Page 58 of Found in Wild Sage

It’d be weird if I tried to grab it back, right?

Fifteen minutes later, I drop my bag inside the front door, climb the stairs on all fours, and pour myself into Declan’s bed just in time to pass out cold.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Declan

Istartle awake to a thump, then a doleful moan.

After a quick check of the baby monitor to confirm it’s not Charlie, I race up the stairs and right to my room. Evie’s room.

I knock gently. “Evie?”

No answer.

“Evie?” I try another knock, this time less subtle. I need to check on her anyway. I haven’t seen her since she came home, though I did ultimately crack the door just to make sure she was alive. She was passed out asleep.

But then, she slept through the evening. Charlie and I had a good time with dinner, then playing a bit before reading a few books, then snuggling until he fell asleep in my arms. I know it’s not the way she does it, but I decided she’d forgive me for it.

Before I bust in, I try one more knock. “Evie, I need to see you’re okay.”

“I’m here.”

The words sound like they’ve taken incredible effort. They aren’t exactly an invitation to enter, but my concern for her overrides the staunch manners I live by.

Good thing, because I find her in a ball on the floor.

“What are you doing down there?” I ask, kneeling and trying to get a look at her. The bathroom light is on, but it’s on the other side of the bed, so I can’t see her very well at all. “Are you hurt?”

“I woke up and wanted to check on Charlie, but my legs just collapsed as soon as I put weight on them.”

My training kicks in and a litany of horrifying possibilities volley through my head before I shove them away and start small. “You’re sick. Can I help you get back in bed and then we’ll get you something to help you feel better?”

“Okay.”

She doesn’t move. This is very un-Evie. Earlier today, she was at least a little combative when I was trying to boss her around about going home. But as the day wore on, she lost that. She knew she was in bad shape by the end of the day and let me get Charlie. And she was sick enough she slept for nearly seven straight hours.

“I’ll need your help if you can. Let’s sit up.”

She’s curled over her bent knees, so I attempt to guide her so her torso is upright. She gets to about forty-five degrees, then starts dropping forward again.

Not good.

“No, love, let’s get you up.” Shifting gears, I stand, then pull her up by the upper arms and pivot her into bed. She is barely helping me, if at all, which tells me she must feel terrible.

“I’m so sorry.” It’s tearful and miserable.

I finish getting her into the bed and prop her up with pillows all around her. “I want you to stay up like this for just a few minutes. I’m going to run and get a few things so I can examine you, if you’re comfortable.”

“I’m comfortable with you. Is Charlie okay?”

I don’t let my mind tarry on those first words. I’ll think on them later. “Yes. I wrote down everything he ate, and we had a good time playing with his Lego before bed.”

“He’s in bed?”

I glance at my watch. “Yes. It’s almost two in the morning. He went to bed right around seven.”

She blinks and tears leak out. Her chin wobbles. “Oh. Wow.”