Page 76 of The Man I Hate

“Pratt. That water…I’m dying, Brother.”

Just like that, my prayers were answered.

Anna

Day nine

Seeming annoyed, the pharmacist sauntered to the counter. He rubbed his bald head as if annoyed. The day was only beginning. He had no reason to have an attitude. At least not yet.

I grinned. “Hi.”

He put his hands on his hips and looked me up and down. “Are you the consult?”

He was 40-ish, tall, and wore horn-rimmed glasses. He was also outwardly angry that I had taken a moment of his precious time.

I shrugged. “I guess so.”

He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “How can I help you?”

“Well—”

He glanced at his watch.

I cocked my hip. “First, you could start by losing the attitude. Your time is not more precious than mine. Not one bit. This thing that’s going on isn’t easy for any of us, believe me. If I didn’t have a problem that needed to be solved, I wouldn’t have asked for you.”

He forced a sigh. “I’ve been working overtime for—”

“I haven’t slept since I don’t know when,” I snapped, even though I’d just awaken an hour beforehand. “Like I said, it’s not easy for any of us.”

His face was washed with surprise. “How can I help you?”

“I have a friend who is sick. I need to make sure he’s getting whatever nutrients he needs. He’s too weak to eat, but I think he can drink. What should I have for him to drink?”

“Does he have a fever?”

“I’m sure he does.”

“You haven’t taken his temperature?”

“I haven’t,” I replied. “He took it a few days ago and it was 103.”

His eyes went wide. He took a step back. “Does he have a cough?”

I leaned against the counter just to make him nervous. He was a prick, he needed it. “A raspy cough,” I said. “Oh, and chest pain. He’s got some difficulty breathing, too. And a high fever.”

He took a few more steps away from me. “He needs to be tested for—”

“He’s been tested. That’s an entirely different issue altogether,” I said flatly. “I need to know what to get for him to drink. I see there’s Pedialyte for adults.” I gestured behind me. “But there’s none on the shelf. Any recommendations?”

“We’re sold out of Pedialyte,” he said. “We’re sold out of nearly everything. Pain relief, cold relief, vitamins…” His brows pinched together. “He didn’t test positive. Right?”

“Actually, he did. Don’t be worried. I haven’t been in contact with him yet. He’s in his house and I’m in mine. I’m listening to him through these.” I tapped my finger against my right earbud. “He’s reached a point that I need to check on him, so I thought I’d take plenty for him to drink. I don’t want him to dehydrate.”

“You haven’t been in physical contact with him yet?”

I hadn’t been within a hundred feet of Braxton in three weeks, so the pharmacist wasn’t at risk. I didn’t want to go into details, and I wasn’t in the mood to be hated on, so I gave the quick and easy answer.

“Nope,” I said. “No contact.”