by I. T. Lucas
“Besides, I doubt your mom would allow you to go.”
“No, she wouldn’t. Next time?” Jackson offered his hand.
Bhathian shook it. “Sure, but first you need to get some training. Let’s talk about it when I come back. Now, we should leave and let Andrew rest.”
The polite thing to do was to tell them to stay, that he was fine, but frankly, Andrew wanted them gone so he could take Nathalie to bed. He suppressed a smirk when she didn’t say anything either.
Apparently, the lady was thinking along the same lines.
Chapter 44: Nathalie
The venom must’ve done something to Andrew’s system because he’d been an animal last night. Perhaps it was the aphrodisiac component of it. Or maybe it had been the post-fight elevated testosterone level.
The last time Nathalie had been so sore was when she’d lost her virginity. Still, it had been well worth it, and nothing a long soak in a bathtub wouldn’t cure. But that required getting out of bed.
Cuddling up to Andrew, Nathalie sighed like a satisfied kitten. He was so warm, it was like hugging a heated blanket.
Wait a minute, was he too warm?
Her hand shot to his forehead.
Andrew was burning up.
“Andrew, wake up, baby.” Nathalie tapped his bare chest. “You have a fever. We need to call Bridget and ask her what to do.”
“Andrew?” She shook his shoulder.
“Oh my God. He is not responding. What do I do?” Nathalie bolted out of bed and grabbed Andrew’s robe just because it was the first item of clothing her hand landed on.
Running out barefoot, she tightened the belt while sprinting down the stairs. “Jackson! Call Kian! Andrew is unconscious!”
“I’m on it.”
Nathalie ignored Papi’s panicked expression and sprinted back, taking two steps at a time, all along fighting a wave of nausea. When she reached the landing, it got so bad that she could no longer ignore it and burst into the bathroom, reaching the toilet just in time to barf out the entire contents of her digestive system inside it.
What a miserable timing to get a stomach flu.
When there was nothing left to purge, she got up on shaky legs, flushed the toilet, and rinsed out her mouth in the sink.
There was a knock on the door. “Nathalie? Are you in there? Kian wanted me to tell you that he is on his way with Bridget.”
She opened the door.
Wrinkling his nose, Jackson took a step back. “Are you sick?”
“It must be the stress. I just threw up in there. I need your help.”
“Sure. Can I bring you crackers? Perhaps a cola? I heard it helps with nausea.”
“That would be wonderful. But I need you to help me dress Andrew. I don’t want him taken out of here in the nude.” She could manage a pair of underwear, but with how badly her hands were shaking and the overall weakness from her prior rendezvous with the toilet, she doubted she was capable of much more than that.
Socks. She could deal with socks.
When Jackson came up with the crackers and a cold can of cola, she was ready to kiss him. Not that it would’ve been all that pleasant for him given the nasty smell of vomit that still clung to her.
“Thank you, you’re a life saver.” She took the bag of crackers and the cold can, and pointed at the bed. “I got his boxer shorts and his socks on. I left the rest for you.”
“I got him. You go get dressed.”
“I love you, Jackson. I mean it,” Nathalie said as she pulled the few items of clothing she needed from the closet.
He chuckled. “I love you too.”
She cast him a small smile before ducking out and into the bathroom. Stepping inside the shower, she started shampooing her hair even before the water warmed up. There was no time, but there was no way she could skip it. She had to wash the stink out.
Less than five minutes later, Nathalie was out. Quickly, she towel dried her hair, combed out the knots while trying to ignore the clumps she was pulling out, then braided her wet trusses in a tight braid.
All in all, she managed to be done and back in the bedroom just as Jackson was tying Andrew’s shoes.
“Do you want me to carry him down?” he asked.
“No. Let’s wait for the cavalry to arrive. Can you call them and ask that they park in the alley? I don’t want to scare the customers.”
