." Rachel glanced back at me. "You look like hell. When was the last time you slept?"
I tried to remember, but it was a blur. "A while ago."
Rachel pulled out her phone. "Where are your sisters?"
I explained the situation with my family members.
"Have you eaten?" she asked, flicking through her phone.
I shrugged. "This morning."
"Right. It says on the hospital site that there's a cafeteria. I'll go grab some food. You need fuel." She tugged my hand and pulled me until I sat in the chair by my mom's bed. "You're no good to your mom or anyone if you can't function. I'll be right back."
I opened my mouth to thank her, but she was gone, and for a moment I wondered if I'd imagined Rachel. It had been over a week since I'd seen her, and with the distraction of my mom, I hadn't thought about her as much...only every hour of the day instead of every minute.
Rachel came back with a selection of sandwiches, soup, and a large coffee.
"Eat," she instructed.
Too beat to argue, I sank back into the chair and devoured one of the sandwiches. Rachel moved around the room as I ate, readjusting my mom's blanket, refilling the water pitcher, and reading the screen of my mom's vitals.
The door opened again, and this time it was Valeria. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Rachel.
"Rachel? What are you doing here?"
"I just heard about your mom, but I'm more worried about Derrick. He looks like he's about to pass out," Rachel said. "I thought you were upstate."
"I got someone to cover for me." Valeria crossed to Mom, putting her hand on Mom's forehead. "Derrick's been pulling the weight of three people. You need to go home." She looked pointedly at me. "Let Rachel take you. Get some sleep."
I started to protest but Valeria cut me off. "Mom's stable. The fever's come down. The doctor just wants to observe her for another day. You can go. You're no good to anyone if you collapse."
Rachel was already gathering my things into my backpack. "She's right. Let's get you home."
The ride in the cab was a blur, and before I knew it, I was at my townhouse, collapsing onto the couch. Rachel put a blanket over me, and I tugged it around me, a shiver running over my skin. She placed her hand on my forehead, and I shoved it off.
"Not now, Rachel," I groaned. "I don't have the energy to deal with you."
Her body stiffened beside me, but she didn't move her hand.
"You're burning," she told me and stood up.
The stairs creaked as she walked up them, and I heard her in my bathroom upstairs, rattling through my cabinets and drawers.
"What are you doing?" I yelled, my eyes closed, the chill getting worse.
"Where's your thermometer?" she yelled back. Then, "Never mind! Got it."
She clambered down the steps and pressed the digital thermometer to my head.
"Shit," she mumbled.
"What?" I asked.
"It's over a hundred." She was pacing the rug in front of the sofa. "Do you have Tylenol?"
"Check the drawer next to the fridge," I said, closing my eyes.
"Can't find it," she said from the kitchen.
Then she was upstairs again opening and closing drawers. I heard her say something about going to the store. Another door closed, and then it was quiet and I drifted off.
I stirred from a restless sleep, my clothes sopping wet. I was burning and freezing all at the same time.
A light flicked on.
"Derrick, sit up. You need to take these." I peeled my eyelids open. Rachel stood above me with a glass of water and two pills in her hand. I lifted on my elbow and swallowed the pills down. Fuck, I felt awful.
"We should go to a doctor," Rachel said.
"No," I groaned. "I'll be fine."
"I thought you'd say that." She disappeared back into the bathroom. When she came out, I blinked several times. Was I hallucinating?
"If you won't go to the hospital, then the hospital will come to you."
She wore a teeny-tiny red-and-white nurse's uniform, complete with a little cap. It was ridiculous and sexy and totally Rachel.
"Really?" Despite my exhaustion, I managed a weak chuckle.
She grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Hey, I thought I'd give you some motivation to get your ass off your ten-thousand-dollar couch and into your bed. You've soaked through all the cushions."
She yanked my arm and helped me up the stairs to my room. The lights were low, and she'd turned on my air purifier, placed a large glass of water by my bed, and spread boxers and a T-shirt on the duvet.
"Change," she said. "Your clothes are soaked."
The sight of her in that outfit did more for my spirits than anything else had in days.
I tugged the hem of my shirt but fell back on the clean sheets. "Can't," I moaned.
"Here," she said, and between the two of us, I shimmied out of my clothes and into the fresh items.
I closed my eyes, exhausted from the effort, and let the fever take hold.
I was in and out of consciousness, but every time I opened an eye, Rachel was there, either sitting beside me looking at her phone, flitting around the room, checking my temperature, or making me drink water.
At some point, she was helping me sip some oversalted soup and making me nibble a soft bread roll.
It was dark when I fully woke up next. Rachel was next to me on top of the covers, the bedside table lamp on, and she was reading a book she must have found on my shelf, Radical Respect .
She looked down at me and smiled. My gaze slipped down to her chest where the tops of her breasts were spilling out of her top, and her skirt was hiked so far up I could see her side ass.
Something to dream about later...
"Your fever's down," Rachel said. "How are you feeling?"
"Like I got trampled by the running of the bulls," I mumbled, my throat dry. "You really need to change out of that outfit."
"Don't you like it?" Rachel asked. She leaned sideways to put the book on the nightstand and flashed me her bare ass.
"For fuck’s sake," I mumbled before I drifted back to sleep.
The next morning, I woke up marginally better and rolled over to see Rachel dozing in the bed next to me, still in that damn nurse's outfit.
"Rachel," I whispered, my voice hoarse.
She stirred, blinking groggily. "Derrick? How are you feeling?"
"Better," I said, managing to scoot up.
She gave me a tired smile. "You had me worried."
Her eyes met mine, and there was something tender and wanting in them.
On the nightstand, her phone buzzed, but she ignored it, her hand pushing back my hair.
"Aren't you going to get that?" I asked as it continued to buzz.
"No," she said, a slight shake in her voice. "Derrick, I...um. The thing is..."
She halted her words, looking frightened. I'd never seen her unsure like this, and my heart beat quickly, anticipating what she might say. There was something about the way she was looking at me. Like she was seeing me for the first time.
She bit her lip, the habit so familiar it filled me with warmth.
Her phone went quiet, but then mine started ringing. She glanced over my shoulder at it and her expression shifted to worry.
"It's Valeria," she said, reaching over and giving me the phone.
I answered it. Valeria spoke rapidly, urgency in her voice, and before I could ask any questions, she hung up.
My heart lurched, and I sat up too quickly, dizziness washing over me.
"What?" Rachel asked. "What is it?"
"Something's happening with Mom. Valeria said to come. Now." I stood but then fell back to the bed, my legs weak. "I have to get back there."
Rachel steadied me, her voice filled with determination. "I'm coming with you."
"Okay. But could you change out of that damn outfit?" I grumbled.
Her mouth hitched up in a mischievous smile. "Nope."