Page 81 of Miss Understanding

He took her temperature, which read one hundred two degrees, before doing a throat swab.

He came back a short time later with the results. “Good news is she’s negative for the flu. But she has a virus of some type giving her the fever. Make sure she stays hydrated. She can also take Tylenol and a cold decongestant. I’ll write down the one I recommend, so you can get it from a drugstore. If she develops a cough or a severe headache or any signs of an earache, call me.”

“Thanks, man. I owe you.”

He shook his head. “No. I owed you. I’ll come by later today to check on her again.”

Once we were left alone, I sent Chloe a text message letting her know Kendall didn’t have the flu but did have a virus of some sort. I couldn’t blame her for worrying or for being pissed at me for exhausting Kendall to the point she’d been susceptible to such a illness.

I stroked her hair. “Hey, beautiful, I’m running to the store. I’ll be back in a few minutes.” I needed to get her medicine and some things she’d be able to drink and eat.

She merely mumbled something like “okay” before rolling over and going back to sleep.

After driving to a twenty-four-hour pharmacy and buying the items Lucas had suggested, in addition to chicken soup, Gatorade, and Kleenex, I arrived back home an hour later.

I went straight up to my bedroom to see an empty bed. Panic hit me. Then I heard the water. Was it the shower? I opened the bathroom door a crack and sighed in relief to see her in the glass enclosure. However, upon further inspection, I could see she was bracing herself against the wall.

I wasted no time stripping out of my clothes and joining her. “You okay?”

She turned, putting her head on my chest. My arms went around her. “No. I was sweating through the sheets and wanted to get clean. Then I got in here, and I’m so weak with the hot water.”

“I’ve got you. Come on. Let me wash you real quick, then get you warm and into a clean bed so you can take some medicine.”

“’Kay.”

I made quick work out of washing her, including her hair. I tried to be gentle, and provide comfort instead of focusing on my erection. Evidently, he wasn’t getting the message that she was sicker than a dog.

After getting her dried off, I helped her dress in shorts and a T-shirt her roommate had packed for her. Then I went about stripping and re-making the bed. Finally, once she was in it, I had her sit up to drink some Gatorade and take some Tylenol.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck taking care of me,” she said.

I took the hair brush out of her bag and came back to the bed with it. “I’m not stuck with anything. I’m happy to take care of you especially since I’m responsible for you getting sick.”

She scooted up, letting me sit in back of her to get a better angle on brushing out her hair. Who would’ve guessed brushing hair would be this intimate?

“How are you possibly responsible for me getting sick?”

“Because of all the hours I had you work. You got run-down.”

“I’m sure it has more to do with me taking public transportation on a daily basis. It’s cold and flu season, and I obviously came into contact with someone who had something.”

“Still, I feel terrible.” I brushed the knots out of her long hair as gently as I could.

“So guilt is what made you bring me here?”

“No. I came to the club to pick you up from after work and was surprised to see you weren’t there.”

“Bet this wasn’t the way you thought we’d be spending the morning.”

I grinned. No. It hadn’t been. Yet, there was something immensely satisfying in being able to take care of her this way. I found myself taking on the role without any qualms. “I’m sure it’s not the way you’d have preferred to spend it, either.”

After her hair was brushed, I got up to get her a dry towel to get some of the moisture out. I wished I’d thought to pick up a blow dryer while I’d been at the pharmacy. “You okay with staying here a couple of days until you feel better?”

Her eyes widened. “Are you?”

“I’d prefer you did. You can rest here, and Lucas will be by later to check on you. Your roommate can come over tomorrow if you’d like her to.”

“Really?”