Page 37 of The Library on Plum Island
“Yes.” Alex nodded.
“I do, too,” Daniella admitted, smiling. “Dawn is right in a sense. If you were semi-conscious, you probably did overhear the conversation without realizing it. Then, when Ethan started speaking about the security detail, it could’ve triggered the memory.” She smiled. “I’ve never been delirious, but I’ve subconsciously picked up conversations around me at times. It can be both a boon and a bane.”
“I like that.” Alex’s lips curved into a smile. “It’s a gift that is both a boon and a bane.”
“I like that too,” Dawn said. “Can I use it in a script?”
“Of course,” Daniella laughed before whispering to Alex. “I’ve noticed Dawn does that often. She asks if she can use people’s words.”
Alex sighed. “You get used to it,” he whispered back, glancing at Dawn, who was typing on her screen. “At least she’ll forget that she was about to roast Ethan for having a security team assigned to her without getting her permission.”
“I see Dawn has a typical scholastic type short attention span,” Daniella noted as she carefully attended to his hand. “The angry red around the cut has nearly gone, thank goodness. In a few more days, all the infection should be gone.”
“Like I mentioned earlier, it sure feels much better.” Alex breathed a sigh of relief.
“Alex, you do know that it can flare up again if you don’t follow my instructions,” Daniella made him aware. “When we’re done here, I want you to go home and take it easy for a few days.”
“Will you visit?” Alex asked before he could stop himself.
“Of course, I’ll check up on you at least once a day until I’m happy that the infection in your hand is completely gone,” Daniella told him. “Once you are clear, you’ll need to check in at the clinic so we can readdress the treatment for the break.”
“Sure, whatever you say, doc.” Alex grinned. “Your word is my command.”
“Yeah, right!” Dawn snorted, having heard him. “Unless you put a chip in his head with a remote control, I doubt Alex would ever follow orders willingly.”
“He seems to be doing fine so far,” Daniella stuck up for Alex, warming his heart once again and increasing the bit of hope that she may care for him.
“Alex, we’re going to take your phone with us to Uncle Sam’s workshop,” Harley told him. “If you can stick around for a while, we can get it back to you as soon as we’re done.”
“Sure,” Alex said with a nod.
“I need to go,” Ethan stood, glancing at his wristwatch. “Reef and Shay want to go to the Beach Hut. Carly and I promised to go with them to pick out a surfboard for Shay.”
“Of course,” Daniella told them. “We’re finished here.” She smiled and was about to get up to walk them out when Ethan stopped her.
“We’ll see ourselves out,” Ethan told her. “You finish up there.”
Carly and Ethan left to a chorus of goodbyes.
“I must go and pack for Boston,” Jennifer said, pulling out her phone.
“I can take you home,” Harley offered.
“No, I’ll get a cab,” Jennifer replied.
“Or I can give you a lift,” Dawn stood and looked at Harley. “If you don’t mind bringing Alex home,” she said.
“I’ll take him home,” Daniella said. “I can fetch Emily at the same time.”
“That’s settled, then.” Dawn looked at Alex with a knowing smile. “I’ll see you later, Alex. Begood.“ Her words held an undertone of meaning before she and Jennifer left.
Harley and Sam disappeared to Sam’s workshop, which doubled as his office, out in the back garden, leaving Alex alone with Daniella tending to his hand in a quiet bubble of privacy. He had to admit to himself that he enjoyed having Daniella’s full attention on him; her gentle touch made the ache in his hand and heart feel a lot better. She finished tending to his hand in a comfortable silence, filled with an unspoken understanding that had started to weave itself between them since Alex’s injury.
“Ethan told me that you had a cochlear implant, having lost hearing in your left ear after contracting meningitis.” Daniella’s words surprised him.
“Ethan told you that?” Alex’s surprise registered in his voice.
Daniella looked up, meeting his gaze with a softness that made his heart skip a beat. “Yes, he did. I’m relieved to hear someone on Plum Island understands what Emily goes through. No wonder she warmed to you so quickly, and it explains why you sign so well.”
