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“Ooooh, the anticipation,” she joked, letting him lead her.
“So, I just talked to Grizz,” he said, his eyes lighting up. There had yet to be a time when Finn mentioned his boss’s name that didn’t make Blythe think of greasy chicken. It was too close to the word ‘gristle,’ she supposed. She covered her mouth at the thought, suddenly feeling nauseous.Well, this is new.
“You okay?” he asked, leaning back a bit.
“Yeah, I just—” She stopped, feeling her stomach begin to rumble. She pushed him backward. “No.” In a mad dash for the bathroom, she stumbled a few times, kicking the door shut behind her as she leaned over the toilet, hurling up the contents of their last lunch at Norma’s. Her eyes watered, her legs shaking as her body worked to rid itself of any trace of the meal.
She heard him knocking on the door. “Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m…” More vomiting. She held her hands on the toilet seat, watching the water fill with a disgusting mix of food and stomach acid. Just when she thought she was done, she’d feel her stomach tense again and know it was not over.
The bathroom door opened and she winced, though she could make no effort to stop him from entering. He hurried to her side, pulling her hair back from her eyes. He placed one hand on her back and rubbed careful circles.
When she was finally finished, he leaned over toward the sink, still holding her hair with one hand, and wet a washcloth in his other hand. She flushed the toilet quickly, utterly mortified that he’d had to see that.
“Are you okay?” he asked after she had a chance to wipe her mouth.
“I don’t know what came over me,” she admitted. “I hope it wasn’t the food.”
“I ate the same thing, and I feel fine,” he said.
“You didn’t have the salad, though. Maybe the dressing had gone bad. Or the lettuce had E. Coli like that outbreak before.” She groaned. “This is not the time for me to be getting sick.”
“You can’t help it,” he assured her.
“I know, but I can’t travel like this.”
“Then we’ll stay,” he told her. He sank down beside her, his back pressed against the bathtub.
“You have work.”
“Work can wait.”
“Are you sure?” she asked, her forehead wrinkled with worry. “I’m so sorry about this.”
“No need to be sorry,” he said, squeezing her thigh. “It’s not your fault.”
“Hopefully it’s just a fluke. I already feel a ton better.” As if to prove it, she stood up and walked to the sink. She picked up the lime green toothbrush from the counter and began brushing, dismissing the immediate gagging feeling that came with it.
He watched her suspiciously, but when she had brushed for entirely too long, desperately trying to remove the sick taste from her tongue, she rinsed her toothbrush and stepped back. “I hate being sick,” she said with a pout. “Now, what were you going to tell me earlier?”
He waved her off, standing up himself. “It can wait.”
“What do you mean? We’ve got nothing but time if we’re going to be cooped up in the motel room.”
“It’s just work stuff. An exciting opportunity for me,” he said simply. “Grizz is going to let me head up my own project.”
“That’s amazing, Finn!” she said happily, leaning on the sink for strength. She couldn’t explain why a sudden sadness washed over her. “I’m so happy for you.”
“Thank you,” he said, a small smile on his face. “Now, let’s get you to bed. I’m going to run to Norma’s, grab you some soup, and then head to Miller’s to get Gatorade. You just need to rest.”
“You don’t have to take care of me,” she said, though she didn’t protest when he held the door open.
“I know,” he told her, “but I like to.” He helped her into bed and kissed her forehead. “I’ve always liked to take care of you, Blythe.”
“You’re amazing, you know that?”
“Yep, but it’s nice to hear it anyway,” he said, winking at her as he grabbed the car keys from the side table. “I’m going to call and let them know we’re keeping the car an extra day, too. I don’t want you to worry about anything except getting better.”
