Chapter 36 BONUS
Nicola
“This tie isn’t working,” I announced as I whipped it off my collar and tossed it into my closet.
Aubergine didn’t say anything.
“I know you're going to say that they all look the same,” I went on, pulling another tie from the drawer. “But this one has black and charcoal stripes. And this one is…”
I squinted at it. “I don’t know. Different. So, which one?”
I held both up and turned toward her.
Dressed in a floor-length gown, Aubergine was face planted on the bed, motionless.
“Abs?” My hands lowered. She groaned and I merely stared for a second.
“Hey.” I crossed the room and knelt onto the mattress beside her. “No napping. Come on. It’ll just be a couple hours.”
Another groan came as an answer. My brow furrowed as I reached for her upper arm and gently rolled her onto her back.
Her cheeks were flushed.
“God, are you drunk?” I laughed breathlessly, glancing at my watch. “No, it’s too early for that."
Her face twisted, and she turned her head away. My smile disappeared.
“Oh.” I leaned closer. “Oh, shit. Abby?”
She made a miserable sound.
“Aubergine. Hey.” I quickly climbed to her side. “Abby.”
“I’m awake,” she murmured hoarsely. “I just need a few minutes.”
“No, you’re…” The backs of my fingers brushed against her forehead.
“Fuck.” I touched her again, as though somehow the second check would produce a different answer. “I think you have a fever.”
I was already reaching for my phone. “Hold on.” I yanked it from my pocket and fumbled for Doctor Lee’s number.
“Please, no more broken tibias,” Doctor Lee greeted on the third ring. “Thomas is twenty-five years old. He does not need any more pins in his body—”
“No, no.” We really traumatized this man. “It’s Aubergine. She’s feverish. Barely responsive.”
“What’s her temperature?”
“Hot.”
There was a long pause. “No, Nicola... The temperature on the thermometer.”
I winced at myself. “I know what a thermometer is.”
“I see my brief seminar on first aid really worked wonders on you.” He sighed. “Bottom drawer of your bathroom. There’s a big black case. Go take her temperature. I’ll be there in about fifteen minutes. See if you can get her to sit up.”
“Fifteen?” I repeated. “Really?”
“It’s Friday night, I have a life. And a family. Remember?"
“Right.” I cleared my throat. “Fine. Thanks.”
I hung up then looked at Aubergine. Her eyes were barely open and it sounded like she was struggling to pull in air.
My chest tightened. “Okay, Abs. Come on.” I slid one arm beneath her shoulders and the other beneath her elbow, easing her upright.
She sagged against me almost immediately. And that scared the shit out of me more than I wanted to admit.
“Stay awake for me, alright?”
She made a sound in her chest with closed lips. I wasn’t sure if that counted as agreement.
I wasn’t sure of much of anything right now.
And I fucking hated that.
----
It was 103.2.
That was bad. That was… hospital bad, right?
I stared at the thermometer. Then at Aubergine. Then back at the thermometer, uncertain what I was supposed to do.
I looked at my watch, wondering why fifteen minutes felt more like ten fucking hours.
“Abby,” I whispered and felt helpless as I leaned over her. “You can’t die on me.”
One eye cracked open to look at me.
“We already put the down payment on the wedding venue,” I went on. “There are no refunds on that.”
I sat back quickly, fully prepared to get slapped. She only made a weak grunting sound of acknowledgment.
Abby slowly lowered herself back onto her side and my hands snapped out to bring her upright. "Stay sitting up."
“I am sitting up,” she muttered with shut eyes.
“You’re slumping,” I corrected.
“Tomayto, tomahto, asshole.”
Even sick, she was still talking shit.
That actually made me feel quite a bit better.
I slipped my arm behind her back and helped her prop against the headboard.
She seemed exhausted as she looked at me and her eyes were glassy. Strands of light brown hair were stuck to her forehead. I reached out and brushed some away before I could stop myself.
“I don’t feel good, Nicky,” she murmured.
My smile faded. “I know.”
“Everything hurts.”
“I know. Doctor Lee is coming.”
“Oh. God.”
My stomach lurched. “What? What is it?”
“You have to help me out of my shapewear before he gets here.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You might need a pair of scissors. It's like... stuck to me.”
For a second, I just stared at her. Then I started laughing so hard I had to look away.
----
“Abby,” Doctor Lee began, seated at her bedside. Only minutes before he arrived, I had helped Abby into pajamas after we wriggled her of her dress and shapewear.
Aubergine made a soft ‘mm-hmm’ in affirmation to tell him she was listening.
