“How’d you get here, angel?” I ask, ignoring her simmering anger. Maybe she’ll punch Luciano. Then I realize her eyes are drooping slightly, and she’s pale.
“I took a cab. I thought I had my migraine medicine with me,” she answers softly, swaying.
Both Luciano and I go to her, and before he can do anything, I scoop her up, being careful not to jostle her.
“She has frozen packs in the freezer. Wrap one in a towel and bring a huge bowl and some ice,” I command, carrying her through the house to her bedroom.
“Why didn’t you call me, baby?” I lower her onto her bed and pull the blankets back to get her tucked in, then step back and grab my phone.
She squeezes her eyes shut while I remove her flip-flops and toss them to the side. “I didn’t want to bother you. I thought it would be faster if I came and got them,” Ace pauses and sits up, throwing the blankets back as she takes off for the bathroom.
Luciano comes in with his arms full just as she starts vomiting. Part of me feels like I’m dying inside as I listen to her struggle.
“Jesus,” he says, setting everything down. “I’m calling the paramedics.”
“Don’t you fucking dare, Luciano Ricci!” she yells from the bathroom.
I smirk at him as I stride past him. “You’d better listen to her.”
He glares at me. “You’re really going to let her make the choice when it comes to her health or safety? I didn’t take you for a fucking loser like that, Savage.”
Stopping in my tracks, I turn my head to look at him. “She doesn’t like emergency rooms, asshole. They give her anxiety and remind her of the accident. I already have a doctor on the way, who she’s going to see whether she likes it or not, but I won’t force her into a fucking emergency room unless absolutely necessary. So go fuck yourself, Ricci.”
Then I go into the bathroom and squat behind her, gathering her hair as she throws up again.
“I got you, baby. Where’s your medication?”
She points behind her toward the vanity. As soon as I open the first drawer, I locate the tabs of pills then get a cold, wet washcloth and hand it to her, before I stride to the bedroom for a bottle of water.
Luciano is in one of the armchairs, his elbows on his knees, staring down at the carpet. “I feel helpless as fuck right now. Tell me if I can do something,” he says.
I feel the tiniest bit of guilt for being an asshole to him a second ago. But not enough to apologize, so I grunt in response and return to Ace.
Ace takes the pill from my palm and lets me hold the bottle while she drinks it down, then leans over the toilet, resting her face on her forearm.
“Do you think you’re done for now, or do you want to stay here for a bit longer?” I ask quietly as I rub her back, feeling as helpless as Luciano. Fuck, if only I could take her pain away.
“I think I’m done,” she mumbles, but doesn’t move, so I let her stay where she is for a bit, just in case.
When she finally starts shifting, I help her to her feet, then take her to the sink to rinse her mouth out before leading her into the bedroom, where she goes directly to bed.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers as I pull the covers up over her. “I’m such a bother. You shouldn’t have to deal with this. You barely know me.”
Her words are slurring like they did the last time she had a migraine, which hopefully means the medication is kicking in and she’ll be able to drift off to sleep.
Leaning down, I kiss her damp forehead. “The only reason I’m not spanking your bottom right now is that you don’t feel good. But we’ll talk about you saying that BS when you’re better.”
Her mouth twitches slightly as she reaches for me, sliding her fingers into my beard. “Why is Luciano here?”
I pause and think about the flowers he dropped on the table. “Because he missed you. He’ll be here when you wake up. Just try to rest, angel.”
“Okay, Daddy,” she answers slowly as she fades to sleep.
“Kian,I’d really love to help you out, but if you could ask your friend to put his gun away, I’d feel a lot better,” Dr. Payton says.
Looking over at Luciano, who’s glaring at the doctor, one of the guns we returned to him rests on his thigh.
“You’re a fucking doctor. Kian says you’re even a great one. So fix her, or I’m going to put a bullet in your head. That’s all I’m asking,” Luciano says. “I think I’m being pretty reasonable, to be honest.”
