She pulled away and wiped her face with the back of her hand. "Will you go with me?"
"You know I will. And I'll handle everything. Let me take care of this."
She wrapped her arms around him again, and he closed his eyes.
"Thank you," she mumbled.
"No thanks needed." He held her close, not realizing until now that he was sweating through his shirt with anxiety.
Fuck, he was crazy about this woman. He'd do whatever it took to make sure she got what she needed, no matter the expense. Because he never wanted to see that look of helplessness on her face again.
18
"Bestie!"
Holly glanced up from her spot on the couch in the media room where she was cuddled up with Miss. "Penny," she said, smiling at her. "You didn't have to come over. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"I have some time before I need to get going." Penn sat down next to her. "Hon, what's going on?"
"It's just been a lot of weird physical things going on. Mostly since the fire," she explained. "I thought it was stress because it was off and on. Double vision, trouble swallowing, and my eyes will get weird and droopy."
"I saw that the night of the fire, remember? But you said it happens when you're tired occasionally. That means it was happening before the fire."
Holly frowned. "Yeah, I guess you're right. But not very much before. I also get where I can't lift my legs or my arms. Sometimes I can't lift my legs to climb the stairs. It goes away after a rest period, though."
"That's what happened at the game," Penn said quietly, studying her. "You didn't tweak your leg."
Holly sighed. "Yeah. I just didn't want to worry you, babe. It happened when I was with Eli yesterday, and he freaked out. When we got home, he contacted the team doctor and asked if there was a way to get me in to see someone quickly about this, and now I have an appointment with a neurologist today."
"Good on him," Penn declared. "This is important. Are you going to be okay going to the appointment alone? I wish I could go with you."
"Eli's taking me," she assured her friend. "He got home from practice a little while ago. We're leaving shortly."
"I hope you get some answers. This is so weird. Have you tried looking anything up on the internet about what's been happening?"
"No. I didn't want to freak myself out," she admitted.
"That's probably a good idea. Well, you better give me all the details the minute you find out what's going on." Penn gave her a stern glance. "I mean it."
"I promise," Holly made a crossing motion above her heart. "Hey, have you talked to that pet sitter at work? Is she available to sit with Miss while I'm in Tampa? Provided I can go, that is. "
"Yes. She's available for the entire playoffs. Hol, she's absolutely wonderful. Miss will love her, and she's really experienced with cats and IBD. Plus, she's bonded. Eli won't freak about someone staying here, will he?"
"I don't think so. He knows that in order for me to go, I need someone here with Miss."
"Taylor is a sweetheart. You'll love her. She's helped us out with Bo from time to time, and she's trustworthy and responsible. Taylor always sent me updates about Bo throughout the day, too. She'll be a great fit."
"This is such a relief," Holly told her. "With all this stuff going on, I don't need anything else to worry about."
"You sure don't."
Eli peeked his head into the living room. "We should get going soon, Holly. Sorry, Penn. I know you just got here."
"No, that's okay. She stood and swung her purse over her shoulder. "I need to get to work anyway. I just wanted to stop over and see my girl first."
Holly stood and hugged her friend. "Thanks for stopping over, babe."
"Of course. I'll let myself out. Take care of our girl, Eli." Penn flashed him a smile.