Page 12 of Unlocked

“Bo, what’s wrong?” Daisy’s voice drifts across the room. When did she get here? I blink my eyes, hoping my vision will return, but all I can see is neon yellow.

“I don’t know,” Bo answers. “She hurried in here looking sick and kind of pale like maybe she was about to vomit. When I got to her, she just melted. I carried her to the bed and laid her down, but her eyes aren’t focusing, and she hasn’t said another word.”

“She spoke to you before she passed out?” Daisy asks. I can feel someone touching me. I think it’s Daisy, but my eyesight still hasn’t returned, so I can’t be for sure. “She’s soaking wet, cool, and clammy.”

“Yeah, she asked what was wrong with her,” Bo mumbles next to me.

“What’s going on?” Marley asks, anxiously. I can hear more voices now in my room, but they are muffled, like I’m under water.Why can’t I speak or see? What’s wrong with me?

“Ace grab my medical bag out of our room!” Daisy demands from far away. Seconds later, I feel a sharp pain in my finger as something is squeezing my other arm. “Her blood sugar is too low, forty-five. We need to get some juice in her if she can swallow, if not, we better call 911. I don’t have an IV of glucose.” I can hear frantic movements all around me.

Bo’s scent, which had faded from the room over the last few days, is suddenly all around me. “Sweet girl, I need you to take a sip of this for me.” Bo’s voice is in my ear. Strong arms are behind my back as I’m lifted into a sitting position. I feel something against my mouth as orange juice burst on my tongue. I try to swallow, but most of it dribbles out the sides of my mouth. I feel so uncoordinated. Bo keeps encouraging me to take the juice, and eventually my vision begins to return, and someone has turned the sound up in the room. I’m able to swallow more of the juice. I become more aware of what is going on around me. Another sharp sting in a finger followed by Daisy’s update.

“It’s better, but we need to get her to eat something.” I blink. My eyesight begins to focus. Bo is behind me, holding me in an upright position. Marley is holding a glass of orange juice to my lips. “Ace, will you get a peanut butter sandwich?” Daisy asks.

“I’ll be right back,” Ace answers, hurrying from the room.

“Whaz goin’ on?” I slur. Shit! I sound like I’m drunk, but we haven’t been to the party yet, right? I feel Bo’s grip on me tighten, then he sags in relief, still holding me tight. His left hand comes up to my forehead. He presses against it until my head rests on his shoulder.

“Thank God!” he exclaims. “You scared the fuck out of me,” he murmurs in my ear before pressing a kiss to my sweat-soaked temple. I shouldn’t feel as comfortable laying on him as I do. My body is so weak I don’t try to pull away. I just let him hold me. “Here drink more juice. Ace is bringing you a peanut butter sandwich.” Bo has taken the juice from Marley and is holding it so I can drink from it. I slow raise my heavy head to comply.

“Shelby?” I look up to see Daisy standing next to Bo and me. “What did you eat today? Besides the cinnamon roll we had earlier?” I shake my head, still not certain I can speak without sounding three sheets to the wind.

“Nothing, just that,” I answer, happy that I can speak normally. My body is trembling. My tongue feels numb and tingly. I just feel strange.

“Okay that explains it,” Daisy says confidently. I wish I knew what she was talking about.

“It explains what?” Bo demands. His deep voice rumbling right next to my ear causes a shiver to run through me, which has nothing to do with my damp skin and clothes. His arms tighten around me. Then he grabs the comforter with his left arm and drags it over me, thinking I’m cold.

“She experienced hypoglycemia from eating a high carb meal without any protein,” Daisy explains. “It doesn’t happen toeveryone, but I doubt this is the first time she’s had a problem with this.” Daisy sits down on the bed at my feet. “Have you ever felt weak, shaky, maybe even a little nervous, and then you eat, and you feel better?” I nod, because that happens to me all the time. I usually eat every couple of hours to prevent feeling that way.

“You will need to see your family physician for a definitive diagnosis, but I suspect you are a pre-diabetic which can cause hypoglycemic episodes,” Daisy advises me. “It’s very treatable with some dietary changes and not going too long between meals.”

