Page 52 of You First
Meredith sighed a second time, but this one sounded like relief instead of frustration, and Gray felt her body relax just a fraction. Again, he took in the sensation of touching her. She tensed when she spoke of Oscar’s father. She relaxed when he defended her against herself. What else could her body teach him?
“Yes, we do.” She looked up at Oscar who now sat between Juno and Vulcan, a hand on the scruff of each dog. “Anyway, my friend Brooke is coming to get Oscar. Jamie’s been ignoring me all day.”
“What a fool,” Gray muttered before he could stop himself, and this time Meredith laughed. His head rocked with her laughter, and for a moment, Gray had nothing in his skull but happiness.
“I’m calling your brother now,” she said, after her laughter died.
Gray closed his eyes. “If you must.” Nothing good would come of that, but he couldn’t help it.
“I must.” The tension he felt in her body returned, but her fingers also came back to his hair. He almost moaned at her touch. She could have no idea what it did to him. Even as his head ached and his muscles felt like kettlebells, it stirred him body and soul.
She’s doing that because she’s training to be a nurse. Nurses are supposed to comfort patients. She’ll be very good at her job.
He told himself this was the truth, but since her touch was the only piece of his current existence that wasn’t pain or fear, he let himself forget that and simply feel her.
“Hi, Mr. Blakewood, it’s Meredith Ryan…” She tensed harder, her thighs cementing beneath him. “Bax. Sorry… Well, no, he’s not okay—”
“I’m fine,” Gray called, making sure Bax could hear him.
“Yes, yes, that’s him. He had a seizure, but I was here… In fact, it’s my fault, really.”
“It isnother fault,” he called again.
“Quiet,” she hissed at him. “You see… No, sir, it’s not Gray’s fault. There was this flashing… What?… Hedoesn’t?”
Meredith’s fingers stopped moving in his hair. “You don’t take your Topiramate?”
He opened his eyes to see her scowling down at him. How could someone so sweet look so scary? “I take it,” he defended. “Just not every day.”
“Ugh! And here I thought it was Oscar’s toy that nearly killed you.”
“It wasn’t Oscar’s toy… I mean, the toy didn’t help, but—”
“Starting now, you are taking that medicine every single day.” She wasn’t scowling anymore. She was glowering.
“I can’t write when I take it every day.”
Meredith opened her mouth to speak. Then she closed it. Her gaze shifted to the right, and Gray realized she was listening to Bax.
“What are you telling her, Bax? Mind your own business.” A spark of fear lit through him. Would his brother say anything about the tumor? The thought of her knowing made him cringe.
“Yes, I can… That’s no problem… I have class in the morning at eight o’clock… Sure… Okay, I’ll see you then.”
Meredith ended the call. She didn’t know about the tumor. He could tell by the look on her face. Something Bax said left her surprised, but she didn’t look shocked, and she wasn’t regarding him with pity.
“What the hell did he say?”
Meredith blinked a few times. “He said he was going to call Dr. Cates to see about getting you in for another scan—”
“Bastard.”
“And he’s going to be here in the morning to make sure you’ll go—”
“God dammit.”
“And he asked me to stay here tonight to keep an eye on you.”
Gray swallowed. He had no curse at the ready for this news. A whole night with Meredith. If his head weren’t already in her lap, the thought alone could make him dizzy. But, surely, she wouldn’t choose to be burdened with that. And what about her son?
