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What’s she doing here?
Just thinking the question was exhausting, so she stopped.
Doesn’t matter.
Her mind felt so frail. She couldn’t focus. Enveloped in a warm cocoon of blackness, she let herself sink again. She was so tired, so comfortable, she never wanted to leave.
“The doctor lowered the sedative. She’s just sleeping now.”
Nico.
In her safe, cozy darkness, Lexie smiled. His voice melted over her like warm honey.
Why am I asleep?
Again, just the thought drained her dry, sapped every ounce of energy she had. She could not care less why she was here, so long as she could stay like this forever.
“You look terrible,” Annie said. “You should go, get some sleep. You’ve been in that chair for three days.”
“Not true,” Nico replied. “Occasionally I walk down the hallway. A couple of times I even got as far as the cafeteria.”
Lexie heard the two of them chuckle softly.
Since when were they so chummy?
Cool, slender fingers touched Lexie’s arm, squeezed gently. The contact sent a jolt of awareness through her, like the first rays of sun breaking through storm clouds.
No. Go away. Just let me stay . . .
But the stupor was already beginning to fade. Small sounds penetrated. Footsteps on linoleum floors, unfamiliar voices chattering nearby, clanks and clunks of solid things against hard surfaces.
Where am I?
Inside, Lexie stretched like a cat waking from a nap, testing out her senses, reaching further, luxuriating in the relaxation that still cloaked her.
“She looks so peaceful,” Annie said. “You don’t think she’s dreaming about it, do you?”
“I hope not.” Nico’s voice was thick with emotion. Husky and rough, like he too felt bone-weary.
Oh, Nico. It’s alright, I’m here.
She wanted to hold him, to wrap her arms around him, and never let go.
“So, you and Paul sort everything out?” he asked.
“More or less,” she replied. Lexie could hear the smirk in Annie’s voice. If she’d been in a better state, she would have made a mental note to ask about that later. The fingers lifted from her arm. “Well,” Annie said. “Since you refuse to leave, how about I get you a coffee? A real one, from JoJo’s.”
Nico made a groan of appreciation. “You’re an angel.”
“Be back soon.”
Retreating footsteps echoed, then a door closed. All the other noises became muffled.
Lexie tried sinking back down into oblivion, but it didn’t work. Like it or not, she was becoming more alert by the second. A small moan escaped her. She shifted her head a fraction and attempted to open her eyes. A warm hand picked up one of hers, another came to rest lightly on her forehead.
“Lexie?”
Nico’s breath fanned her face. She noted the anxiety in his tone. Her lids were so heavy, but she did manage to lift them a little. Everything was bright and fuzzy. She let them drop again.
