“Looking after you.”
He entered the room carrying a glass of water, a bottle of pills, and a small plate of toast. Her brow pulled low. He was behaving completely at home in her house, and she didn’t remember him ever even being here.
Connor set down the items on the nightstand and then lifted the back of his hand to her forehead. “Hey now. That’s a good sign.”
“It is? I still feel like I’m dying.”
He cut a side glance at her. “You were really warm.”
“And I’m not now?”
He didn’t answer. She watched him closely, a mix of confusion and incredulity, as he slipped the thermometer out of the pocket of his jeans, pressed a button and then held it in front of her mouth. She opened her mouth and let him set the thermometer under her tongue. It beeped a moment later, and he slipped it out.
“101.3.” He smiled at her again. “That’s really good. You’re out of the woods now.”
Her eyes shifted. 101.3 was the temperature she’d had whenshelast checked it, so apparently Liza had missed quite a bit.
“How long have you been here, Connor?”
“Since Monday.”
Liza arched a brow. “You meantodayisn’t Monday?”
Connor shook his head and set the thermometer down. He handed her the plate of toast as he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. “Try to eat some of that so the pill doesn’t upset your stomach.”
Liza balanced the plate on her lap and bit a corner of the toast, struggling to chew and swallow with a parched mouth. She reached for the water as he picked up the bottle of pills. The small orange bottle had a label with her name on it, which meant she must have gone to both a doctoranda pharmacy.
Why the hell couldn’t she remember anything and, again,what else could she not remember?
Setting the glass down, she picked up her phone, checked the date, and balked. “It’sWednesday?”
“You slept almost the whole time.” Connor held a pill in his palm just in front of her. “You really needed to rest.” He looked at her through weary, blue eyes. “Baby, you’ve been really sick.”
Liza fought to ignore the feeling deep in her tummy caused by him calling her that again. “So you’ve been in my house fortwo days?”
“I stayed out there.” He gestured with his chin at the wall separating the bedroom from the living room. “I only came in here to bring you meds and water and food you barely ate.” He shook the pill in his hand. “Go ahead and take this.”
Liza picked up the pill and swallowed it with a long sip of water, eyeing him over the rim of the glass.
“The guys said you were sick, and I came over to check on you. You let me in, but you were really disoriented and had a dangerous fever. I took you to the emergency clinic over on Jackson. You tested positive for the flu, and they gave you a shot to start your antibiotics, and then I brought you back here. You went straight to bed, and I got your meds, and then I took up residence on your couch because the doc said someone needed to monitor your fever until it got down to a safe level.”
“Oh God.” Liza rubbed her clammy face. “I’m so sorry, Connor. You didn’t need to do all that.”
“Actually.” His brows climbed his forehead. “I did. If I didn’t come over here, that fever could’ve landed you in critical care.” He rubbed his palms on his jeans and stared at the wall. “I was sure after Friday that you and Riley…” He rolled his eyes and shook his head.
She raised her eyebrows. “Thought wewhat?”
He shook his head again. “Nothing. I’m just friggin’ stupid.” He huffed loudly. “Anyway, he let me know you were running a fever and stuff, so I came over here to check on you. When I got here, it was obvious you needed all kinds of help.”
She slumped against the headboard. “Well, I really appreciate it. I’m sure being trapped in my house while waiting on me hand and foot is the last thing in the world you wanted to be doing with your time.”
“I’m happy to do it.” Connor stood up and took a step away from the bed. “You should try to eat something substantial. You haven’t had much more than dry toast for a couple of days.” He briefly placed his hand on her cheek, gentle in a way that squeezed her heart, and then slipped his hands in his pockets. “I picked up some more chicken soup. It would probably be a good thing to start with if you feel up to it.”
“Sure.” Liza pulled back the sheet and started to get out of bed when he touched her shoulder.
“Don’t get up just yet. You don’t want to pass out or something. I’ll bring it to you.”
“Connor, you really don’t have to—”
