Page 44 of Haunted

From the beginning, I’d felt a connection to her; the pull had been so undeniably strong it sent me into a tailspin until I found her again. She was gorgeous, both inside and out; the perfect complement to my broody ass.

Moving a lock of hair, which had fallen across her face, behind her ear, she shivered a little. Thinking she was cold; I went to pull her against me when I realized there were beads of sweat clinging to her face and chest. The room we were in wasn’t hot, if anything it was on the cooler side.

“Henley,” I called, but she didn’t move. Shaking her shoulder, I tried again, louder this time. “Henley.”

“Wha rung?” Her lashes fluttered, never opening fully and her words were slurred. Checking the pulse at her wrist, panic ensued when I felt how rapid it was beating.Way too fucking fast.

Leaping out of the bed, I dug through my bag, throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt before running to the bedroom door. Flinging it open, not giving a fuck that it slammed into the wall, I ran down the hall, hollering out for Lanie as I flew into the bathroom, snagging the familiar black bag I noticed on the counter a few hours earlier. Lanie was coming out of her room when I raced past her.

“What the fuck, K? Do you?—”

“Get some juice,” I demanded. “Henley’s blood sugar dropped. I can’t get her to wake up.”

“Fuck,” I heard her say, but I was too focused to respond.

Reentering the bedroom, I dropped to my knees at Henley’s side and with trembling hands, opened her kit, recalling the steps she’d taken a few days ago in my kitchen. In less than twenty seconds, I had a number. Fifty-two. From my research, I knew anything under seventy was too low, but I was hopeful we hadn’t reached the point yet where we’d need to call for an ambulance.

Sitting on the side of the bed, I pulled her into my lap, keeping her upright and covering her body as best as I could with the duvet.

“Come on, baby. Wake up for me.” Her eyes were unfocused when they slowly opened and her limbs were shaky and uncoordinated, but at least she was conscious. “That’s it.”

“Here,” Lanie rushed in, handing me the small glass filled with orange juice.

“Can you help hold her head up? I need to get some of this in her.”

“We didn’t eat dinner last night,” she cursed.”

“Huh?”

“We didn’t eat, K. We're used to skipping meals after a shit day, but she can’t do that.”

“No, she can’t, and now we’ll make sure it never happens again. Now help me out here, please.”

Using both hands, she held Henley’s head steady while I brought the glass to her lips.

“Drink, baby.”

The first couple of tries, more of the juice ran down her face than went in her mouth, but then she began swallowing small sips until finally, she finished the entire glass.

“What do we do now?” Lanie asked, takingthe cup from my outstretched hand, giving me a damp dish towel she produced from somewhere to wipe the sticky liquid from her face in return.

“Can you make her something to eat? A peanut butter sandwich, maybe?” I remembered the jar I’d seen when I’d carried her belongings into the house. “She’ll come around in a few minutes, but she’s going to need something to keep her sugar up.”

“Yeah, no problem.” She stuttered to a stop at the doorframe and looked back over her shoulder. “I’m sorry, K.”

“Not your fault, Lanie.”

When she was gone, I turned my full attention back to Henley; wanting to get her dressed since the immediate crisis was over. I was relieved to see the dampness on her face from earlier had dried, however she was still too pale for my liking.

Shifting her weight around, I eased her down onto the mattress, then rummaged through my bag at the foot of the bed for an extra T-shirt. It would cover all the necessary parts, even though it was too huge for her small frame. Besides, there was something about seeing her in my clothes which had my inner Neanderthal beating his chest in victory.

Shirt in hand, I moved back to the top of the bed, only to be met with shimmering green eyes.

“Hey, baby.” Sinking down near her hip, I took one hand in mine, giving it a squeeze. “How are you feeling?”

“Tired. Hungry.” She licked her lips, making me want to do the same.Get your mind out of the gutter, Keaton. Christ.

“Can you sit up a little? I want to get this on you before Lanie gets back.”

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