Page 44 of Midnight Serenade
“Nobody likes being sick.”
“But I don’t like itmorethan everyone else.”
I opened my bleary eyes to see laughter dancing in his eyes.
“Are you laughing at me?” I croaked.
“Of course not.”
“It’s not nice to lie to a woman who’s very sick.”
“I’m sorry, angel. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
I pondered it for a moment. “Maybe. Do you think they can send me warm ice cream?”
He grimaced at the idea of warm ice cream. “How about vegetable broth in a mug? That’s nourishing.”
I took the cloth off my forehead and slyly dropped it off the side of the bed while he was fishing his phone out of his pocket. Kazi made a disgruntled sound, and I winced.Sorry, Kazi! But it’s for the greater good!
He was texting someone, so I thought he missed my grossed-out face at the thought of vegetable broth, but he seemed to have eyes everywhere because he fished another cool rag from the bucket, squeezed it out, and outmaneuvered my protesting hands to place it gently on my forehead. Then he continued his texting as though he were used to putting up with whiny females. He even went as far as patting Kazi in commiseration and removing the wet rag from his fur.
“Go get some sleep,” I said exhaustedly, slumping back against my pillow. “You’ve been here with me for two days. Rafe must want to murder me because he’s been carrying your load as well.”
Sebastian looked up from his phone. “He doesn’t. He told me to tell you to get better, or he’s going to toss you in with the sharks.”
I smiled a feeble smile. “He realizes they’ll just play with me, right? That it’s not a threat?”
Sebastian finished his text and put his phone away, reaching for my hand again. “I believe that’s why he says it. I’ve ordered you a sample of things. It will be here soon.”
I shivered and tried, weakly, to burrow deeper into my cavern of blankets. “Are there more blankets?”
Sebastian frowned at me, then put a hand to my forehead. “How are you still burning up?”
“Is that a rhetocrical question?”
“You mean rhetorical?”
“That’s what I said.” Wasn’t it? I was having a hard time following our conversation.
I blinked, and a nurse was hovering above me, taking my temperature. “103.3, sir.” How had she gotten into the room?Whenhad she gotten into the room?
Sebastian looked concerned. “She didn’t want to go to the island’s hospital. Can you and Dr. Groffinger handle her illness safely on the ship?”
“Of course, sir. She’ll need to quarantine here for at least five days, likely a bit longer until her symptoms resolve.”
I groaned and covered my head with the nest of blankets I was secretly calling my cavern of darkness.
“Her cavern of darkness?” The nurse sounded confused, and I blinked in surprise when she spoke my thoughts. Was she telepathic?
“She’s been speaking her private thoughts off and on unintentionally.”
Sebastian announced this like it wasno bigdeal,but my cheeks burned in embarrassment. How dare my mouth betray me like that!
“It’s the fever, sir,” the nurse responded, her voice sounding like she was trying not to laugh.
I was offended. Offend! And it felt like everyone was laughing at me. I groaned and closed my eyes. “I’m being hypersensitivebecause I don’t feel well. I’m sorry,” I apologized to the room in general.
“No worries, ma’m. If I were in your shoes, I’d be whining and complaining something fierce!”
