Page 12 of Protect Me
VIKRAM
Vinita’s fiery voice shot through the phone the moment she answered my call. “Well,” she drawled, sharp with beseeching, “look who’s alive after all!”
“You havegotto be kidding me, Vini.”
“Bring it on, Vik,” she cried. “I’m pregnant, stuck in my house, and haven’t been able to yell at anyone for weeks because my husband is a sweet, sensitive soul. I’m ready for a fight.”
The force of her words woke me up. Who was I kidding? I could no more stand up to my sister right now than I could go for a run.
Why did I call anyway?
Oh, right.
Because Vinita sent a ghost to check on me. A lovely, full-grown, in-the-flesh ghost that I’d tended to ignore but now couldn’t. A ghost that knew me far too well. One that fluttered around quietly, upending my chosen life as a momentary recluse.
Tiger, Katelyn had said.
That fit.
Even tigers needed to retreat and lick their wounds, though.
“I tried calling,” Vini continued. “Endlessly. Amma has called. Appa. You haven’t picked up.”
“My surgery had complications while I stayed overnight,” I muttered, running a hand through my still-wet hair. It lay down on my shoulders now, cool against my slightly fevered skin. “I’m fine . . . sort of. There was too much swelling and I had to go back in before I lost my leg and then it got infected somehow. I’ve been spiking fevers and . . . whatever. I’m fine.”
Her silence unnerved me.
Vini was the authoritative type. If she didn’t like what you had to say, she’d interrupt. Talk over you. Bowl you down until you gave up. Unless you were Zayne or Katelyn, Vini didn’t care what you thought.
Most people gave her a wide berth when she was in a fighting mood, but not me. Secretly, I thought she might have sent Katelyn to prod the sleeping tiger, so to speak. Vini needed an outlet for all her natural ire.
Sometimes, that outlet was me.
“Kate said you didn’t look good when she arrived.”
“I’m fine. The painkillers make me woozy and I must have taken some on an empty stomach.”
A sigh of frustration issued through the phone. “She said that you were out of it and groggy. You basically passed out while talking to her.”
“I fell asleep on the couch. That’s hardly life or death.”
“For hours.”
My gaze darted to the clock.
Yeah, well, that seemed correct.
“Look, I’m fine. I have an appointment with the doctor tomorrow and the antibiotics are finally working. The fevers have calmed and the pain is starting to be more manageable, okay? Kate is at the grocery store right now getting me food.”
“Oh. Good.”
The pressure in her tone dwindled. I let out a breath of relief. If Vini could chill out, she wouldn’t sic Amma on my case. The last thing I needed was Amma showing up. A shudder slipped through me.
“Look, Vini,” I tilted my head back. “Thanks for being concerned, but I’m fine. Don’t get Katelyn feeling all obligated to take care of me or check on me.”
“Katelyn? Are you kidding? She loves helping people.”
I snorted. Yeah, she seemedsuperexcited about being here. I opened my mouth to say that, but stopped. No, Katelyn hadn’t been the meek character I remembered from growing up. The girl that haunted our house because she never wanted to return to her aunt’s house.
