He tucked my hair behind my ear and snorted a laugh. “Probably for the best.”
Saying all that took it out of me, and I rested my head back against my chair, closing my eyes. Colt moved an umbrella to cover me and ducked into the house. He came back out with my favorite of Janice’s knit blankets, tossing it over me. “Thank you,” I croaked.
Colt sat on the edge of my chair and rubbed my arm. He held up my water cup and put the straw to my lips. I took a tiny sip and burrowed down into the blanket.
“Lil’ watermelon?” he asked, pressing a Sour Patch watermelon against my lips.
I opened to accept the candy, the only thing that would give me even a second’s relief from this nausea. The sourness spread over my tongue as the wind rushed through the pines all around the property, a whisper punctuated by abundantbirdsong. At least if I had to be sick as a dog, I was in a beautiful place. “Get some rest, doc. Sorry you still feel like crap.”
“Sorry I’m ruining vacation,” I mumbled.
His lips met my forehead again. “You could never.”
“Violet? Baby, can you wake up?”
Worried voices surrounded me as I dozed in and out of consciousness.
“I’ll just drive her. They’ll take forever to get here.”
“At least put on some real pants,” Janice argued. “Get something to eat. You don’t know how long you’ll be there. She won’t dry up if you leave her out here for two minutes.”
I tried to peel my eyes open, but they felt cemented shut.
“I’m going now.”
“You have to wear a shirt, Colton,” came his father’s gruff voice. “Just take mine.”
There was some shuffling and then the comforting smell of Colt’s sunwarmed skin filled my nose. I curled into Colton as he lifted me off my chair, wrapped in the warmth of the squishy knit blanket. “Where are we going?”
“We’re getting a doctor to look at you, doc.”
“Bring my bowl,” I said, then coughed.
“We’ll get you fixed up, baby.” I’d never heard Colton sound so worried, but I was too tired to let it affect me.
“Drive careful!” Janice called as I was placed in the SUV’s passenger seat. “Call us when you get there!”
Colt reclined the seat so I could rest and buckled me in. He climbed in his side, turned on the car, and immediately silenced the country music on the radio with a frazzled “SHUT UP!”
I giggled and watched him through my tired eyes. Coltlooked over at me and patted my leg. He released a harried sigh. “You would think this is funny.”
I woketo bright lights and a very tired-looking Colt, wearing swim trunks and his dad’s Margaritaville Hawaiian shirt. “There she is.”
I went to sit up and he rushed to help me. “Careful. Don’t lose your IV.”
“I don’t feel sick anymore,” I said. “Just a little dizzy.”
Colt’s thumb brushed my cheek. “Yeah, they gave you some meds and fluids. But hey, they asked when your last period was. I said I didn’t know.”
“Oh, gosh. I’d have to look at a calendar,” I said.
A face popped between the curtains. “Hey! You’re up.” The nurse entered the room and logged into the computer. “How are you feeling, Violet?”
“Better. Way better.”
“Good. You gave your man quite the scare there.” She winked at me. “I’d keep him if I were you. He’s a sweetheart.”
I gripped Colton’s hand, examining the sparkling diamond on my ring finger. “I was planning on it.”
