AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Swallow,” I said as I dumped the rest of the packet in the water. For once in her life, she did as she was told without questioning me. I handed her the water bottle. “Take small sips so you don’t upset your stomach.”
She nodded, her arms and hand shaking as she lifted the bottle to her lips. I wanted to hold her, wrap my arms around her, and fix whatever was going on in her body, but if she was overheating, my body heat was the last thing she needed.
“I’m sorry,” she said, and she sucked in a breath. She looked like she was crying, but no tears came out. She was definitely dehydrated.
“We’ll talk about all that shit later. Right now, drink.” I tilted the lip of the bottle to her mouth, and she took another sip. With each sip, her body convulsed less, but she wasn’t out of the woods yet. I wouldn’t be happy until she had a full exam by a doctor, and they cleared her.
It felt like an eternity before the ambulance showed up. And when they did, I jumped in the back of the ambulance without hesitation.
“Your car,” Phoebe said.
“Franc and Nero are on their way to pick it up. I’m not leaving you.”
I squeezed her hand, promising myself I would never let her go again. If she wanted to fight, I would fight until my dying breath.
I felt like an idiot. A grade A idiot. Luckily, after an IV, they sent me home. Except Laurent wouldn’t let me go home. As if I couldn’t take care of myself. Then again, under current circumstances, he might have a point in his favor. It all went back to…
I was an idiot.
“Next time you decide to go for a run in unseasonably hot weather, make sure you eat something, and have enough water,” Laurent said as he helped me into his car that Franc and Nero had dropped off in the hospital parking lot.
“I wasn’t thinking,” I said. It was a lame defense, but it was the truth. I had so much stuff on my mind; I didn’t take basic life necessities into consideration.
“Fuck, Phoebs,” Laurent said, his head hanging down. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
I took his hand and squeezed it like he did to me when I needed the comfort. I didn’t make any promises, though. It wasn’t a promise I could keep. I couldn’t predict the future. I couldn’t know what life had in store for me, so anything I said would be a lie.
He kissed my forehead, pulled away, and shut the door. He got in the driver's side and started the car. Music blared out of the radio, and he cursed, reaching for the knob and turning it off. “Fucking Nero. I bet… yup. He fucked with all my mirrors and my seat. Thirty-six and acts like he’s twelve.” Laurent shook his head, but there was a hint of a smile at the edge of his mouth.
After he readjusted everything, he pulled out of the space and headed toward his place.
“You can bring me to the resort. Parker is there. I’m sure you have work to do still.”
“You’re coming home with me. End of story.”
“Bossy,” I muttered.
“You’re damn straight. We’re going to my place. You’re eating a proper dinner and then getting some rest.”
“Yes, sir.”
His hands tightened on the steering wheel. I pressed my hand to his rigid shoulder, feeling the tension rippling through him.
“Hey,” I said, but he kept his eyes firmly focused on the road in front of him. “Hey,” I said again and this time he glanced at me. “I’m okay.”
“Because I called to yell at you,” he blurted. “What if I didn’t call? What if I didn’t know you were there? Did anyone know where you were?” His voice rose with each word until he was practically yelling.
“I—” I didn’t know what to say. With a deep breath, I tried again. “I messed up,” I admitted. “I shouldn’t have gone running without eating or at least bringing something with me. I should have filled my water and not just dumped a bottle in the bag. I fucked up. Plain and simple.”
His rigid hold loosened as his arms shook. “I almost lost you.”
“But you didn’t.”
“I keep playing your voice over and over in my head. I knew something was wrong the minute you said my name. And the drive to you. It was fucking hell. It was the longest fifteen minutes of my life. I kept thinking I would get to you, and it’d be too late. That you’d be passed out on the ground, and no matter what I did, I wouldn't be able to bring you back to me.”
“Pull over,” I said.
“What? Why? Are you okay?”
