“Here, honey.”
I close my lips around a straw and pull the refreshingliquid into my mouth.
“Slow down,” he warns.
I open my eyes and find him leaning over me with worrycreasing his brow.I try to stroke his cheek, but pain shoots up my arm when Itry to move it.There’s a tube sticking out from under a piece of tape on mywrist.Am I in a hospital?No.I’m in our bedroom.
“What… happened?”
“You had a fever.You’ve been unconscious for a few days.”
So that’s what that dream was.It was just a figment of myimagination—images concocted by my feverish brain.When I try to sit up, hehelps me, holding me against him while he stacks pillows behind me.He offersme the glass again, and I drink until my thirst is quenched.
“Thank you.”
My voice is still scratchy, but at least I can talk.
“How do you feel?”
“Okay.”
“The fever broke, so that’s good.”
“Have you been taking care of me?”I ask.
“Every day.”
“Huh… Did that include sponge baths?”
I see a hint of a smile as he strokes my cheek.
“Every day.”
“Lucky you.”
“You seemed to enjoy them.”
“I have no doubt that I did.”
Just thinking about him doing it has me feeling a littlehot.I pat the bed, and he climbs in next to me with a heavy sigh.I lay myhead on his chest as he wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“You smell different.New cologne?”
“Are you telling me I stink?”He chuckles.
“No, you don’t smellbad… just different.I like it.”
As a matter of fact, he smells awesome.I can’t stopsniffing him.Someone’s coming.I hear footsteps.Clara appears at the doorwith a huge smile on her face.
“Casey, dear, I brought you something to eat.”
“Thanks.”
“I’ve been worried sick about you,” she says as she strokesmy cheek.
“I’m okay.”
“I see that.I’m off now, give you two some privacy.”
