I’m not sure what the hell caused it, but I know it didn’t feel normal.
It has to be connected to the anoxic brain injury.What else could it be?
Even so, a thread of unease winds through me. I’ll call the specialist first thing in the morning, just to be sure there isn’t something bigger going on beneath the surface.
I’m probably overthinking it.
But after everything that’s happened… better safe than sorry.
Chapter Ten
MERCS
After Effa finally made her way back to bed last night, I had trouble slipping back into sleep. She drifted off almost immediately, her breathing evening out against my chest, but I couldn’t shake the sense that something wasn’t quite right with her recovery. Even now, lying here with her tucked into my arms beneath the blankets, my heart still refuses to settle into a steady rhythm.
I keep replaying it—the headache, the sudden overheating, the way she looked disoriented for those few seconds. It might be nothing more than her pushing herself too hard, but ‘might’ isn’t good enough for me when it comes to Effa’s health.
I want to take her back to Pittsburgh today and have her checked over by her specialist, just to be certain. Maybe she overdid it, maybe her body’s still recalibrating, but I don’t want to take any risks.
Effa murmurs softly and shifts against me, beginning to stir. I bring my hand up instinctively, stroking her arm in slow, reassuring passes. She lifts her head, her eyes foggy and heavy with sleep, blinking up at me before a lazy smile curves her lips.
“Good morning, handsome.”
I can’t help but chuckle. “Morning. How did you sleep?”
She stretches against me, letting out a satisfied little moan. “Like a log once I cooled off… you?”
I hesitate. I don’t want to lie to her, but I don’t want to admit I’ve been awake half the night imagining worst-case scenarios either. Instead, I carefully untangle myself from her and sit up on the edge of the bed, shifting the focus.
“I think I can smell bacon. Can you?”
She sniffs dramatically, her eyes lighting up as a wide grin spreads across her face. “Oh, yes. Gran, I love you,” she declares, bouncing out of bed and practically racing to the luggage to dig out something to wear.
I watch her, relief mixing with unease. She looks fine, she sounds fine, but that doesn’t mean everythingisfine.
“We should call your specialist today,” I say evenly. “Maybe take a trip back to see him?”
She spins around, the grin slipping from her face, replaced by something more measured. “I’ll give him a call after breakfast, tell him what happened, and see what he says. No need to drive an hour if he can assess me over the phone. Right?”
Every instinct in me wants to shut that down immediately. I want to tell her it’s not negotiable, that this isn’t something she gets to downplay. I want to take control of the situation, to make the decision for her because I’m terrified of making the wrong one by leaving it to chance.
But fear won’t help her heal.
And fear could very well push her in the other direction.
So I force my anger and panic down where they belong and steady my voice. “We’ll see what he says. But if he wants to see you, we’re going. No questions. I don’t care if we have to stay in Pittsburgh for a week of testing, Effa. If he wants you there, we go. If he doesn’t and says everything’s fine…” I shrug, moving past her to pull out my own clothes. “Then we deal with that.”
She steps closer and places her hand over mine, grounding me. “Kaden, I’m fine. I feel fine. Just a tiny, weeny, incy headache…” She uses her fingers to show me. “And that’s it. I promise. There’s nothing wrong with me. You don’t need to protect me… but I love that you want to.”
I release a slow breath and nod, sliding my hand up to the back of her head and pulling her gently toward me. I press a firmkiss to her forehead before leaning back enough to look into her eyes. “I just… I can’t let anything happen to you. Not again.”
Her arms wrap around my waist, holding me tightly, and I feel the steady beat of her heart against my chest. “Nothing’s going to happen,” she murmurs. “Like I said, I’m fine. Stop panicking.”
I lean down and kiss her properly this time, slower, savoring the connection. She means more to me than I ever thought another person could. The idea that something could still be lurking beneath the surface of her recovery, and that we might ignore it, makes my chest tighten.
She pulls back before I can deepen it, and I swallow the groan threatening to escape. Instead, I step away and watch as she pulls out a long tie-dyed maxi dress, mostly white with blue streaks swirling through it like watercolors. She slips it over her head and lets it fall into place, forgoing a bra entirely. I shake my head, already knowing exactly what that low neckline is going to do to me.
The front dips dangerously low, and the skirt splits high along one leg, swaying open when she moves and revealing flashes of smooth, toned skin. It’s unapologetically Effa, and it’s going to drive me insane.
