Page 24 of Fearless to Love

“Alright, first I’ll start by taking your temperature and then we’ll go from there.” Dr. Presley listened to my heart and breathing while we waited for the thermometer to read my temp. “Right now, you don’t have a temperature, but it could be from the ibuprofen. If it comes back keep taking it. Now let’s have a look at that throat. Open up and say ah.”

I did as instructed, hating the taste of wood as he depressed my tongue. I wondered if it looked as bad as it felt.

“Well, it looks like you have strep throat, but I can’t say for certain until I do a swab test.” He pulled out a tube and a swab making me grimace.

“What happens if she has strep?” Dante shuffled out of the way while Dr. Presley swabbed my throat, making me cough and clutch my neck.

“I’ll give her a prescription for some antibiotics and within twenty-four hours she should be feeling better. If she’s not or symptoms worsen, then I want you to call me so I can change the prescription. It doesn’t happen often, but it can.” He stood capping the tube. “I’ll be back in a few minutes with your results.” He patted my knee before he left and gave me a reassuring smile.

“Do you like soup?” Dante asked while looking down at his phone. “There’s a Panera between the pharmacy and my place. I can make an order for whatever you like.” He handed me his phone, and I selected the broccoli and cheese soup before giving it back to him. “Perfect, I like that one too. I’ll get a big thing of it. It should make your throat feel better until the medicine starts to work.”

I hoped so because I didn’t want it to hurt this bad for an entire day.

Dr. Presley knocked on the door before coming inside with a piece of paper in his hand. “As I suspected, you’ve got strep throat. Make sure to take the first dose as soon as you pick up your prescription. It’s an easy one. You take one pill a day for five days.” He smiled strangely before he went on. “I should warn you that antibiotics can mess with your birth control and you can become pregnant, so in the meantime, you should use some other protection to prevent pregnancy.”

“How long will the medicine affect it?” Dante’s hand grasped mine as I blushed furiously.

“Two weeks to be safe. It can continue to affect it up to a week after she stops taking the medicine. If you have any other questions don’t hesitate to call me. Get to feeling better soon, Lily, and I’ll see you next time.”

I gave him a small smile and a nod before Dante helped me off the table and kept his arm wrapped around me as we made our way back to his car. I dozed off and on as he went inside to pick up my prescription and our soup. It wasn’t until he opened my door that I peeled my eyes open to see that we were at his place.

Stepping inside, he handed me the pill bottle and took the large container of soup into the kitchen. “Are you hungry or do you want to go upstairs and sleep for a little while longer?”

I definitely wasn’t hungry, but my medicine said it shouldn’t be taken on an empty stomach. I pointed to the pill bottle and then my stomach hoping he’d understand. It seemed as if he did since he pulled out two bowls and filled them with soup before ushering me over to sit on the couch. While normally I wouldn’t eat at the couch, I had no energy to hold myself up, so this was perfect.

We ate in silence and after, Dante rinsed our bowls and put them in the dishwasher. He then carried me upstairs and placed me in his bed. Pressing a kiss on my forehead, he let his lips brush against me as he spoke. “Is it weird that I already miss your voice?”

No, I mouthed. I missed talking, especially to Dante.

“Get some sleep, and I’ll come back up in a little bit to check on you.”

I was exhausted after only eating a bowl of soup. Hopefully, when I woke up, I’d be feeling better; this certainly wasn’t how I imagined the first time I stayed at Dante’s going. One thing I was learning was that he was a very sweet caretaker.

One minute it was light outside and the next time I blinked my eyes open it was dark. The house was silent, making me wonder if Dante had been called into work. The good news was that I was feeling slightly better. Padding down the stairs, I noticed the sliding glass door to the balcony was open and a soft light was illuminating a table out there. As I made my way over to the door, I spotted Dante reclined on a lounger reading a book. For a moment, I stood there watching him read. There was nothing sexier than a man reading a book.

Without looking up from his book, Dante held out his hand, and I quickly shuffled outside into his waiting arms. “Are you feeling better?”

I nodded my head, and let out a croaky, “Yeah.”

His grip tightened on me as he said, “Good, I was worried about you when I tried to wake you up and you only rolled over.”

“I’m sorry I worried you.” My raspy voice scratched my throat, making me wince.

“Let’s get you inside. I’m sure the cold night air won’t help you get better. How about some soup or some hot tea?”

“Tea would be nice.”

Chapter Eleven

DANTE

Lily and I got into a routine after the few days she spent with me while she was sick. We admitted that we didn’t want to be apart, which was scary in itself, and went back and forth to each other’s places for the last few weeks. We essentially lived together after only a matter of days. Franca thought I was crazy, but I thought it was the best thing that had ever happened to me.

“Do you know why Franca told me to not come in until tonight?”

“Why would I know?” Lily asked, barely containing a smile.

“Because I think you have something to do with it,” I stated simply. For the last few days, she had been unusually secretive and on the phone every time I came into the room.

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