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He caught Marni coming out of an exam room and herded her toward the front desk where Flora was finishing up checking a patient out.
Looking at the rest of his schedule, he knew could ask the Del Bosques to reschedule the twins’ visit. It was a well visit and he’d squeeze them in whenever he had a spare second. Plus, he knew Sable and Jethro would be sympathetic to his plight of needing to attend to a sick little.
He’d been the one to look over Sable when a man from Savage attacked her after she rejected him. Eric didn’t think of providing that kind of service at the club as then being owed a favor or anything—he’d care for people who needed it regardless—but it didn’t hurt that people tended to think kindly of him.
“Flora, I’ve got to run out for a bit, I should be gone for about half an hour.”
His admin’s eyes got big and her forehead creased. “Is everything okay?”
Eric frowned. No, it definitely wasn’t, but he also didn’t want Flora to fret. She was a little worry bug.
“I’m fine. It’s just that Mrs. Bishop who was here yesterday?” Flora nodded, confirming she remembered. “Her migraine’s gotten worse and I told her to call me.”
Flora’s full mouth pursed slightly in an attempt to hide her smile. “Of course you did, boss.”
“Can you—”
“Call the Del Bosques and reschedule?”
“Yeah, thanks. Give them my apologies, but—”
“They’ll get it,” she assured him, picking up the phone. While Flora wasn’t—to his knowledge anyway—into age play herself and didn’t work during the littles’ clinics, she did know about the other part of Eric’s practice and some of his personal interests, as well as being familiar with some of the families in the practice who shared those interests.
When he turned to speak with Marni, she was already staring at him with a sympathetic but amused expression. “Don’t worry, I’ll hold down the fort. And Devaney Bishop, huh?”
Eric shrugged, spreading his hands. What was a guy to do?
“Can’t say I blame you, she’s a beautiful woman. Now get out of here.”
Marni shooed him toward the back hall and he shucked his white coat, tossing it in his office before he rushed out the door and into his garage.
* * *
Devaney sat bolt upright at the soft knock on her window, hoping it wasn’t one of the mall security guards. It wouldn’t be the first time one of them had found her hiding in her car. Although usually she managed to sit up in the front seat.
Today she was in such misery she’d had to crawl in the back and try to curl up. Even in her sizable SUV that wasn’t comfortable though. At least Chase had left his rain coat in here from the other day so she could tug it over her head and keep most of the light out.
The meds Eric had given her had worn off during her shift and her migraine was full blown now, the right side of her head throbbing. There was an extra pulse of awful when she sat up so quickly and it hurt so bad she wanted to cry.
But outside wasn’t a grumpy rent-a-cop wondering why the fuck she was asleep in the back of her car. It was Eric. Besides when Logan had gotten lost at a theme park when he was five and it took them half an hour to find him, she’d never been so relieved to see anyone in her whole life.
It was strange to place so much faith in someone she’d really only just met, but Eric’s presence was so reassuring. He was going to help her, take care of her. Everything would be better now that he was here.
She unlocked the SUV and then Eric was opening the door and helping her out, taking her into his arms. He was so strong and warm, and underneath the antiseptic smell of the clinic, she could smell the fresh scent of the soap he used and the slightly musky human smell of his skin.
In the middle of the parking lot, he held her close. While it didn’t do anything to ease the intense pain in her skull, it did relieve some of her tension and it was a comfort to be able to slump against him instead of trying so damn hard to defy gravity.
“Hey, babygirl. I’m here. We’re going to get you home and help you feel better, okay?”
Devaney nodded into his chest and a second later he was scooping her up into his arms, still murmuring in her ear. She should’ve felt ridiculous being carried through a parking lot like a helpless damsel but she couldn’t be too troubled about it right now. Eric put her in his own car and buckled her seatbelt. Planted a kiss on her forehead and asked if she needed anything out of her car.
“Just my bag,” she muttered, keeping her eyes closed against what felt like bare lightbulbs in an interrogation room even though it was an overcast day.
