I can feel the tears starting, stinging the corners of my eyes. I shouldn't have left him alone today. Not after his levels dropped yesterday. I run back into the apartment, trying to remember where I set my phone down. I find it on the kitchen counter.
My fingers fumble the code twice before I unlock it. I pull up the phone icon and run back to Tyler. His color looks fine, his skin is warm, but his eyes are still closed and he's not responding to me.
I dial 911.
Chapter Twenty-One
Iopenmyeyesand blink a few times, moving to sit up.
"Oh thank fucking god." I hear Brandt's voice next to me and turn my head to see him squatting next to me on the balcony. He's crying and the phone is to his ear. "He's awake now. Yeah. No, please still come, at least to get vitals. Yes, thank you."
"What's going on?" I have a crick in my neck from falling asleep with my head to the side. Brandt's hands are on me, but not in a comforting way. His fingers go to my neck and I can see him mouthing the numbers in time with my heart beat. Then he holds his flashlight up to my face. Instinct is to recoil, but I can see the fear in his eyes. "Brandt, what's wrong? Why are you checking me out like this?"
"You weren't waking up." He finally drops his phone from my face and his whole body sags forward. He rests his head in mylap. "I texted you earlier and then you didn't answer me when I came in. I found you out here and I tried to wake you up."
His arms are wrapped around my legs, hugging them to his chest. I run my fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry. I promise, I just fell asleep. I ate the leftovers from the other day and took my medicine. The breeze was nice out here and I must have been more tired than I thought."
Brandt lifts his head, resting his chin on my knee now. His eyes stare into mine. I don't know what thoughts are going through his mind right now, but I can see he's still scared. More scared than he should be. He looks tired too.
Before I can ask him how his shift went, I hear a knock at the door. We're on the backside of the apartment building, hidden from any flashing lights. "Paramedics," someone calls from the other side.
Brandt stands up and pulls me to my feet. "Just let them check you over, okay?"
"Okay." I'm not going to argue it. Not when he is squeezing my hand like he is.
I sit on the couch and let the paramedics do their job. They take my blood pressure, temperature, ask me questions, and even get my oxygen levels. All things that Brandt could have done, but I can see he's exhausted now. I want to get him in bed and take care of him tonight.
"Everything looks good," the male paramedic says. "All normal levels."
"I can see why you were worried when he didn't wake up," the woman says. She points to my medical alert bracelet. The only time I take it off is when I'm showering. I start fiddling with it out of habit when someone mentions it. "That can be a serious thing."
"Yeah, I passed out a couple months ago and went into a crisis." I stand up and start following them to the door.Brandt stays behind in the kitchen. "I've been managing with medication and other resources. It helps that my boyfriend is a nurse too. He sometimes worries a bit too much, but that's just who he is. Thank you both for coming out."
"Make sure to keep hydrated, okay?" The man holds his hand out to shake mine. The woman simply nods and I close the door when they turn around to leave. I make my way back to the kitchen and find Brandt standing in front of an open fridge.
"You're going to spoil everything if you leave that open," I say softly. I crowd behind him, wrapping my arms around his stomach. "How about you bring that food into the bedroom and we'll have an easy night? I'll grab my laptop and we can watch a movie."
Brandt turns in my embrace and holds me tight. He buries his face against my shoulder and we stay like that, unmoving, for a few minutes. I'm not exactly sure how much time has passed when he finally lifts his head again. It's my turn to push his hair away from his face and comfort him.
"I changed my mind," I say. "You sit at the table and eat. I'm going to run a bath, we're going to share it, then we'll go lay down and you're going to tell me how your shift went."
"I don't want to talk about it," he says immediately.
I muster up every bit of the controlling one I am not and look him squarely in the eyes. "This isn't up for debate. You're exhausted and we both have to work tomorrow. You're going to relax and you're going to let me take care of you tonight."
I see his lips part like he's about to protest once more, but then he stops. He closes his mouth and just nods. I direct him to the table and bring the food over. It's getting cold, but I don't think he cares. He starts munching on a fry before I leave him to get the bath ready.
I turn the water to the hottest setting and let it run while I go across the hall into my room. I grab the candle I keep onmy dresser. It's lavender scented. I add some bath salts and bubbles to the bath as it starts filling. The smell is soft, inviting. Definitely relaxing.
Brandt is finishing up a chicken sandwich when I walk back down the hall. I stand behind him and wrap my arms around his shoulders. "Everything is ready when you are, Daddy."
He tilts his head back and purses his lips for a kiss. "I love when you call me that." Another kiss. "I love being your Daddy, Ty."
I don't have the right words to respond to that. Instead, I rub his shoulders while he finishes his food. Then I take his hand and lead him down the hall. When I open the door, the steam billows out, the candle is flickering on the counter top. I turned the overhead light off, so the candle is our only light source.
"This is perfect, Ty. Thank you so much. You are perfect."
We strip out of our clothes and Daddy gets in first. I slip into the water and lean back against his chest. His legs are bent slightly and I wrap my elbows around his knees. I brush my fingers up and down either of his calves. I turn my head to see he's resting with his eyes closed. His arms are wrapped around my shoulders, holding me against him. I wouldn't move even if I could.
