I watch as he goes through some basic checks—temperature, blood pressure, mouth and eyes—before starting to set up the IV drip. I’ve done enough of them here that I have a somewhat-setup for it, so it doesn’t take Alexander long to have it ready.Barely a minute later, he has the needle in Scarlett’s arm to start her rehydration.
“You’re going to need to watch her,” he says in a gruff tone. “If she tosses and turns a lot, or if she tries to jump out of bed to throw up, she might rip the IV out.”
I nod, already worried about that. I’m not going to sleep a wink tonight.
“You’re probably right that it’s the stomach bug,” he continues. “She’ll be fine, but you did the right thing calling me. She was completely dehydrated.” He sends a curious look my way. “Why didn’t you just take her to the hospital?”
I’ve been thinking about that, too. Ishould’vetaken her to the hospital. But she looked so small, and in so much pain, and—for fuck’s sake, she wanted me to ship her off.I couldn’t bring myself to put any amount of distance between us, even if it was an ER and a waiting room.
“I didn’t think it was worth it for just an IV,” I lie instead. But then I feel bad about how that sounds and turn toward him with a guilty wince. “Sorry, I didn’t mean I’d rather eat up your time than theirs. I just?—”
“Nico. I get it.”
I swallow thickly and turn back toward her. “Yeah. I… Thanks.”
“Who is she?” he asks simply. With no judgment, no expectation.
“She’s…”Fuck, how do I describe Scarlett?“We’re dating.”Not completely accurate, but good enough. Worked with Lucas.“She lives in New York, but she came down for the night. That’s when she started throwing up.”
Alexander nods once in understanding. He doesn’t press for more details.
I turn toward him. “Thank you. For coming over so quickly.”
He gives me a shrug that I’ve learned to interpret asyou’re my brother, it wasn’t a question.
“Did I pull you away from work?” I ask him. Nowadays, Alexander works for a private security firm. Some weeks his hours are odder than others.
He shakes his head. “Not tonight. I’m not back on nights until next month.”
“Shit, so I woke you up?” I didn’t even think about how late it was. “I’m sorry. I can handle it from here, you don’t have to?—”
“Nico, it’s fine. Areyouokay?”
I nod as I sag against my dresser. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just tired. Sorry.” I straighten with a groan. “Do you want a beer?”
He glances at Scarlett, taking in every detail of her current state before he turns back to me. “Sure. You should bring it in here, though. I want to make sure she’s okay before I leave.”
I clap him on the shoulder in a silent message of gratitude.
It’s nice to spend time with my brother. We don’t do it often enough. With my training schedule and his work schedule, I spend more time with Lucas than I do with Alexander.
We shoot the shit for the next hour, quietly chatting in the sitting area of my bedroom. Halfway through, Alexander gives her a second IV bag, and right before Scarlett rouses for the first time, he removes the IV entirely.
She’s not throwing up anymore, thank God, and the color is starting to return to her skin, but she’s still sweating. The second she whimpers in pain, I shoot up from my couch.
“Nico?” she whispers, blinking her eyes open. Unfortunately, her gaze lands on Alexander before it does me, and her eyes widen. She tries to scoot away, but she’s still so weak that she doesn’t make it far.
“Hey, hey, no, it’s okay,” I soothe her, kneeling beside the bed. “It’s okay, I’m here.”
As soon as her eyes focus on me, as soon as my hand touches her face, she relaxes.
“I’m so thirsty,” she croaks out.
I reach for the Pedialyte and hold the straw to her lips. “Here. Drink this.”
I stroke her hair as she takes a few weak pulls. Then she melts into the bed with a sigh and falls asleep instantly.
“Christ,” I mutter, dragging a hand down my face. I can’t contain the sound of my worry as I ask Alexander, “She’s getting better, right? I can’t tell anymore.”