“No problem. Though Vlad has it under control. You haven’t been exactly discreet when you called for me, and people started to get up. Vlad panicked and threw a thrall over them.”
“What do you mean by threw a thrall?”
“Yeah, I didn’t know he could do it either. Hell, I’m not sure he himself knew. Very few of us can thrall more than one person at a time. But regardless of how many people are thralled, it works basically the same way. Vlad just covered up the tiny memory of you shouting—Andrew is unconscious.”
“I see.” She’d been listening without really paying attention, and if he asked her to repeat what he’d said she would’ve drawn a blank. Understanding the inner workings of thralling could wait for another time.
Jackson delivered her instructions and terminated the call. “Get ready, They are five minutes away.”
Casting a glance at Andrew, Nathalie observed the rhythmic up and down movement of his chest. Reassured that he was still breathing, she tore the top off the bag of crackers and stuffed a few in her mouth, washing them down with the coke.
“I should open the back door for them,” Jackson offered.
“Good idea.”
As she sat on the bed beside Andrew, chewing on crackers, Nathalie felt guilty. It seemed so mundane, so out of place, to eat and drink while her man lay unconscious next to her. Except, she had to keep her nausea under control. After all, barfing all over Andrew was not going to help anyone.
A little later, she heard the back door open, and several people trotted up the stairs.
Kian was first, with Bridget and her doctor’s bag by his side, followed closely by Anandur and Brundar. Jackson closed the procession.
Her tiny bedroom couldn’t accommodate more than two people at a time, that is aside from Andrew who was sprawled on top of the bed. Kian and the others waited out in the hallway while Bridget stepped in, put her black bag on the new round table serving as a nightstand and popped it open.
“Could we switch places, please?”
Feeling like an idiot for not offering to do it first, Nathalie jumped up. “Of course, I’m sorry. Please do.”
Bridget patted her arm. “It’s okay. We all get a little confused when we are worried about a loved one.”
Nathalie decided she liked the woman. Nevertheless, even though Andrew was unconscious, she wasn’t going to leave the sexy petite doctor alone with him.
Better safe than sorry.
All those romances she’d read about soldiers falling in love with their care givers were onto something. Especially when the doctor looked like that.
Bridget checked his pulse, his heart rate, his blood pressure, his breathing and measured his temperature, noting the results on a tablet and comparing them to the ones she’d taken before.
“Exactly the same symptoms as Syssi. Fever, and slightly elevated blood pressure. Everything else is working exactly as it did before.”
Nathalie let out a relieved breath. “So he is okay? This is normal?”
Bridget shrugged. “As normal as Syssi’s transition was. Two specimens do not make a norm, though.” She packed her bag and got up. “Okay, boys, you can take him now.”
She stepped out, making room for Anandur and Brundar.
“Hi, Nathalie,” Anandur said, walking over to Andrew. Brundar bowed his head a little.
“The staircase is too narrow to bring up a stretcher. I’m just going to carry him out.” Anandur bent and lifted Andrew fireman style. “Make room, people.”
Brundar followed after his brother, which left Bridget and Kian out in the hallway. Kian reached for Nathali
e’s hand. “How are you holding up?”
“Having you guys here makes me feel better. It’s good to know Andrew is being taken care of.”
“Do you want to come with us in the limo? There is room for one more.”
“Thanks, but I prefer to take my own car. I’ll come in a few minutes. I need to talk to Jackson. Leave instructions.”
“Of course. If you need anything, call me. You have my number, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good.”
When Nathalie turned to Jackson after closing the door behind Kian and Bridget, he looked somber. Not a big surprise since he probably suspected what she was going to ask of him and it was a lot.
“I don’t know what to do, Jackson. I need to be with Andrew, but I can’t leave you here alone to manage the shop and take care of my father.”
He shook his head. “Yes you can. Vlad has taken over all the baking, Gordon is waiting tables, and I man the register and make coffee. If Vlad needs help in the kitchen, I can call up another friend. Anyone can learn how to make sandwiches.”
