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“You were in here long enough I knew Taylor was alone.” His voice was growing closer. “Go keep an eye on things out there. If I’m needed, get me.”
Nothing, then footsteps, the sound of the door opening and closing.
Amy had abandoned her. She didn’t even have the strength to protest.
Jack bent, placed his hand on her back. “Are you hurting?”
Did the excruciating ache in her chest count? Or just the horrific cramps gripping her stomach?
His hand went to her forehead. “You’re burning up with fever. How long have you been fighting this?”
Since a few hours after the first nursing-home patient had come in. She’d thought she’d be okay, writing her symptoms off to stress over Jack leaving even as they’d continued to mount throughout her shift. Fifteen minutes ago denial had become impossible.
She rarely got sick. Why today?
“You shouldn’t be in here,” she said, hearing the whine in her voice and beyond caring. “I don’t want to make you sick, too.”
“You won’t.”
“You’re not impervious to germs, Jack.”
He sighed. “I can’t leave you on the bathroom floor. Let me carry you to one of the bays. I’ll give you something to calm your stomach down.”
The thought of him picking her up, jostling her around, did not appeal.
“I don’t want to move.”
He wasn’t having it. “You can’t stay here indefinitely.”
“I don’t plan on being sick indefinitely.” Her stomach churned, threatening to miraculously produce something more. Impossible. No way could there be anything left. “Please, Jack. Send a shot with Amy, if you must, but let me stay here until it kicks in.”
“Won’t you look at me?”
“No. I hate you seeing me like this.”
“I’m a doctor, Taylor. This is what I do.”
“This is not what we do.” She hugged her knees even tighter, mentally willing her stomach not to turn inside out in front of him. She felt Jack’s tension, his indecision. He wanted to force her to go to the bay, force her to do as he wanted, because he thought it was the right thing. Stubbornly, that made her that more determined to stay. She decided what happened to her, not him or any man. Right? Besides, she really didn’t want to move.
“If you want me to send Amy back, that’s what I’ll do.”
Stunned he’d agreed, that he hadn’t scooped her up and carried her out of the bathroom whether she wanted to go or not, Taylor moved her head in an up-and-down motion or as close as she could get without raising her forehead from her knees.
He didn’t sound happy about it when he said, “I’ll get Amy.”
* * *
Jack insisted on helping Taylor to Amy’s car. He’d wanted to drive her home, but several of the staff were throwing a going-away party for him in the break room. It wouldn’t last long, but he was anxious to leave the entire time he was shaking hands and hugging co-workers he’d genuinely grown to care about.
The main co-worker he cared about had gone home over an hour ago and he wanted to check on her before getting a few hours’ sleep, then driving to Daytona to meet up with Duffy.
He didn’t call, wouldn’t risk being told not to come, just drove to the apartment and knocked on the door.
Amy opened it and shushed him. “She’s finally asleep. Don’t you wake her up.”
His heart fell. “Can I see her?”
Amy looked torn. “I don’t think she’d want me to let you.”