“You’ve tested positive for the flu. I’m going to get you set up on fluids through an IV and, since we caught it early, some medication to hopefully make this go by faster. Okay?"
"Mmhmm."
He inserted the IV while I stood at the other side of the bed, watching the needle puncture the skin at the bend of her arm.
Doctor Lee affixed a monitor to her index finger and checked the handheld screen that looked like a phone in his hand.
“We should let her sleep for a bit,” he whispered to me and I nodded.
Doctor Lee started gathering his things. After, I dimmed the bedroom lights.
Aubergine’s eyes were already drifting shut as she lay there in our bed. I reached over and tugged the blanket higher around her shoulder.
Her fingers moved weakly beneath it, blindly searching for my hand. I grasped it and she squeezed.
“Go, Nicky."
“I’ll just be downstairs,” I assured her.
“No. Go to the club.” A tiny smile appeared as her eyes cracked open. “I’m fine. Go take care of what you need.”
Then she fell asleep. I stayed there for another few seconds, just watching her breathe.
Take care of what you need, she said.
Well, I was doing exactly that.
Finally, I squeezed her hand once and let go.
----
Downstairs, Doctor Lee and I sat side-by-side at the bar counter.
“Thanks for coming over,” I said. “I hope you weren’t in the middle of something important.”
“Ah, don’t worry. The invoice you’re going to get from my office is going to be astronomical.”
We both laughed, but he sobered quickly.
“Honestly, I’ve never heard you… sound like that before,” he said mildly. “Frantic, you know? And that’s with all those calls for Thomas, even.”
I didn’t respond. Doctor Lee picked up his glass.
“Oh, and congratulations on your engagement.” He lifted it in a toast. “I’m very happy for you. Aubergine is a good woman.”
My smile was faint. “Yeah.”
A good woman. More than good.
And, God, I was selfish to keep her in this life.
I knew that and what she was giving up by marrying me. A life in a tiny, cozy neighborhood where her biggest problem might be a broken-down car or a neighbor who played music too loudly.
Instead... she picked me and my world for some reason.
And then she said things like 'Can I help?' And 'I love you'.
And she always insisted on feeding me like I was incapable of caring for myself.
She called me on my bullshit.
Made me laugh even when it was wildly inappropriate.
Made herself at home at a place that she clearly belonged in all along.
I couldn’t imagine the estate without her anymore. The bed would be far too large without her sleeping in it beside me.
So clearly, all of this was her fault, entirely.
“I hope you and your wife will attend,” I said with the same tight smile. “She’s planning for a fall wedding.”
She said it was her favorite season in New York.
Doctor Lee was about to answer, but his monitor beeped. He glanced down and panic surged in me.
“What is it?”
He tapped the screen and read over the numbers and shook his head. “All good. Looks like she’s just fallen asleep. Her heart rate evened out.”
My throat felt clogged. I looked down at my tightly intertwined fingers on the marble countertop.
“Hey.” His voice softened. “You don’t need to worry.”
I didn’t look at him, hating that I was so easy to read.
“Aubergine has no health conditions. And she’s taken good care of her body.”
My eyes warily flicked toward the empty bottle of wine the maid had brought down from our room last night. We drank an entire bottle in one sitting.
I cleared my throat. “Yes. Very good care.”
----
THE NEXT EVENING.
Aubergine.
“Room service." Nicola kicked the bedroom door shut behind himself while carrying a tray.
I sat up a little, wholly impressed when he placed it on the bed and shoved it toward me. The mug's water was steaming this time.
“Aw, Nicky...” I pressed a hand to my chest. “You were able to figure out the microwave.”
“I can’t tell if you’re being rude or not, but yes, I did." He sneered.
He settled against the headboard beside me and nudged the mug closer. “Chamomile with honey, right?”
“Yeah. Perfect.” I glanced over the tray. “And you made me a… prosciutto sandwich?”
“Oh, that’s for me.”
“But—” Alarmed, I grasped his wrist and turned it to read the time. “It’s almost eight. You should be at the club by now.”
He waved a hand dismissively. “It’s alright. Michael is taking care of it.”
I frowned. “Nicky, I’m really feeling better.”
“No, you aren’t.”
My lips tightened. “Okay... I mean, not one-hundred percent.”
“Try zero percent.”
“I’m not on my deathbed or anything.”
“You were on your deathbed yesterday.”
“Well, I survived!" I sighed. "I mean it. This isn’t a weird test or anything like that. You can go to the club.”
“No.” The answer was so immediate it shocked me. He even seemed annoyed that I’d asked. “You’re sick.”
