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“Declan!” I whispered as I leaned close. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there! How are you feeling?”
“I’ve been better. Don’t worry, Julia told me you were out of town. Did you have fun?”
It was an honest question, but I couldn’t help but hear reproach in his tone. I sniffed. “I’m so sorry, Declan, I shouldn’t have left! Yes, I had fun, but now I wish I had been here with you!”
Declan mustered a small smile. He was visibly tired, too tired to even wave me off. When he spoke, it sounded like he had a sore throat. “It’s okay, sis. I don’t blame you. You can’t keep babysitting me. We– you are paying good money for other people to do that.”
“Don’t say that. I’m responsible for you, remember? So, from now on, I’m not leaving you.” I sat on the chair next to the bed, dropping my handbag to the floor. “I’m going to stay here for as long as you are!”
He turned to look at me. “You don’t have to, Syd. I’ll be up and running in no time. You know how I am.”
She smiled. “I know, Declan. Rest now, okay? I will be here if you need me.”
“P.S. Don’t think I’m going to ignore what you’re wearing.”
Ugh I was still in the red bodycon dress. Awkward.
He blinked a couple times, and then shut his eyes, falling asleep before he could roast me anymore.
I exhaled. It was painful to see my brother like this, but I was glad to see him holding up. I texted Julia, saying that all was fine, and she was happy to hear it, but she also wanted details on Owen. I wasn’t ready for that yet.
How could I have been so careless? What if Declan had collapsed somewhere in the street without anyone to identify him and get in touch with me? I was so stupid. The important thing was that I was there with him, and that his condition was stable and treatable. For now.
Worn out by the stress and all the thoughts, I dozed off in t
he chair, listening to the rhythmic beeping of the monitoring equipment.
When I came to, the moon was out in the sky, casting cold light. I walked over to the window, yawning, and shut the blinds. The room got very dark, so I turned on the dim lamp next to the small table by the chair. Declan was still asleep, but moving around, uncomfortable, but too tired to change his position. I took his cool hand, and he opened his eyes.
“Sorry. I woke you up,” I said.
“I barely slept. My chest hurts a little. Every breath feels like my lungs are wrapped in barbed wire.”
“That’s awful Declan.”
“The drugs help.” He smiled a little. “So, tell me about him, your prince on a white horse. He better be treating you well!”
“Do you really wanna know?” In all the years, they had barely shared any real detail about their relationships, even though they were very tight. I thought Declan might be interested because he wasn’t feeling well, so I said, “Well, he’s a nice guy… but things aren’t serious. So, you don’t have to worry about anything.”
I was the one who had to worry. I broke our deal, leaving him. Now I would have another huge hospital bill to contend with.
“Hmm, not serious? And where did this guy take you, exactly? Seemed far for not serious.”
I didn’t know where to begin. “Well, out of town, to his place out of town.”
“As opposed to his place in Chicago?” he asked.
“I suppose so,” I said, silently panicking about not having any cover story. “He’s got a house, and he lives in an apartment here in Chicago.”
“Oh, big money then,” Declan said.
Like you wouldn’t believe, I thought.
“And you met him at work?”
“Oh, yeah.” I knew how that sounded. I had never been good at lying to my brother, and even when sick, he was smart enough to keep the interrogation going.
“Is there something you’re not telling me, Syd?”
