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“Hi, Linda. Who’s on call tonight? Paul or Sandra?”
“Commander. How’s that sweet baby girl of yours?” Linda adjusts her headset and gives James a toothy grin.
“She keeps telling me she’s too big to be called baby!”
Linda shakes her head and acknowledges me with a nod. “Dr. Williams is on call tonight. Let me call her desk.” She punches in some numbers on her keypad, listens, then announces, “Commander Carlo is here for Dr. Williams.” She listens for a few more seconds then taps her headset.
“Go on up to Floor 4. Dr. Williams will meet you.”
“Thank you, Linda. Tell Hector I said ‘hang in there’. There’s life after high school.”
“I will tell him. He sure does appreciate you. We all do.”
James tugs me in the direction of the elevators. I smile at Linda, silently thanking her. Thanking her for her friendliness, for caring about James, for noticing that he’s special.
I lean against the wall in the elevator, and James watches my reflected self, our eyes locked together the whole ride up.
When we exit, he takes my hand in his. He introduces me to the doctor with the perfect hair, perfect skin, and perfect teeth who greets him with obvious affection. He gives her a brief description of the accident scene. He describes the scratches on the back of my helmet I didn’t even notice. His voice gets husky and he squeezes my hand when he tells her how my jacket was almost shredded from sliding across the gravel.
The doctor shows me into a room more like an office than a patient room. She does a thorough exam, prodding my lower back and sides for excessive pain or swelling. She shines her small light into my eyes but seems satisfied there’s no head injury.
I’m so tired by the end of it, I stop listening as she talks to James and tells him signs to watch for.
I’m almost nodding off in the chair I sunk into. James kneels in front of me, tipping my face up with one finger, and tucking errant strands of hair behind my ear. “Your place or mine, Chipmunk? We’re in this together tonight.”
“I want to go home.” I tell him.
“Your place it is.” He puts a strong hand beneath my elbow to help me out of the chair, and he tucks me against his side, as he accepts a small bottle of pills from the doctor and tells her to give his best to her husband John.
I’m not so exhausted that I don’t feel a twinge of relief that the lovely doctor who seems so familiar with James is safely married. Hopefully.
“What do you feel like eating?” James asks when we’re back in the truck and on the road. I shake my head and then realize he’s watching the road and probably didn’t see that. “I—” I clear my throat. “I’m not hungry.”
“You have to take the meds with food. Do you have any snacks in your room?”
I shake my head again. Then I roll my eyes at myself. “There’s some in the dining room.”
When we get to the B&B, he keeps a hand under my elbow. I must look as unsteady as I feel.
Stella and Mari keep a selection of delights on the buffet for midnight grazers. Stella even showed me the secret drawer where she hides a stash of chocolates for those weeks they’re extra needed. Every once in a while, I pick up a variety bag to contribute so I don’t feel bad about sneaking a few on occasion.
I stand because I know if I sit down, I’ll pass the hell out. I watch James make me one slice of toast instead of the two he originally insisted on. He even spreads a thin layer of peanut butter on it. “For protein,” he says. Then he pours me a half cup of apple juice and offers up one round white tablet.
I obediently take the pill, knowing if I don’t, morning is going to feel like hell. He tucks a couple bottles of water under his arm, waits until I take a bite of toast then leads me to the elevators. The elevator takes its sweet time as usual, and the juice and toast are both downed before it arrives.
I lean against James on the bumpy ride up to the second floor, and he fits my key into the lock and pushes my door open.
I take two steps inside, and the task of undressing, showering, and re-dressing is suddenly so overwhelming I feel tears hit my eyes.
He must know when he looks at my face because he leans down and unties my boots, pulling them off one by one as I hold his shoulder for balance. I feel like I’m in a trance as he peels my jeans off and pulls the Slayer tee over my head. He unhooks my bra and skims the straps off my arms. I feel myself sway a little as he pulls out drawers until he finds a sleep set. He dresses me with the same care he used in undressing.
He tucks me in, and it’s only when I grab his arm and pull him down with me that he shucks his clothing and pulls me across his chest. Sleep is pulling me under when I feel his light squeeze and hear him whisper, “We can’t do this, but fuck! I could’ve lost you.”
Chapter 30
~~ James ~~
I wake at first light with Lorelai curled into me, and I let myself stay there a few minutes longer than I should. Her ass is shoved into my groin. My arm is resting in the hollow of her waist, my hand against the warmth of her stomach. I remember Naomi getting bigger as Emilie grew inside her, and how that felt under my hands. First a tiny flutter, then stong shoves and kicks. I wonder if Lorelai wants kids, and I allow myself to imagine her pregnant with our child. That thought makes my erection even harder.