“What about my father?”
“I promise to call you if he asks for you. Go, you need to be with Andrew.”
Nathalie reached for the boy and hugged him tight. “Thank you. I’ll never forget this, Jackson, never. I owe you so much.”
He patted her back awkwardly. “We are family, Nathalie. And this is what family does for one another.”
Chapter 45: Kian
Looking at Andrew lying unconscious on the hospital bed and listening to the monitoring equipment, Kian felt like he was watching a replay of Syssi’s transition. Same movie with a different actor in the starring role.
Not a pleasant déjà vu.
The big difference, however, was that this time around Kian was neither helpless nor hopeless. Andrew’s vitals were stable, and Annani was on her way. She was due to arrive in less than an hour. The moment Andrew got infused with her blood, Kian would have nothing more to worry about.
Maybe he could even catch some sleep.
After all, Andrew had both Syssi and Nathalie to watch over him.
The poor girl. Kian could hear her throwing up all the way from the bathroom in the other room. The stress was killing her.
Perhaps Bridget could ease her suffering with some relaxant or an anti-nausea medication. Kian left Andrew’s room and stepped into her office. “Can't you give her something for the stress?”
“I offered. She refused. Doesn’t want anything to muddle her brain.”
Kian chuckled. “These two are a match made in heaven. I don’t know who’s more stubborn, Andrew or Nathalie, but my money is on her.”
Oh damn, he’d forgotten that Bridget had a history with Andrew. Perhaps she was uncomfortable talking about him and his new woman. He should ask Syssi, she would know. But until then, just to be on the safe side, he should avoid the topic altogether.
“So, how are Andrew’s vitals, any change?”
Bridget cast a quick glance at her monitors and shook her head. “He is stable. Even his blood pressure remains the same. A little elevated but not climbing.”
“And the fever?”
Bridget shrugged one shoulder. “Nothing life-threatening.”
“Good.” He hoped it was so. “I’m going up to eat lunch. Call me if there is any change.”
“No problem.”
On his way out, he bumped into Gertrude, who had left something like half an hour ago to get lunch for Bridget and her.
“What you got there?” He peeked into the brown bag.
“Two sandwiches from the deli across the street. They are quite good, you should try them some time.”
“I will. Bon appétit.”
“Thanks.”
After the mission, Bridget hired Gertrude to come work in the clinic part time. Kian had no idea why Bridget had waited so long to get someone to help her. The clinic’s budget included a nurse’s salary. True, most of the time there was no need, but whenever there was a patient who required overnight stay, Bridget had to sleep on the couch in her office because other than her there was no one to look after them.
Up in the penthouse, he found Syssi cutting vegetables for a salad. He kissed her cheek and parked his butt on a stool. “Where is Okidu?”
“Readying the fanciest guest room for your mother.”
Annani had informed Kian that she was staying the night, and since she’d stayed with Amanda the other time, it was Syssi and his turn. He was happy to accommodate her, and so was Syssi. Luckily, his wife was no longer intimidated by Annani’s otherworldliness and was comfortable with her. For that, Kian was thankful to his mother. She was doing everything she could to make Syssi feel loved and accepted.
The thing was, the guest rooms, as the rest of the penthouse, were spotless, and Kian wondered what else there was for Okidu to do.
“What’s to prepare?”
She smirked. “Exactly. I swear your Okidu is turning human. He looks so excited, running around, changing the bedding, dusting and polishing. He even ordered four different fresh flower arrangements so he could choose the one that worked best with the color scheme of the guest room.”
Syssi put the salad bowl on the counter and handed Kian a plate with a sandwich on it. “I’m afraid it’s not as good or as pretty as Okidu’s.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Kian waited for Syssi to sit down and pick up her sandwich before taking a bite out of his. “It’s delicious.”
Syssi lifted a doubtful brow but didn’t press him to say anything more. “How is Andrew? Any change?”
