Page 36 of Fighting for Lucy

Heart stuttering in his chest, he asked the question he’d dreaded since he noticed the change in her. “Your epilepsy?”

“Yeah,” she whispered, sounding so defeated his chest ached. “It’s not well under control at the best of times. But I haven’t taken my medication in days, and whatever was in the drug Raul was giving me will likely react badly with my system, a lot of medications do.”

“You think you're going to have a seizure soon?” When he’d first met Lucy and learned from Scarlett that she had epilepsy, he’d read extensively on the topic. Why he wasn’t completely sure, it had just seemed like important knowledge to have. He knew that epileptics could sometimes tell when they were going to have a seizure. The prodrome stage could be as much as a few days before a seizure, followed by the aura stage. He needed to know if Lucy knew which she was in so he knew how best to act.

“I know I am. I'm sorry,” she quickly added. “I know the timing sucks big time, but if one is coming there’s nothing I can do to stop it. Even if I had my meds I wouldn’t be able to. At best, they offer some control over it.”

It didn't sit well with him that she felt like she needed to defend a condition she had zero control over. Had her family or childhood friends made her feel like she was somehow less because she had a medical condition?

Still holding her chin, he pinched it lightly to make sure he had her attention. “Don’t be sorry, baby,” he ordered, a command in his tone because he wanted to force her to see herself the way he saw her. Fierce, brave, strong, loyal, beautiful, and intelligent. Lucy was an amazing woman, and the fact that she’d been battling a condition since she was a toddler only made her that much more amazing.

“It’s not great timing.”

“It’s not,” he agreed. No point in lying about it. A seizure now would slow them down as they’d have to stop, there was a chance of complications, and Lucy would be weak and exhausted after it. But it was what it was. “I'm going to carry you for a while. We can go faster that way, put as much distance between us and them, plus it will let you regain a little strength that you're going to need if you can rest for a bit.”

Without giving her time to argue—because he absolutely knew his stubborn, independent girl would argue—he scooped her into his arms and began jogging through the last of the tunnels.

Instead of arguing, Lucy wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and gave the sweetest of sighs as she snuggled closer.

The puff of warm air against his neck shifted something in his chest.

Loosened the ropes he’d tied around his heart to lock it away and protect it.

What was she doing to him?

Zander knew he couldn’t keep her even if she was willing to try a relationship with him, but he now knew what it was like to crave the same things his sister had all their lives. A place to belong, unconditional love, happiness, and peace.

Minutes after he’d picked up Lucy, they came out of the tunnels and into the jungle. Despite the late hour it was stillmuggy, and the final rays of sunset lit the sky. Running with Lucy in his arms was still easier than going at the slow pace her weak body had dictated.

Maybe thirty minutes later, Lucy suddenly went completely tense in his grip.

“You need to put me down,” she said, voice tight.

Quickly locating a clear space where she wasn’t going to hit something, he knelt and laid her down on her back. “I got you, babe.”

Lucy gave a small nod then her entire body went stiff. He could almost see her muscles stretching before all of a sudden, she began to jerk. Since he’d read up on epilepsy and seizures, Zander knew not to try to hold her down, but it went against every instinct he had. She was hurting her already bruised and battered body with each jerking movement, and he wanted to pull her into his arms, hold her still, and cushion her limbs.

The best he could do was pull off his T-shirt and bunch it up, placing it under her head to at least cushion that as she continued to jerk as her muscles spasmed.

It seemed to go on and on.

Seconds ticked by so slowly, and a full two minutes passed before she finally sunk down against the ground.

After checking she was breathing, he rolled her onto her side since she was still unresponsive. Then Zander did the only thing he could. He prayed that God wasn’t going to take from him the only woman he’d ever wanted.

CHAPTER TEN

January 24th

9:58 P.M.

“Did I pee?”Lucy asked as awareness came trickling back in.

Please don’t let her have soiled herself.

Of all the things she hated the most about having epilepsy, it had to be the fact that when she was having a seizure, she had zero control over her body.

Zero.

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