“Migraine?” she asked, keeping her voice soft. I nodded as I was pushed down to sit on the bed.
“How did you . . .?”
“I am, in fact, a doctor,” she told me. “Or had you forgotten?”
I didn’t answer. The pain was building and building. It wouldn’t be long now until I vomited with it. She cut off the lights and I breathed a sigh of relief. The searing sensation behind my eyes abated a little, but the nausea didn’t recede. “I’ll get you some painkillers.”
I shook my head.
“Can’t . . . can’t keep them down,” I managed to get out, wincing as the words echoed around my head. “Vomit.”
There was a long pause. I heard the bedroom door open then close and the low murmur of voices from next door. After a few minutes passed, I heard the door open again then felt the bed depress next to me.
“Barclay?” She smoothed the hair back from my forehead “I’ve got some anti-sickness medication I can give you. It dissolves on your gum. Is that okay?”
“Yes, yes, whatever you’ve got.”
“Are you allergic to anything?”
“No.”
A small tablet was pushed into my hand. “Put this on your gum above your teeth and leave it there. It’ll take about ten minutes to work.” I complied and felt it start to dissolve.
“Why don’t you lie down and I’ll get the painkillers ready.”
“I need to talk to you. I . . .”
Every word was causing me more pain. Bile rose up into my throat and I dry heaved.
“Hey, hey, hey,” she cooed, smoothing my hair back again then pulling a blanket up over me. “Shh, for a bit okay? You can get back to being Barclay Lucas Saviour of Mankind when you’re not about to up-chuck on my faveWomblesbedspread.” She left then, and I heard more muttering outside the room but couldn’t act on it through the fug of pain. Ten minutes later, a couple of pills were put in my hand and I swallowed them without question.
“I should go,” I said, my voice not much above a whisper after the effort of lifting a glass of water to drink and handing it back to Kira.
“I know,” she said. “Lie for a minute, then we’ll get Mr Sexy Security to come up and fireman lift you out to your posh car. That’d make for a juicy tabloid story.”
“Just for a minute,” I said relaxing into the bed, which was surprisingly comfortable despite the fact my feet were dangling off the end.
Chapter 9
I melt your ice-cold heart
Barclay
Lavender.
I was surrounded by the smell of lavender.
Had Mrs Scull changed the washing powder?
If she had, I was going to tell her to change it back. Lavender reminded me too much of . . . My eyes shot open and were confronted with an image of a rainbow with a badly painted unicorn jumping over it. I blinked twice but unfortunately it was still there, decorating a wardrobe door that was inches from my face. A fleecy blanket fell off my shoulders as I gingerly sat up and surveyed my surroundings with dismay.
I hadn’t managed to take in much detail last night through the pain, but there wasno doubtthat this was Kira’s bedroom. The bed was hobbit-sized, the wardrobe was wedged so closely between the bed and the wall that I doubted opening it was an easy task, and the whole room (other than the terrible painting on the wardrobe) was painted bright yellow. The kind of yellow that I’d once read could lead to mental illness.
I rolled my head on my shoulders and rubbed the back of my neck. The pain had gone, but I was left with an odd numbness across my forehead and temples, which I knew would last for another few hours at least. I checked my watch and groaned. I’d been asleep for ten hours. Ten hours? In this miniscule bed? How was that even possible? I always needed to sleep the migraines off, but even when I was at home I only ever managed a maximum of six hours sleep. Why had I slept for double that in a bed that didn’t even accommodate the entire length of my body?
I swung my feet around and they landed on a load of papers that were strewn across the floor, scrunching up under my feet. Glancing to the side table, I spied a glass of water and two more tablets with Post-its sayingdrink meandeat mestuck to them. I obeyed the Post-its and then stood . . . very, very carefully, lest I fracture my skull on the beams. It didn’t take long to search the flat and discover it was deserted. A little nest of a pillows and blankets was sitting on top of the double beanbag and I felt a stab of guilt to realise that was where Kira must have slept.
I’d just managed to locate my shoes when I heard the front door bang and light footsteps.
