“That’s it. Time for you to get some rest.”
“I’m fine,” Tamika protested, though she clung appreciatively to him.
Anton ignored her and marched toward the door.
“Is she okay?” Layla asked, sounding alarmed.
“I’m taking her outside to get some fresh air.”
Outside the building, he placed her on her feet and forced her to sit on the steps.
“What do you need?” Anton asked.
Tamika felt as if she were going to throw up. “I don’t know where this is coming from. I’m queasy and tired, as if I’m sick.”
“You’re exhausted,” Anton said in a hard voice.
She nodded, rubbing her stomach. “Could you get me some water, please?”
“I’ll be right back.”
He left her alone, and as Tamika’s stomach churned, she wished she could feel better. She had so much work to do, she absolutely couldn’t fall sick. Then, unexpectedly, her stomach lurched, and she threw up on the side of the steps.
Crap. What the heck was wrong with her? She wasn’t the only one working hard here, so why was she so affected?
Anton rushed to her side and handed her a bottle of water. “Sweetheart, you gotta take better care of yourself. I understand this is a big opportunity for you—”
“Anton, I can’t slow down now. This is my dream. This is bigger than my dream. Free publicity and everything is going great. I’ll take a nap, like Marvin is doing, and then I should be fine.”
His jaw line firmed. “I don’t like this.”
“I’m not working harder than anyone else.”
“Actually, you are,” he said, his voice taking on a scolding tone. “You been going practically nonstop, and I warned you about that. What are you going to do tomorrow, when you have to continue working and your friends aren’t here?”
“Push through.”
“I know this is your dream—”
“I’m not stopping now,” she said angrily, cutting him off. She rinsed out her mouth and then took a swig of water.
Looking exasperated, Anton ran a hand over his head. “I can stay with you again tomorrow.”
She shook her head vehemently. “You’ve done enough. You need to get back to work.” He’d done plenty, working with her since Thursday and recruiting his friend, Marvin, to help.
“As far as the firm knows, I’m sick, and I still have plenty of time I can take. I can’t stay away for too long because of my cases, but I can definitely help you tomorrow. Okay?”
She nodded, relief washing over her that he was willing to set aside his work yet again to help her. But she hated to see the worry in his eyes.
Anton took a seat beside her and squeezed her into his chest. Kissing her temple, he said, “You’re not in this alone.”
“I know. Thank you,” Tamika said quietly.
A few minutes later, she was back inside, working side-by-side with Anton and her friends. Marvin came in later and jumped right back in to help Anton with the packing and stacking.
At the end of the evening, they loaded up the cars, each person promising to deliver their packages to the post office the next day. Tamika was teary-eyed and happy that she had such good friends and such a good boyfriend. On the way home, she fell asleep in the passenger seat, and Anton helped her into their apartment. He undressed her and helped her get under the covers before joining her.
Exhausted, Tamika fell fast asleep, worried that her symptoms weren’t simply from being tired.
