Kyle heaved a sigh. “How do you expect me to do that? You’re basically my size. Actually, a little taller. And the second I stand you up, my guess is, you’re going to toss whatever you ate today as your vertigo gets worse.”
“You’re a crappy doctor.” Alex rolled onto his side, curling into a ball with a groan.
“Not taking that personally. All right….ahhhh, water. Water may help. I’m going to buy some water.”
“Seriously?” Alex called as Kyle hurried from the room, leaving him alone. He let his head fall back against the hard floor. “Come on.”
Alex twisted onto his back again, sucking in deep breaths as he tried to settle his now rolling stomach. “Oh, man, Doc was so right. How does Ava keep doing this over and over?”
Covering his face with his hands, Alex desperately tried to steady himself.
He tried to slow his breathing and pulse as salty saliva coated his mouth. “No, no, no, I’m not throwing up.”
With a groan, he resisted the urge to roll onto his side and retch. “Note to self: tell Ava she’s super brave.”
He squeezed his eyes closed, trying to focus on Ava’s face. Where was she right now? Was she also feeling sick, or wasshe still unconscious? With that sick faceless freak hovering over her?
He had to find out. He had to fight for Ava’s sake.
With his teeth clenched, he snapped his eyes open, forcing himself to sit up, balanced on his hip and his hands. “Ugh.”
He shook his head. “Come on, Alex. You’re tougher than this.”
After trying to stand, he collapsed back down to his side. “Nope, you’re not. You’re so not.”
He puffed for breath. “Ava is probably gliding through this without any trouble at all. You’re a wimp.”
“It’s amazing she actually stayed with you.”
“Talking to yourself?” Kyle asked as he strolled back in the room.
“Yeah,” Alex said as Kyle unscrewed the cap on the water. “I needed expert advice.”
Kyle chuckled. “That’s a good one. Try a few sips. Just a few small sips. I don’t need you throwing up everywhere.”
Alex took two tiny sips. As they hit his stomach, he regretted it. “Ohh, that’s not sitting well.”
“Try to hold it down. The water will help flush this stuff from our systems.” Kyle opened another bottle and downed a large swallow.
“How are you not sick?” Alex asked him.
Kyle shrugged. “I was behind you. You got the brunt of the gas.”
Alex shook his head, immediately regretting that as his stomach rolled again. “How does Ava do this? He knocks her out constantly.”
“No idea. She’s never mentioned getting sick from it, has she?”
“No, and she bounces back pretty quickly. Oh, I feel awful.”
A wave of guilt washed over him. Ava had endured this over and over, and yet she never complained. Her strength and resilience were awe-inspiring, and here he was, struggling to keep it together after one exposure. He needed to be stronger for her. For them.
Kyle downed more water before he tapped Alex’s bottle. “Try some more.”
“Do I have to?” Alex cried.
“Tough it out, Mav. Just a few more sips until your head clears up, and you can actually walk. Ireallydon’t want to be dragging you down the street like a crazed killer. I mean, they call me Crazy Kyle, but still…”
“Hey, we don’t call you that. To us…you’re Doc.”
