four of the five burgers she’d purchased. Damn, the man could eat. With singular attention, he ate all the fries, too. When she held out her burger, her patient frowned. “You should eat.”
“I’m not really that hungry, and you’re starving.” Thankfully, he looked a little better. Maybe the combination of meds and food had done the trick. He didn’t argue any further. When he took the burger and began eating through it with the same relentless focus he’d directed to the rest of his meal, she sipped her strawberry shake and relaxed.
“Thank you,” he said after another hour. She’d thought him asleep, but apparently not.
“You’re welcome.” She nodded to the sign as they passed into New Hampshire. “We’re about halfway, and we have another couple of hours at least. How are you feeling?”
“Better.” He shifted in the seat then stopped with a grimace. “The food helped.”
She rested her hand against her own cheek until she acclimated to her temperature before reaching out to brush his face. His skin still seemed too hot to her. “We should change your ice pack.”
“Don’t take anymore breaks, Colby, not unless you need them.” He reclaimed his water bottle and finished it with a long drink. “The sooner we get there, the better it will be for both of us.”
“Yeah, I think it will be better for you.” Still not planning on staying longer than it took to get him into the care of medical professionals, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. His suffering wore at her. All she wanted was for him to feel better. She didn’t dare speed and risk a ticket, so she remained jammed between a rock and a hard place with several hours on the road in front of them. “When was the last time you were home?”
“Twenty years, maybe?” Luc exhaled the words, he definitely sounded drowsy. Maybe she should leave him alone. “I lost track.”
Twenty years before he couldn’t have been more than a pre-teen, if that. What had he done, run away from home? “Long time.”
“Yeah. It’ll be good to see everyone.” A yawn stretched out the last word. When he said nothing else, she spared him another glance. A light snore reverberated from his chest, and his eyes were completely closed.
Sleep was good.
Keeping the car straight and steady was good, too.
Her heart hammered double time. They needed to go faster. I’ve done some dumb things in my life…why did I say yes to him?
Ten minutes later, she reached over and touched his wrist. His pulse beat steadily. Keeping two fingers pressed to the pulse point, she kept the rest of her attention on the road. “Don’t die on me, Luc.”
When he didn’t answer, she pressed the accelerator a little harder.
----
T hree hours later , she slowed to a crawl as she divided her attention between the directions Luc wrote hours before and the rain swept streets in front of her. She could barely make out the signs, not that she’d seen many since she left the interstate. Fortunately, most of Luc’s directions were based on landmarks like a water tower, a bridge, and the one she currently sought—an old-style gas station called Tony’s.
The directions said it was about ten minutes from the bridge, but she’d been driving for fifteen through the downpour and hadn’t spotted it yet. Next to her, Luc continued to snore. If she had to, she’d wake him. The fact his color had improved the more he slept made her disinclined to disturb his rest.
Sucking on her lower lip, she leaned closer to the steering wheel as if it would give her a better view. The gas tank ticked perilously close to empty and her car didn’t play games. When the dial hit E, the car stopped. No passing go. No collecting two hundred dollars. She had a gas can in the trunk for those occasions when she found herself screwed on the side of the road, but—a sign which read Tony’s loomed out of the rain, and she blew out a sigh of relief.
Foot riding on the brake, she slowed and
“I’m not really that hungry, and you’re starving.” Thankfully, he looked a little better. Maybe the combination of meds and food had done the trick. He didn’t argue any further. When he took the burger and began eating through it with the same relentless focus he’d directed to the rest of his meal, she sipped her strawberry shake and relaxed.
“Thank you,” he said after another hour. She’d thought him asleep, but apparently not.
“You’re welcome.” She nodded to the sign as they passed into New Hampshire. “We’re about halfway, and we have another couple of hours at least. How are you feeling?”
“Better.” He shifted in the seat then stopped with a grimace. “The food helped.”
She rested her hand against her own cheek until she acclimated to her temperature before reaching out to brush his face. His skin still seemed too hot to her. “We should change your ice pack.”
“Don’t take anymore breaks, Colby, not unless you need them.” He reclaimed his water bottle and finished it with a long drink. “The sooner we get there, the better it will be for both of us.”
“Yeah, I think it will be better for you.” Still not planning on staying longer than it took to get him into the care of medical professionals, she tightened her grip on the steering wheel. His suffering wore at her. All she wanted was for him to feel better. She didn’t dare speed and risk a ticket, so she remained jammed between a rock and a hard place with several hours on the road in front of them. “When was the last time you were home?”
“Twenty years, maybe?” Luc exhaled the words, he definitely sounded drowsy. Maybe she should leave him alone. “I lost track.”
Twenty years before he couldn’t have been more than a pre-teen, if that. What had he done, run away from home? “Long time.”
“Yeah. It’ll be good to see everyone.” A yawn stretched out the last word. When he said nothing else, she spared him another glance. A light snore reverberated from his chest, and his eyes were completely closed.
Sleep was good.
Keeping the car straight and steady was good, too.
Her heart hammered double time. They needed to go faster. I’ve done some dumb things in my life…why did I say yes to him?
Ten minutes later, she reached over and touched his wrist. His pulse beat steadily. Keeping two fingers pressed to the pulse point, she kept the rest of her attention on the road. “Don’t die on me, Luc.”
When he didn’t answer, she pressed the accelerator a little harder.
----
T hree hours later , she slowed to a crawl as she divided her attention between the directions Luc wrote hours before and the rain swept streets in front of her. She could barely make out the signs, not that she’d seen many since she left the interstate. Fortunately, most of Luc’s directions were based on landmarks like a water tower, a bridge, and the one she currently sought—an old-style gas station called Tony’s.
The directions said it was about ten minutes from the bridge, but she’d been driving for fifteen through the downpour and hadn’t spotted it yet. Next to her, Luc continued to snore. If she had to, she’d wake him. The fact his color had improved the more he slept made her disinclined to disturb his rest.
Sucking on her lower lip, she leaned closer to the steering wheel as if it would give her a better view. The gas tank ticked perilously close to empty and her car didn’t play games. When the dial hit E, the car stopped. No passing go. No collecting two hundred dollars. She had a gas can in the trunk for those occasions when she found herself screwed on the side of the road, but—a sign which read Tony’s loomed out of the rain, and she blew out a sigh of relief.
Foot riding on the brake, she slowed and
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