Page 100
“Two days?” I scoot myself up into a sitting position and immediately regret my decision. My vision gets blurry and my body feels weighed down.
Ethan stands and helps me lie back down.
“We called a doctor right after we got you home. It’s a simple concussion. He did say you’d feel disorientated, though. How bad does your head hurt?” He runs a finger across my forehead, and I lean into his touch.
“Pretty fucking bad, if I’m honest.”
Reaching over to the nightstand, he picks up a glass of water and hands it to me. As I take a sip of water, he picks up a prescription bottle. He pops the top off and shakes a few pills into his palm. He holds his hand out and I snatch the white pills, taking a sip of water to wash them down. He crosses his arms and chuffs a laugh.
“What?”
His eyebrow tips up as he sits at the edge of the bed.
“You didn’t even ask what those were.”
“I don’t need to. Pills. Doctor. You. I’m just hoping they’re the numbing kind.” I reach up and run my hand along his stubble. “Shave tomorrow. Hmm? I can’t have my man looking so slovenly.”
He grabs my hand and squeezes it.
“I think you’ve been hit harder than we thought.” A smile crosses his face.
“Oh, shut up!” I try to scoot over in the bed. It takes a great deal of effort to shuffle the few inches over before his arms come down to stop me.
“While I enjoy your bossiness to get me into bed, I think you need more rest, darling. I’ll be right here.”
My eyes narrow at his assumption I was trying to get him into bed. I mean, I was, but still…rude.
“Fine. It was worth a shot.”
“I suppose. Oh, someone has been waiting to see you.” He walks out of the room. When he returns, he’s holding Gerald’s plastic ball. “I had to take him out of the room. His ball was making you turn in your sleep. I was worried it made your headache worse.” Ethan leans down and places the ball on the pillow next to me.
“Why is he in chinchilla jail?” I say, reaching for it. Gerald’s little face twitches back at me. His feet begin clawing at the walls of the plastic, trying to get to me. The sight of it twists my heart.
“Your sister brought Silas with her. I’m not taking any risks. Gerald is too precious to become victim to that serpent.” The image of a snake with a Gerald-sized lump flashes through my mind, sending shivers down my spine.
“Did she bring a tank for Silas?”
“Yes. But she swore he was in it the other night, then I found him curled up by a vent in my closet.”
Silas must be a smart little thing. He and Litza are made for each other. I pick up the plastic ball and bring it to my face.
“I’m sorry, my baby boy. He’s right. You’re too precious.”
He seems to understand the message and lies in the bottom of the ball. I lay it next to me, gently, and bring it closer to my side, hoping my body heat will still radiate through the ball, which he loves.
“So, care to tell me what happened?” I look at Ethan.
He tells me about enlisting my sister’s help. My eyebrow nearly reaches the ceiling when he tells me that his brother locked her up in the kitchen.
“What did Elitza do when you guys got back?”
“Well, I had you in my arms. We got just inside the door, and your sister had broken free. Quite literally, mind you. My kitchen island is missing a side panel…anyway…I was holding you in my arms. Mark went straight to the kitchen, and before I could make it to the third step, he came flying into the wall. He landed on the floor and just laid there in a fetal position. A moment later, she was standing over him, cuffs and all…gripping part of the island bar. I’m surprised she didn’t beat him further.”
I laugh at the image of her wrath turned on someone else.
“I’m honestly surprised she didn’t hit you too.”
He arches his brow as his lips make a line.