“So, she’s going to be okay?” Bo asks. “We don’t need to take her to the hospital?” Daisy is shaking her head and grinning at her brother.

Ace walks in with a sandwich on a plate. Daisy takes it from him, bringing it to me. I look up to see that Luke, Rosco, Marley’s mom, and Dalton, the scary guy who Marley swears is a teddy bear, are all in the room with Daisy, Bo, Marley and me.

“Eat sweet girl,” Bo commands, but I don’t want to eat in front of everyone. I feel so ashamed that I’ve caused such a ruckus. My face reddening while tears stream down my face. “Everyone out!” Bo bellows, and they all jump up to do as he has commanded. I cry even harder thinking that I’ve somehow upset Bo even worse by my tears.

Chapter 7

Bo

The room clears, leaving Shelby and I alone at last. I’m still shaking from the fear that gripped me the moment her eyes rolled into the back of her head. I’d known something wasn’t right with her the second she stepped in the room. Her face had been pale, and she’d looked sick. When she’d collapsed into my arms, all I could think was I needed Daisy up here, like yesterday. Thankfully she’d made it in record time. I had known something was terribly wrong. I’d had 911 entered on my phone ready to hit the send button if Daisy had felt she needed an ambulance. I’ve never been so thankful to have a doctor in the family. Daisy had been so calm as she’d assessed Shelby. She had known exactly what to do and what to check for. I’ve always known my sister is a badass but seeing her in action saving Shelby just makes me appreciate her all the more.

“Here sweet girl. You need to eat this.” I take the sandwich Ace has brought to us and tear it in half, holding one half up to Shelby’s mouth. She sniffs but takes a small bite of the wheat bread coated with peanut butter. I grab some tissues off the night stand and wipe Shelby’s tears away. She stiffens in my arms.

When Daisy had said we needed to get her to drink, I had known she was too weak to sit up on her own. So, I’d climbed into bed with her, positioning my body behind her back to keep her in a sitting position. I’d held her head up so Marley could hold the juice to her mouth. We made a terrible mess down the front of Shelby’s clothes, but at least we’d been able to revive her enough that she can eat now. I hold the sandwich up again, encouraging her to keep eating.

“I can feed myself.” Shelby pouts, sullenly. I can’t keep from grinning in relief that my feisty girl is getting back to her usual self.

“I know you can but let me,” I coax. “You really had me worried, sweet girl.” I kiss her temple again, assuring myself that’s she here in my arms. I know she doesn’t want a relationship with me, but I can’t help feeling like we are meant to be. It’s the reason I’ve stayed away the last five days. I’d needed time and space to clear my head. Shelby’s admission to being afraid of being hurt, hit so close to my own feelings that I had needed to step back, to reassess my actions in regard to her. I’ve kept myself from relationships for the very same reason. How can I push her for a relationship when I have no idea how to be in one? I’ll end up hurting her. I’d never be able to live with myself if I broke her heart.

When I’d left Shelby in our room and gotten back downstairs where the guys had been working, Luke had mentioned he needed someone to be a body guard for a socialite who would be in Norfolk for a few days. I’d just been shot down by Shelby and had been feeling raw, so I’d jumped on the opportunity. I’d felt I was doing Shelby a favor by distancing myself.

I’d packed a bag and headed out within the hour. The woman I had been sent to guard, Mrs. Cruise, had been a nightmare. She’d refused to listen to anything I’d told her and she had been hitting on me every time I turned around, despite being twentyyears my senior. I hated every second that I had been gone from Shelby. She had been all I could think about. She’d haunted my dreams at night, my thoughts during the day. I couldn’t get her out of my head no matter how hard I tried. I finally realized Shelby is mine. I just need her to see that.

I give Shelby another bite of sandwich before offering her some more juice. She doesn’t argue with me, and for that, I’m grateful. “Why didn’t you eat lunch?” I ask after she seems to be finished, having only eaten about half of the sandwich. “It’s mid-afternoon.

---