“I’m recovering.”
“Barely.”
There was something strange about his expression. I think he was genuinely worried. It was really sweet, actually.
But I didn't like seeing him that way-- afraid for me. I tugged on his shirt's cuff. “Hey, what if we put one of Doctor Lee's little monitor things on my finger?”
His eyebrow lifted as he looked down at me.
“While you're in your office at the club, you'll can watch my heart rate go up when I watch my filthy films."
Nicola was beginning to crack at the edges, trying desperately not to laugh. “Which filthy films are those?”
“Last of the Mohicans. Daniel Day-Lewis makes running sexy.”
Nicola finally broke down and laughed. The sound filled the room, and despite the ache in my throat, I couldn’t help smiling.
He shook his head and slid the mug toward me.
“I’m staying here with you, Abs. So we can either watch your porn together or we can watch Gordon Ramsay yell at people cooking, which I know is your favorite. It’s your choice.”
"He's just so unnecessarily mean. I fucking love it." I coughed with laughter. Immediately, Nicola's smile disappeared. His hand came to my back.
“Okay. Don’t laugh. We're killing you.”
I coughed again. He rubbed slow circles between my shoulder blades. “That sounds bad.”
My hand flapped. “I’m fine.”
“You sound like you’re dying.”
“Wow." I gave him a dirty look. "Thanks.”
His palm stayed against my back for another few seconds before he finally pulled away.
“Why don’t you let me call Doctor Lee? Just to make sure.”
My head shook once. “It’s getting better. I could barely keep my eyes open last night, remember?”
I took a long sip of tea, aware that he was watching my movements like a hawk.
“You have to get better before morning,” he said. I looked at him in surprise.
“What? Why?”
“Well, otherwise, who is going to cook my breakfast for me?”
He burst into laughter as my eyes narrowed.
“Okay... okay. Not funny. Got it.”
He grinned and the tea felt good on my sore throat as I took another sip.
Slowly, I sank against him. Nicola shifted immediately and tucked his arm around me. The blanket was pulled higher and my heart melted a little.
I rested my head against his shoulder. “It’s Saturday, Nicky,” I whispered.
“Mm.”
“I really think you should be at the club... not here.”
“You’re the one who said I need to give Thomas more chances to prove himself. If he and Michael can’t handle a couple days running things, then we’re in trouble.”
I threaded my fingers through his, and I felt his thumb brush over my knuckles.
“Okay,” I whispered after a thoughtful moment.
The television played quietly in front of us. For an entire episode of Hell's Kitchen, Nicola's fingers brushed over mine. It was absentminded, utterly comforting.
“Nicky?” I asked as we both stared at the TV.
“Mm?”
“If I was a worm, would you still love me?”
Nicola stiffened beside me. He stared at the television with unusual intensity.
Finally, his head turned toward me with a scrunched up face. “I’m… going to need you to repeat the question.”
“Would you still love me if I was a worm?”
“What the fuck would I be doing spending my time with a worm for?”
“Say I pissed off a witch or something. And she turned me into a—”
“You know what?” Nicola smiled at me. “Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it. I think the snot in your head is clogging up your brain.”
I frowned. “But you didn’t answer.”
“Because, no offense, it’s a stupid fucking question.”
“It’s important.”
“No, it isn’t.”
“Would you?”
As we stared at each other, there was the tiniest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
Then he looked away. And I knew.
“Oh my God," I whispered.
“Stop.”
“You would!” I shook his arm.
“I did not say that–”
“You’d love me if I was a worm!”
“I would not spend time with a worm.”
“Liar. What kind of psychopath falls in love with a worm?”
His head snapped toward me. “What did you just call me?”
I dissolved into a fit of coughing laughter. He was trying not to smile again. I could see it.
“I’m taking the ring back.”
I settled back against him, still laughing hoarsely. “Too late. Like you said, we put the down payment on the venue. Non-refundable. Just like me.”
After a moment, his hand moved to my hair.He smoothed it away from my forehead with his fingers lingering briefly against my temple. Blissful, I closed my eyes.
“I appreciate you staying home with me,” I murmured. “It means a lot.”
He was quiet for a moment. His hand paused. “You don’t need to thank me, Abs. You’re as much family as they are.”
“Mrs. Moretti,” I said, smiling. “I keep saying it to myself and it sounds wrong.”
“Why does it sound wrong?”
“I don't know. I’m thinking maybe you should take my last name.”
He huffed and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “There are limits to my love, and I think you just found it.”
I laughed softly.
"Sleep, Abs.” I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’ve got you.”