“I’m not gonna make it in,” I grumble, the words sandpapering the lining of my throat.Ouch. Goddammit. Ouch.
“You sound terrible.” The sweet sympathy in her tone is a soothing balm to my soul. Too bad it doesn’t do anything for the symptoms. “Do you need me to cover your shift?”
“Could you? I know you have plans to spend today with Tyler. And I hate to ask.” She wasn’t scheduled to work because it’s a holiday.
“He texted last night. He and the guys are in Portland. So no plans.”
“Portland? What happened to you two spending the day together?” Lord, why am I so surprised? This is Tyler we’re talking about. The king of letdowns when it comes to his girlfriend.
A fluttering sigh comes from Keshia’s end of the phone line. “Oh, well. What’s a girl to do?”
Dump his sorry ass. That would be my first suggestion. She can do so much better than him. And hopefully she realizes that before she wastes too much more time on a man who’s only capable of loving himself.
“I’ll make it up to you,” I promise her.
“Don’t worry about me and P&T. We’re good. You just make sure you get lots of rest. Is there anything you need? I can drop it off on my way.”
“No, I’ll be fine.” Maybe I can crawl to the bedroom door since my legs aren’t in the mood to walk there.
We end the call, and with a groan, I lie down on the bed.
The bright side of brain fog is it dulls the memory of what Athena said during her rant that I overheard last week, when she was in the staff room. I haven’t been able to stop replaying it in my head. The downside?
I glance longingly at the spicy romance novel on the bedside table. I don’t have energy to read it.
There are always audiobooks.
I lift my phone and stare at the screen. I just don’t have the brain capacity right now to download an audiobook app, create an account, and find something worth listening to.
Maybe if I go back to sleep, I’ll wake up feeling better.
“Hey, Golden Girl.”The familiar, low husky voice intrudes on my restless dream, and a warm hand touches my aching head.
I’m vaguely aware of a soft moan, a moan possibly falling from between my dry lips. I slowly blink my eyes open. It takes a moment before the man sitting on the edge of my bed comes into focus.
He’s wearing his faded blue T-shirt that hugs his body just right and his jeans.
“What are you doing here?” My voice is scratchier than it was when I spoke to Keshia on the phone. Flames creep along the tender lining of my throat. On top of that, my nose feels like cotton balls have been stuffed up it, warping the sound of my voice even more.
“I took Peony to P&T to visit you, but Keshia told me you were home, sick. I dropped Peony off at home then came here. Is it the spondyloarthritis? You’re having a relapse?”
I shake my head, the movement minute. “No. An annoying summer cold.” Usually, summer colds don’t hit me like this, but with everything going on with my body, maybe the SpA made the illness feel worse than normal.
I try to shift on the bed, but the pain is a twelve. I can hardly move. I’m only capable of groaning.
“Did you have your meds today?”
“No. I haven’t been able to get as far as the bathroom.” The press of my bladder confirms it. If I don’t get up soon, I’m going to humiliate myself.
I can tell from Garrett’s expression the second the same thought crosses his mind. The part about me needing to go to the bathroom. Maybe not so much the part about humiliating myself.
“I’ll be right back.” He disappears out the bedroom door. A moment later, the rush of running water taunts me.
Not helping me here.
Praying my bladder doesn’t fail me, I squeeze my legs together. The action only worsens the muscle pain. It does nothing to ease the need to pee.
Garrett returns and scoops me up in his arms.