“Nope.”
She sighed. “I want to say good, but I’m not sure it is.”
“He is going to be fine. The thing that worried me the most was that he wasn’t transitioning. But now that he is, and that my mother is on her way, all is under control.”
Syssi regarded him with a tilt of her head. “You put a lot of faith in your mother’s blessings, dragging her here for the second time to say it over Andrew. That’s so unlike you.”
She had him there. But this was the best excuse Annani and he had. There were advantages to his mother’s diva reputation. She got away with doing all kind of weird things in the name of her eccentricity. After all, no one was going to argue with the Goddess when she decided she wanted to say a blessing.
“You know my mother. Her decisions have very little to do with logic and everything to do with heart. She believes her blessing will help Andrew pull through, so she is coming. End of story.”
Hoping he’d satisfied her with his answer, Kian loaded his plate with the salad she’d made and dug in.
Wrong.
“That’s Annani’s side of the story. But you must believe in it too. Yesterday you were freaking out and today you are calm and confident in the success of Andrew’s transition. What gives?”
“Nothing. Yesterday I was afraid Andrew was incapable of transitioning. But today I’m not.” He pinned her with a hard stare. “And I wasn’t freaking out. I was worried.”
“You were and then some. You just can’t—”
“He lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh, listen.”
“What?”
“Can’t you hear it? It’s the chopper. It’s getting near. I’d better go up to the roof to great my mother. Do you want to come with me?”
“I would’ve loved to, but I promised Nathalie I’d bring her a sandwich. I have it ready, but I also want to put some of the salad in a container for her and make a fresh carafe of coffee.”
Wiping his mouth and hands with a napkin, Kian got up and kissed Syssi’s cheek. “Good luck with feeding that girl. She can’t keep anything down.”
“Poor thing. She is so stressed. I would be too if not for my vision. It reassures me that Andrew will be okay. Regrettably, Nathalie can’t bring herself to trust my foretelling the way I do.”
“There is nothing more you can do for her other than hold her hand.” Kian pulled her in for a quick hu
g.
“Is Annani coming straight to see Andrew? If not then I should come up and say hi to her.”
“I’m sure she will want to go to him right away, but I’ll let you know.” He kissed the top of her head.
Chapter 46: Nathalie
As Nathalie sat down on the clinic’s sturdy chair, Syssi pushed the rolling table to her. “Thank you,” she said.
“My pleasure.”
Andrew’s sister was so nice, bringing her lunch and staying to make sure she ate. The least Nathalie could do was to pretend she was going to eat and take a couple of bites from the sandwich.
Had she ever experienced stress like this before?
Nathalie didn’t remember barfing when her parents had gotten divorced, or when Fernando had gotten diagnosed with dementia. Was her love for Andrew more powerful than what she felt for her parents? Different? Was this the reason his condition was affecting her like that?
Over and over the bile rose up from her stomach and into her throat, sending her scrambling for the nearest toilet. Excess adrenaline was wreaking havoc on her body, and she seemed incapable of bringing it down to manageable levels.
“You should hurry and finish it. Annani is probably on the roof already and she is coming straight here. You don’t want her to catch you with food in your mouth.” Syssi snorted. “Imagine trying to say ‘welcome Clan Mother’ with cheeks stuffed full of sandwich.”
“Or puking all over her dress.” Nathalie regarded her plate again, then pushed it away. “I’ll eat later.”
Syssi looked crestfallen. “Me and my big mouth. I shouldn’t have said anything. At least take a couple more bites. You must be hungry.”
She was, but she was also nauseous. “I wish I had some saltine crackers. Right now I’m craving them like there is no tomorrow.”
A grin splitting her face, Syssi lifted her hand. “Say no more. I know where I can get some. I’ll be right back, don’t go anywhere.” She bounded out.
As if Nathalie would go exploring while Andrew lay in a hospital bed, unconscious, his future unclear.
He looked peaceful, though, content.
