Annie held up her hands. “I don’t know. I don’t have any food allergies, personally, so I’m not sure what is appropriate.” She took a step toward Landon. “What have you done in circumstances like this before?”
“What do you mean you don’t know?” My weight shifted back and forth between my feet. So I hadn’t killed him. Good news. Except I had made him completely miserable, and I needed to do everything within my power to at least make him more comfortable. Which would be to ask an expert, but the expert didn’t know? “How are you a nurse and not know?”
Annie looked at me askance. “I’m not a nurse, sweetie.”
“You’re not a—” Forget it. I dug in my purse for my phone. I’d just look it up.
Drat. No service.
Landon stood, crossing his arms and burying his hands under his pits. To keep himself from itching more, I assumed.
“Do you have any Benadryl in the house, Mrs. Abrams?”
“Certainly.” She scurried away and returned a moment later with some pills and a glass of water.
“Thank you.”
“Do you need anything else?” Concern washed through her words.
“No, thank you. I think I’m going to rest and let these kick in.”
She nodded, regret in her eyes. “Again, I am so sorry about the cookies.” She turned and walked out of the room.
I felt bad, letting her think it was all her fault. I wanted to run after her and reassure her, but what could I say? That it was all my fault? That I was the one that had given him the cookie because it had tasted so good? Wouldn’t that raise all kinds of questions, first and foremost being how a wife didn’t know that her husband was more than mildly allergic to peanuts?
Claire’s foot tapping interrupted the quietness that had descended around us. I looked over at her, surprised to see the same you’re in big trouble look on her face that she’d sported earlier.
“What?” I asked.
She wagged a finger at me. “First off, don’t ever boss Noah around like that again. If you had calmed down for point two seconds, you would have realized Landon knew what needed to be done, but no. Instead, you went all Tasmanian Devil berserk on everyone.”
I did not go Looney Tunes, spinning around and causing more chaos than there was before. I saw a problem, and I executed protocols for finding solutions.
Yeah, okay, fine. I acted a teensy-weensy bit frenzied. But I’d thought I’d killed him. That would have made anyone a little frantic.
“Sorry, Noah.” I apologized mostly to get my sister to stop scowling at me.
“No sweat, sis.”
Okay, now I really was sorry. That kid knew calling me ‘sis’ made me melt.
“I thought it was sweet.” Landon lay in the bed, an arm slung over his eyes and his hand balled into a fist.
“You thought my sister flying around like a mad woman was sweet?” Incredulity leaked from Claire’s words.
My eyes caught my reflection in the mirror above the dresser. Twin splotches formed on my cheeks. Any more conversation in this direction would lead to no good. “Maybe we should vacate the room and let Landon rest.” I ushered Claire and Noah out the door.
“Hey, Ashleigh,” Landon called as I was shutting the door.
“Yeah?”
“In sickness and in health.”
