Page 59 of Sweet Nothings

With watery eyes, I gasp when I see a book sitting at the end of a dresser. It’s a romance novel—one I haven’t read yet. I find myself smiling through my fevered state, wondering if I ever told Lennon I liked to read romance novels. I can’t remember a time when I did. I flip the pages of the book before placing it back on the dresser.

Pulling the blanket around me tighter, I venture out of the bedroom for the first time since coming home. I step over my abandoned pink blouse and black dress pants, not having the energy to pick them up.

I’m wearing only Lennon’s T-shirt from last night and my panties. When I came home, I saw his shirt laid out across his dresser and felt the pull inside me, telling me to wear it.

Unsure if anyone is here, I slowly walk down the hallway, peeking into the kitchen before fully committing to entering. I’m standing at the foot of the hall as Ray sets two large tote bags on the counter. He begins emptying them, placing bags of vegetables and meat on the counter.

He twists his head in my direction when he sees me.

“I’m sorry, Mrs. Harding. I tried to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“It’s…” I croak, pausing long enough to attempt to clear it without screaming out in pain. “It’s okay.” I nod toward my bedroom behind me. “Did you get all that stuff for me?”

“I picked it up.” He nods, moving to the refrigerator. He organizes the items and places them in their proper place before shutting the door and turning around to face me. “But your husband asked me to go to the pharmacy and pick up everything you might need.”

My eyebrows shoot up, and my jaw drops. I point my thumb back over my shoulder. “He asked you to buy all that?”

“Yes,” he says resolutely. “He wasn’t able to break away from his meeting this morning, but he wanted to make sure you had everything you might need so you were well taken care of.”

A tear slips from my eye. I quickly wipe it away, not wanting Ray to see the effect Lennon’s unexpected gesture has on me.

My husband brought the entire pharmacy to me.

My knees feel weak, but I’m unsure if it’s from my fever or from Lennon.

I leave Ray in the kitchen and shuffle back to the bedroom. Dropping the throw blanket on the floor, I inhale another shiver. Reaching for the book, I shove it into the crook of my arm and grab the heating pad, a bottle of water, and two of the pain pills before climbing back under the sheets. This time I lay in the middle, resting my head on Lennon’s pillow.

After plugging in the heating pad, I swallow the pain pills before settling in and cracking open my new book.

I don’t even make it through the first page before my eyes grow too heavy to stay focused. And when I fall asleep, the pain in my body is almost erased by Lennon’s presence surrounding me.

When I wake up again, darkness has descended upon my bedroom. A moan escapes my throat when a large hand slides along my bare thigh, inching toward the hem of Lennon’s T-shirt I’m still wearing.

“Holy shit, Laurel. You’re burning up.”

I open my eyes to find Lennon’s deep blue ones staring back at me. It feels like it’s been forever since I’ve seen them.

“I know,” I groan.

My throat isn’t as painful as it was earlier, but the echo of it still lingers. I swallow, hoping it will soften the heat.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Lennon pleads, the corners of his mouth turning down in a frown.

“You’ve been so busy at work,” I whisper. It’s easier and less painful to whisper. “This week was too important for me to bother you.”

“You’re my wife, Laurel.” His fingers lift the hem of his shirt I’m wearing, his fingers circling the side of my ribs. “It’s my job to make sure you’re taken care of and that you’re protected.” Guilt settles in his expression. “But I’m sorry I couldn’t get out of my meeting earlier. I came home as soon as I could.”

I look behind him to the cornucopia of medicine and gifts sprawled out on the dresser. I’m still in shock. Although I haven’t seen much of him lately, knowing he took the time and effort to make sure I had all the medicine I would need stirs something deep inside me. A hole I didn’t know existed started to fill when I saw the pharmacy in my bedroom.

When you’ve been used by so many others throughout your life, especially when that someone is an ex-husband, the sweet gestures are more apparent. David would never have done anything like this for me.

I look back at Lennon.

“Thank you for bringing the pharmacy to me.” My shoulders quake with a gentle laugh, and I give him a small smile.

A grin spreads across his face, lighting his eyes. “Since I couldn’t be here to take care of you, I wanted to make sure you had everything you needed to get better.”

He pauses, the corner of his mouth curling into a playful smirk. “At least until I got here.”

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