Page 84 of A Poisonous Plot

He was fairly sure he’d nodded off again, but woke up at the mention of her leaving. Forcing his eyes open, he held her gaze. “It’s the opening of the shop today, isn’t it?” He thought that was right, unless he’d slept for longer than he thought.

She groaned. “I’m going to postpone it.”

“No.” He shuffled to get more upright and hopefully force some alertness to his brain. “You have to do it. You’ve already put it off for long enough.”

“I don’t think another week will make any difference.”

“What time is it?”

“Seven a.m.”

Flynn looked around. “Where are my clothes and all my stuff?”

“In the cupboard, I think.” She untangled her fingers from his and walked over there. “Your uniform is in here.”

He asked her to find his phone from the pocket.

“Sergeant Proctor called your dad yesterday to let him know you were in the hospital.”

“Great,” Flynn said unenthusiastically. To be fair, he supposed it would seem like the appropriate thing to do. How was the sergeant to know that his dad was about the last person he’d want informed in an emergency?

“Everything all right?” Lily asked after passing him his phone.

“Yeah.” He tapped on the phone and searched his calls and messages. Finally, he admitted to himself that his dad hadn’t been in touch. He was lying in a hospital bed and he didn’t even care enough to send a message.

He set his phone down on the bed and focused on Lily. “What time is the opening for the shop?”

“It’s supposed to be two o’clock but I really don’t think it’s going to happen today.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’ve barely slept. That’s one reason. I’m also not prepared.”

“Yes, you are. The ice cream is ready to go. What more do you need?”

“A bit of energy and some positivity would probably be a good thing,” she said wearily.

“Go home and sleep for a few hours. You’ll be fine.”

She shook her head. “I’m not in the mood for any kind of celebration. It wouldn’t feel right…”

“Because of Gordon? It can be a double celebration. You figured out another mystery. That’s something to celebrate.”

“I meant it wouldn’t feel right without you there. When I thought about opening the shop, I imagined you there. Just for moral support or whatever, but I don’t want to throw a party when you’re in hospital.”

“I’ll be there,” he said confused. “I’ll sleep for a little longer, then I’ll be fine.”

“The doctor said you’ll need to stay for forty-eight hours at least.”

“No way. That’s not happening.”

She shifted closer to the bed. “No offence, but you look terrible.”

“I’m tired, that’s all. Nothing a few hours’ kip won’t fix.” He ignored the heaviness which had settled through his entire body and made him feel as though he were pinned to the bed. “The hospital gown makes me look worse than I am. It’s not my style.” He tilted his head. “Could you do me a favour and nip back to my place and grab me some clothes before you go home?”

“I can do that,” she said. “But you can’t leave here until tomorrow.”

“I’m not missing the opening of the shop.”

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