Iris wasn’t familiar with the sensation but judging by how badly Finn was sweating and how red his face looked, she figured it was painful.
“Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“No. No, this happens once in a while. I just need to rest it.”
“Iris can help you get up,” Monty offered.
Iris shot him a look, but the bird was right. She had to help Finn off the floor.
“Yeah, here,” she said, moving closer. “Take my hands.”
Finn huffed out a few more breaths before reaching out. His hands were clammy in hers, and he looked about to faint as he slowly let her pull him to his feet.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to a doctor? You went from lobster-red to angelfish fast.”
“It’ll pass. Help me over to the couch.”
“You’d think a mayoral candidate would have better lumbar support,” Monty mumbled.
“Not helping,” Iris chided.
It was a painstaking process, but she eventually got him over there, then let him use her body as leverage to lower down.
But the second he leaned back, a loud howl escaped him.
“Perhaps he needs to be in bed,” Monty suggested. He got another look from Iris.
“I just need to be flat. These cushions won’t work. Can you help me to the floor?”
“The floor?” she repeated.
“You can’t let him sleep on the floor,” Monty insisted.
Of course she couldn’t.
“You can take the bed.”
“Nonsense,” Monty said, waving a wing. “You can share. It’s plenty big for the two of you.”
“It’s fine. The floor will work.”
“Oh, for Triton’s sake,” Iris said, reaching down for his hands again. “Come on.”
It was a slow process down to the bedroom. By the time she got Finn into the bed, he looked exhausted.
He reached into the nightstand, shuffling around with a familiarity that reminded her that this was once his room, his bed, his nightstand.
A bottle of pills rattled as he opened it. He threw back several without a drink before collapsing against the pillows.
Iris stood there, feeling helpless.
Mermaids didn’t typically suffer from ‘thrown-out’ backs. She had no idea what to do, but felt like she was supposed to do … something.
“I’m all right,” Finn said, patting the space beside him. “Get some sleep. You’ve had a long day.”
When she hesitated, Finn sighed.
“Iris, can we just … not tonight?”
