Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Lauren
Ever feel like you’re a character in a Jane Austen novel, the one who gets drenched in a rainstorm and catches pneumonia while the hero tends to her every need? (Hooray for Colonel Brandon, a hero for the ages.)
This wasn’t that tale, but I did like that I wasn’t by myself.
It occurred to me that dating Thad was quite lonely.
We lived separate lives, came together for meals and sex, then went our own way again.
I rarely asked him for help or did anything that would put him out because I didn’t want to come across as needy.
I had been independent for so long, the captain in college and in my pro career.
Even as an agent with Mallinson, I balked at the idea that I had to consult with more senior agents or run my ideas by the brass. I was born to operate solo.
But a little consideration was nice, too, especially when I was too weak to care for myself.
It felt like hours had passed before I saw him again, but I could hear him puttering about on the intermittent occasions I awoke. Those noises comforted me in a way I hadn’t realized I needed.
The door cracked open. “Lauren, are you awake?”
“Y-yes.” I tried to sit up.
“Slowly, lyubimaya.” He sat on the bed and adjusted the pillow for me as I struggled to an upright position. “You are as weak as a kitten.”
“Am not.” My head spun as I attempted a playful thump of his arm that missed the mark. “Okay, maybe.”
“How do you feel?”
“Awful. Well, a bit better, but still awful, if that makes sense.”
“When did you last eat?”
“What time is it?”
“Just after seven p.m. on Thursday.”
Over thirty hours of illness. “I haven’t held anything down in a day.”
“Then we will start with chicken noodle soup. Without the chicken or the noodles.”
“Sounds boring.”
“When it comes up, it is not so boring. You will wait here.” He leaned over and put on the side table lamp.
I shielded my eyes. “Don’t look. I’m hideous.”
“Never, zhena.”
“What does that mean?”
“I will tell you later.” And then he was gone.
I took the opportunity to head to the bathroom, feeling my way across the floor like it was made of jam. The last thing I wanted was to ask for help using the little girl’s room, so I was glad that I managed to stay upright and was back in bed before he returned with a tray and a bowl of soup.
“I don’t understand why you’re here.”
“I texted Arkady to make sure he had talked to you.”
“I’ll have to call him and apologize.” I reached for my phone, but he grasped my arm gently.
“That can wait. He knows you were unavoidably detained. He will be available when you are recovered.”
I was supposed to be on call twenty-four seven for these kids. This wasn’t a good look.
I looked up at him as he settled the tray on my lap. “Jason let you in.”
“He would not give me the key. He insisted on accompanying me, but once he saw that you were still conscious, he gave me his blessing.” He frowned at me. “Why did you not call someone?”
“I didn’t want to bother anyone.”
He shook his head, all growly disapproval.
“Can you lift the spoon?”
“Yes, dearest.”
He passed it over and studied my movements, assessing for weakness. I managed to get a spoonful into my mouth, at which point I waited for my stomach to rebel. There was a disquieting lurch while I held my spoon frozen in mid-air, but nothing happened.
“Okay?” he asks.
“I think so.” I tried again, this time more confident in my ability to keep my intake from becoming an outtake. It tasted salty and good.
Alexei watched me like a hawk. “Does Brad know you are sick?”
I didn’t want to talk about my boyfriend. No guy was perfect. “I’m a grown woman with a touch of stomach flu, which you’re now going to catch.”
He snorted. “I am as strong as a cow.”
“An ox. But I like your take.” I offered a thin smile.
Alexei placed his palm on my forehead. It was cool and soothing. “You are still very warm. After this you will drink some water to hydrate, then return to sleep.”
“Yes, Doc.” A sudden thought struck me. “What about your dad? Who’s looking after him?”
“Maya, his nurse, was able to stay for a little longer. I was worried when you did not answer your phone. There may be some messages ready for your amusement later. You also should send a text to your co-workers.”
I passed the tray to him now that the soup was gone. Picking up my phone, I saw multiple notifications: Jason, Franky, Summer, Esme, and one from Thad, asking me how I was doing, but nothing from him in the last twenty-four hours.
Alexei beat them all in volume and intensity.
Are you okay? You missed the call with Arkady.
You were not at the hockey camp. Where are you?
Lauren what is happening?
Your office said you went home sick. Yesterday! Why are you not responding?
LAUREN ARE YOU OKAY?
I AM COMING OVER!
I AM OUTSIDE. THIS IS SERIOUS!
JASON AND I ARE ON OUR WAY TO YOUR HOUSE WITH YOUR SPARE KEY.
WE ARE COMING IN!
“You seemed worried.”
“Of course I was worried. It is my job to care for you, in sickness and in health. Now you must rest.” He leaned over and brushed his lips over my forehead—such a sweet gesture—then picked up the tray.
“Drink your water. I will check on you later, but I had better not see you reading under the covers.”
I laughed. “My mom used to say that.”
“So did mine.”
He closed the door quietly, leaving me to think about his mom. Her death just before he joined us at the University of Michigan had obviously affected him greatly, more than I realized at the time. He hadn’t owed me any explanation, but perhaps I should have been more understanding of his grief.
Or perhaps I wanted to think his rejection wasn’t a me-problem but was something I could attribute to an external force.
Such foolish thinking. And why was I so concerned with what happened in the past, anyway?
As someone wiser than me once said, it was a foreign country, and they do things differently there.
I sent messages to Esme, Summer, Franky, and Jason, assuring them I was under the weather but on the mend.
I didn’t send a message to Thad.
Then I drank some water and closed my eyes.