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“No.” Lando’s eyes clenched tightly.
Violet’s stomach plummeted. “You need something for the pain.”
“Just get me some ice.”
Straightening her back, Violet grabbed her jacket and left the room with the ice bucket under her arm. It didn’t take long until she was back. She took a plastic bag, shoved ice into it, and tied it tightly. “Sit up.”
Lando moved around until she leaned against the headboard, her face paler than it should have been. Violet checked the injury, but from what she could see, it didn’t look bad, though it was still wrapped in gauze.
“You need to eat for the antibiotics.”
Sighing, Lando grimaced. “In a bit. I don’t think I can stomach anything right now.”
Violet settled the bag of ice on Lando’s forearm, making sure it covered as many of the stitches as possible. “Why won’t you take the pain killers?”
“I don’t like how they make me feel.”
Not for one second did Violet believe that lie. In fact, she believed the opposite was true. “Where’s the container?”
“Dresser.”
Standing up, Violet found the pill bottle on top of the dresser near the television. She stared at the prescription label. “Do you want me to throw them out?”
Relief flooded Lando’s gaze. Without hesitation, Violet left the bedroom again and walked down the row of rooms until she found the dumpster. Lifting the lid, she tossed the bottle inside. She was a horrible teacher. She should have known, should have paid more attention.
Bolstering herself to go back into the room, Violet stared longingly at the door. When had she gone so wrong as to not pay attention to her students? They were the entire purpose of her teaching—the learning, the mentoring. Bile swam in her stomach at the thought she’d missed Lando’s struggle with addiction.
As she walked into the room, Violet shut the door. Lando looked better already, though she still seemed rather pale. Pursing her lips, Violet said nothing as she went into the bathroom. After a quick and refreshing shower, she wrapped her hair up in a towel and tied a second one around her breasts.
Without a second thought, she walked into the main bedroom to grab her clothes and stopped short when she found Diane hovering over Lando with food on a plate. They both looked guilty. Violet’s stomach twisted again, only this time it wasn’t because of guilt or shame. She said nothing as she wrenched open her suitcase lid and grabbed clean clothes.
Disappearing again, she dressed slowly. She was going to have to get used to it. She should have anticipated it really. Diane was always attached to whatever was new and Lando was new. But it meant a deeper conversation with Lando about the drugs wasn’t going to happen any time soon. It was probably better in the long run anyway if they didn’t talk about it. Violet didn’t want to get that invested, not if she could avoid it. If Lando was still her student, that was one thing. She’d be obligated then. Just as coworkers? Violet could maintain her distance.
Diane was feeding Lando. Violet resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she grabbed her computer and sat on the other side of Lando’s bed so she could work and teach at the same time. Lando needed to learn the ropes better so they could avoid more accidents later.
With the maps pulled up, Violet studied them. Lando keep stealing glances at the screen, and Violet could tell she was interested. Diane kept fussing and making a big deal over Lando’s injuries, wanting to pull off the gauze and see what it looked like. Lando begged her not to. Violet tried to ignore them until Diane asked the one question Violet hadn’t been expecting.
“Did you take your pills?”
“Not yet,” Lando said. “I needed to eat first.”
Violet’s shoulders stiffened, and she risked a glance in Lando’s direction. They shared an unspoken look, and Violet made the decision not to divulge what had happened earlier that morning. It was nothing Diane needed to know, and clearly, Lando would be embarrassed by the confession.
“Give it another thirty minutes and let your stomach settle before you take the antibiotics.” Diane glared at her. Violet let it slide and focussed on her computer. “When you’ve got a minute, come look at this. I want your opinion on it.”
“Me?” Diane asked.
Violet nearly smirked but held it in. “No, Lando. If you’re driving, she needs to understand this to help out.”
Diane’s jaw clenched hard, and Violet felt as though she’d won an unexpected battle. It took some maneuvering, but Lando was sitting next to her after a minute, their thighs and shoulders touching as she leaned over to see what was on the screen.
“This here. Do you see that?”
“Yeah.”
“Pressure is dropping.”
“Where?” Diane butted in, coming to Violet’s other side and pushing her nose into the computer.
