Page 46 of Fixation

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“I hope you catch whatever it is I have,” I whisper. “I hope you die.”

“Look at you, already worried about me.” He presses a sanitizing wipe to where he stuck the needle in me. “You shouldn’t be. I’ve got this.”

My loose muscles yield to him and the drug. I have no control over the moan I let out.

I hate it. Hate that I like it.

“I’ve got you.” He must lose some of his control too, because he leans in to press a kiss to my temple. “Rest, kitten. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”

8

ANDERSON

Power naps aren’t something they teach you in med school.

You learn that on the job.

You learn to do it as early as your internship.

While lying on any available surface. While sitting down.

Hell, by the end of the first year of your rotations, you can do it standing up.

You learn to wake up just as fast.

That’s how I fell asleep with Harper here. Though I wanted to spend every second watching over her, I had to close my eyes for a couple of hours.

I sat against the door to the basement and forced myself to sleep for her. So I could take care of her later.

Which I did.

I was there when she woke up.

I’ll be there in an hour when she comes to.

Thanks to my sedative, she’s getting her much-needed rest. And while I wait for her to wake up, I’m back here, sliding down the basement door. Leaning my head against the warm wood.

My eyes flutter shut.

Another hour. Just one more hour of sleep so I can recover.

Bzz.

My phone. Not Harper’s, which has been quiet ever since I got her here.

Not my beeper, either. No one at the hospital is looking for me, thank fuck.

The remaining option isn’t that great, either.

Sergey, the notification says.

I don’t open the message, because fuck him.

What I do is prioritize Harper. I take this moment to text her parents. I reassure them that she’ll call after she gets some rest, that her fever has broken, and that she’s resting.

Beau, her brother, is also close to her. I’ve been monitoring their conversations, listening in from her end. They love each other.

He gets a text that sounds a lot like his sister.

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