Page 35 of The Omega Switch: Part 2

“Well?” I asked.

“Your fever is gone. Your blood pressure is much better, and you’re no longer significantly dehydrated.” He said.

“Okay - so what day is it, Elias?” I asked. He glanced at me.

“Wednesday.”

I frowned. “It was Thursday when I called you.”

“Yes. You needed a lot of time to recover.” My mind moved slowly through the implication.

“A week?” I asked, gawking at him. “I was sick for a week?”

“Nearly. You slept through most of the first three days. After that, you woke for meals and short periods, but you were still deeply exhausted.” He said. Heat rushed into my face.

“I slept for almost an entire week?”

“Yes. It’s a good thing - your body needed it.” He said gently, giving me a calming smile. It helped, but only slightly. I realized I’d slept in my office for almost a week, and the store had likely been shut the entire time.

“But my store!” I said, looking around frantically, my anxiety starting to spike. Elias’s calm voice reached through my panic.

“It’s been taken care of. Your friends have been helping out.” He said, his soothing tone helping to calm the storm of my anxiety. I looked at him quizzically.

“What?” I asked. He gestured to the store.

“Yes. Evangeline and Nora have been rescheduling the workshops, and we kept the place clean. Your customers are aware that you needed some time off and that it will be back open soon.” He explained. I felt a rush of relief, then embarrassment. I covered my face.

“Oh, my god. That’s so embarrassing.” I groaned.

His expression softened. “Why?”

“Because normal people don’t sleep for a week while someone else takes care of their entire life,” I said, looking through my fingers at him. He shook his head.

“Well, normal people also don’t regularly survive on three hours of sleep while running a business alone. You have a support system within reach. You need to use it. Your body can’t sustain that type of work schedule.”

Fragments of memory began surfacing now that I was fully awake - a memory of Elias lifting a glass to my lips, his voice patiently telling me the store was closed. I remembered my hand catching someone’s sleeve because I didn’t want to be left alone. I lowered my hands slowly.

“You stayed this whole time?” I asked.

“Of course.” He said, like there was no other reasonable option.

“You didn’t go home?” I prodded.

“I changed clothes a few times.”

“That wasn’t what I asked.”

His eyes held mine. “No. I didn’t leave you alone. I would never, not while you were so vulnerable.” He said. My chest warmed. I had called him because he was a doctor. At least, that was what I had reasoned when I pressed his name. I needed someone who could decide whether I required a hospital or a meal and twelve hours of sleep. Only, it turned out that I needed more than that.

I remembered reaching for him, my body seeking out his while drifting through feverish dreams. I also remembered searching the room for him, and relaxing whenever I heard his voice. Even now, the thought that he had remained beside me while I was at my most vulnerable didn’t frighten me.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

Elias gave me a look.

“What? You have nothing to apologize for.”

“Well, I took up your whole week,” I said as I sat back, feeling warmth spread through my cheeks. Elias looked at me with fondness.