He ate his supper, took a shower, and stretched out in bed to watch some television. Still no response from Ruby. There were a million reasons for her not to reply, the most innocent of which being that she might just not want to talk to him. But he had a hard time believing she’d ignore him entirely. Surely, she’d politely tell him to piss off if that were the case.
His chest tightened uncomfortably. She was all alone in a foreign country, a country where she didn’t even speak the language, and as far as he knew, no one had seen or heard from her now in almost twenty-four hours. What if something had happened?
He wished he knew how to contact one of her friends. Surely, they’d also noticed her lack of social media content today. Probably—hopefully—they even knew the reason why. After he’d tried in vain to concentrate on the comedy on his TV screen for about fifteen minutes, he finally gave in and picked up his phone. Best to call now before it got too late.
It rang three times, long enough that he felt the knot in his chest tighten into real fear, before he heard a click and Ruby’s voice.
“I was just about to text you back, you know.” She sounded different, like she was congested. He’d never even considered the possibility that she might be sick.
“Is that so?” he asked, trying to keep his tone light so she wouldn’t hear how worried he’d been.
“Yes. I was taking a bath, and I was in there longer than I realized. I just saw your message.” There was a muffled sound, like she was trying to stifle a cough.
“Are you sick?” he asked.
“Just a cough. I’m okay.”
He remembered the night they met when they sat together in the gardens of the Langdon estate, she’d told him about a condition that affected her immune system and how she’d been too sick to attend school as a child. He was under the impression she was much better now, but he also remembered her saying that she still had to be careful about her health. “Is it just a cough?” he asked carefully.
She sighed, as if she’d already been over this a million times, and she probably had, because if he’d been worried, no doubt her friends and family were too. “No, but I went back to the clinic this morning and got chest X-rays and antibiotics. Believe me, I take my health very seriously. When you have a compromised immune system, you don’t get to screw around, even with a simple cough. But I’ve got it all under control.”
“Chest X-rays?” That sounded a lot more serious than a simple cough.
“I’m very prone to pneumonia,” she told him in a resigned tone. “But we caught it really early. The antibiotics should knock it right out.”
“Pneumonia,” he repeated. “Ruby…”
“It’s really not as bad as it sounds.” Behind the hoarseness, her voice was coated in steel. “I’ve dealt with this so many times, I know the drill by heart.”
“Are you flying home early?” he asked.
Another sigh, this time ending in a deep, wracking cough. “I’m actually not allowed to fly right now. Apparently, changes in air pressure in the cabin could be bad for my lungs.”
“Is anyone with you?”
“No. I told them the same thing I’m about to tell you. I’m really and truly capable of taking care of myself. I’ll be fine, I promise.”
“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” he said gently. “And I’m a lot closer than any of your other friends and family. I also have access to a private jet.”
Muffled laughter carried over the line. “Of course, you do.”
“So?”
“Thank you, but no.”
“Would you let me fly one of your friends over to stay with you? Or your mom?”
“You would do that?”
“Of course, I would. I can’t stand the thought of you being all alone and sick in Paris. Honestly, I can’t believe someone didn’t insist on coming over to stay with you.”
There was dead silence over the line.
“Ruby, you did tell them you’re sick, didn’t you?”
“I did,” she confirmed.
“Then what?”
