After weeks of fighting the same awful cold, I came down with the worst case of bronchitis. I felt better for a couple of weeks, but then relapsed into walking pneumonia right before Halloween. Three weeks later, my cough didn’t want to leave, and it was easy to get out of breath. I felt as though I’d aged ten years in a matter of weeks.
“The doctor said it hit me hard and may take a long time to go away. I don’t know how you can’t be bored since I am going out of my mind. I hate not having energy.” I was so tired I hardly went to the gym anymore, and my throat was on fire constantly. I supposed my constant hacking irritated the hell out of it.
“Maybe you need more antibiotics. Why don’t you get a second opinion? See what another doctor says.”
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I just need more rest and for my hot boyfriend to keep buying me Wendy’s Frostys.” I lifted my head to give him a peck on the lips.
“I’ll buy you whatever you want, but I want you to get better. You could go see my doctor. Please, Daisy.” Evan kissed my forehead and leaned his chin on my temple. “For me.”
“I’ll see, babe.” I ran my finger along the stubble on his jaw. “Stop being such a worry wart.” I kissed his neck as I rubbed his chest. “Feel like getting a movie tonight?”
“Torturing me with another musical?” Evan picked up my hand from his chest and laced our fingers together.
“You didn’t like Grease?” My head snapped up as my mouth dropped in horror. “I don’t think I could be with anyone who doesn’t like that movie.”
“I don’t hate Grease, calm down. It just gets dumb after a while. All of a sudden everyone breaks into song, it gets annoying. Although it was adorable how excited you got when Rizzo sang with the blonde wig.” I nudged his shoulder and he chuckled.
“How about Across the Universe? I get singing, you get Beatles songs, it’s a win-win.” I sat up and wrapped my arms around Evan’s neck. He shook his head at me.
“If you want Beatles songs, I can sing to you.” He gave me a sideways glance while I squinted my eyes at him. “What? I can sing. Beatles songs were my lullabies as a kid. Remember when I was in the choir when Jack and I were in St. Raymond’s? I’ve still got a good set of pipes, if I do say so myself.”
“You were in the choir? Oh my god.” I shot up from laying down and put my hands over my mouth. “I’ve been screwing a choir boy all these months? Talk about a complete waste of good role playing material.”
Evan sat up and put his elbows on his knees. “Did you know anything about me other than my name when we were kids?”
“I guess not. Sorry.” I shrugged and pouted. A smirk tickled the side of his mouth as he moved closer and sucked, then nibbled on my bottom lip.
“You’re lucky you’re so cute.” He kissed the tip of my nose and I giggled as I pushed him away.
“Okay, then sing for me.” Evan raised his eyebrows in reply.
“You’re serious?”
“Yes. Dazzle me.” I crossed my legs under me and sat up straight. “C’mon, Ringo. Let me have it.”
“All right, if that’s what you want.” Evan scooted over to me and wrapped his arm around my waist. He moved my hair to the side and planted a slow wet kiss right behind my ear before he sang the beginning verse of All My Loving.
The boy could sing. I was stunned by the velvet timbre in Evan’s voice. It wrapped around me and traveled right through me. It was smooth and hot at the same time, sexy and gravely but somehow so sweet. I leaned into his chest and shut my eyes.
When he finished, my face was still buried in his chest with my hands clutching his broad shoulders. I let out the breath I barely realized I was holding. I felt his voice all the way to my toes.
“Well?” Evan pulled back and lifted my chin to meet his gaze.
“I think you melted my panties off.” He burst out laughing, but I wasn’t kidding. Even though I wasn’t quite one-hundred percent, there was a hot ache between my legs that made me want to straddle this man who was too sensual for his own damn good.
The ringing phone snapped me out of my trance. I leaned over Evan to grab the receiver off my end table and he gave me a loud smack on my ass. I yelped as I answered the call.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Paige. Just checking to see how you feel.”
“Hey, Ellie. Still knocked on my ass but not quite as bad. I feel awful that I haven’t been able to come see you guys but I don’t want little Jack to catch anything.”
Something had been off in her voice the past few weeks. When I spoke to her the day she came home from the hospital, she sounded exhausted, but still the same chipper Ellie with happiness oozing off every word she said, especially when she talked about the baby. Now our daily talks were short and overshadowed with an uncomfortable silence. When I’d press her about what was wrong, she just said she was tired.
“It’s okay. Your aunt and mom have been here the past couple of days to give me a hand. You just get better for the christening.”
“Wild horses couldn’t stop me from that church, you know that. Why are they both there? Did my cousin chicken out on changing diapers?” I laughed, but she didn’t laugh with me. There was a long moment of awkward silence.
“Jack . . . hasn’t been feeling too well. Really tired. They came over to help us out so I don’t get overwhelmed.” Her voice trailed off as my heart dropped into my stomach. No. Not Now. He just had a baby, he couldn’t be getting sick again.
I shot up on the couch and glowered at Evan as I spoke to Ellie.
“How long has Jack not been feeling well?” Evan shut his eyes and looked away. Oh, hell no. I wasn’t going to tolerate being lied to and kept in the dark.
“Just the past week or so. Tomorrow he goes to the doctor for a transfusion, which should make him feel better. Please, Paige, I didn’t call to worry you. The baby just started crying so I better go. Your mom keeps telling me not to spoil him by picking him up so much, but I can’t help it. He’s always with me or his daddy . . .” Her voice cracked as it trailed off. I couldn’t find it in me to badger her for the answers I wanted. I could, however, go straight for my boyfriend’s jugular after I hung up.
“Okay, Ellie. I’ll call you tomorrow. I love you guys.”
Ellie let out a long sigh on the other end of the line. “We love you, too. Just rest and feel better.”
We said our good-byes, and then I turned to confront Evan. My face heated as I glared at him. He held his hands up in defeat.
“Daisy, I didn’t lie to you. None of us wanted to tell you Jack didn’t feel well and worry you while you’re still sick. He’s still at work, just more tired than usual. That’s why he’s going for a transfusion.” He tried to rub my shoulder but I jerked away from his grasp. I was never a fan of being treated like a fucking child or be the last one to know anything. Since Jack got sick, that was pretty much how I was treated by everyone.
“Aren’t transfusions a bad milestone, like he’ll start needing those more and more just to feel close to normal?”
“Daisy, I don’t know. I’m not a doctor and I don’t know much . . .”
“Google end stages of Leukemia. It says transfusions are a sign of the beginning of the end.” I took a deep breath as my hands started to shake. My body was absorbing the information it never wanted to receive and was rejecting it. If only it were so easy to make it go away. “I can’t even help them because I’m . . .” My head fell to my hands as sobs wracked my body.
“Hey . . . shhh . . .” Evan pulled me back in his arms and rocked me back and forth. “Look, you just rest, let Jack do what he needs to do, and we’ll all talk about it when we’re together, okay? Let me take care of you for now.” I lifted my head from Evan’s now tear stained shirt and nodded. We lay back on the couch, and I stayed silent as I rested my head on his chest again.