Unfortunately, she didn’t have the option that morning. She didn’t even have the option of a slow start to the day.
They’d arrived late the night before, getting to the hotel around three in the morning. She’d fallen into bed almost immediately after being shown to her room.
The two hours she’d been able to sleep on the plane had helped, but her body was still telling her that she was asking more of it than it wanted to give.
She sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, thinking through what she needed to do and how to best accomplish it, given the pain and fatigue she was already dealing with. Once she had a plan of attack, she slowly stood up and made her way to where her suitcase sat on the bag rack.
It wasn’t a large suitcase, since they’d only be in New York for a day. She’d packed her most comfortable set of clothes that weren’t pajamas, so she lifted them out of the suitcase and carried them into the bathroom with her toiletries.
A shower might have felt good, but she didn’t have the energy. Instead, she splashed cold water on her face, then went through her morning routine.
Once she was dressed, and her hair and skincare were done, Amelia left her room. They were staying in a three-bedroom suite in the hotel that Julian had booked. She had one, and Ben and Luca had the other two. Julian and his bodyguard, Anthony, had another suite on the same floor.
The men were both in the living room, along with Julian and Anthony.
“Morning, Amelia,” Ben said when he spotted her. “How did you sleep?”
“Pretty good,” she said, which wasn’t a lie. When she’d slept, it had been good. It just hadn’t been long enough.
"Good. And how are you feeling this morning?" Ben asked, his eyes meeting hers with concern.
Amelia hesitated. She had hoped that he wouldn’t ask because she didn't want to admit how bad it was, especially with Julian and the bodyguards present.
"Eight eight," she finally said quietly, using their scale.
Ben's brow furrowed. "That's pretty high."
"I'll be okay." She forced a small smile, though the effort made her face feel tight. "I've pushed through worse."
“Hopefully it won’t be too taxing today,” he said. “But let me know if you need a break. I’ll make sure you get one.”
“We won’t know what you need if you don’t tell us,” Julian added. “So don’t be afraid to speak up.”
“Okay. I will.”
"We're having breakfast delivered to the suite," Julian said, glancing at his watch. "It should be here any minute. Then the car taking us to the clinic should be here around ten.”
When there was a knock, Anthony moved to check the peephole, then pulled the door open. Two people wheeled in carts, that they placed near the table.
Before long, they were seated at the table, eating.
Amelia didn’t have much of an appetite, but she knew she needed to eat so she had strength for the day. She chose some fruit, eggs, and bacon, skipping the bagels and toast.
There was another knock on the door, and this time, Ben got to his feet and went to answer it.
“Thanks, Darren,” Ben said. “I’ll probably need you again later, so just keep your phone on.”
Amelia heard a man say, “Definitely. Just message me, and I’ll be on it.”
Ben shut the door, then turned to come back to the table. He held a drink in his hand, and when he reached the table, he set it in front of Amelia.
“Here you go,” he said. “I had my assistant pick it up.”
She smiled up at him. “That’s perfect. Thanks.”
Amelia caught a look between the brothers, but chose to focus on her breakfast instead of trying to decipher it. Julian and Ben discussed some business matters as they ate, which meant Amelia didn’t have to participate in the conversation. That was just fine with her, as she was very distracted by the day ahead.
“Car’s here,” Anthony announced after receiving a message on his phone. “Ready to move?”
