Page 17 of She's Got that Heat

“Easy,” he says softly. “Are you Allie, the new girl cooking at Fran’s?”

“Yeah. I just…” It’s hard to focus. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.

He slowly turns me in the direction of City Hall. “You don’t look like you’re drunk. Whatever you’re on, whatever’s happening, please just tell me. If it’s drugs, I’m not going toarrest you, but I think we should have the medic check you out. Would that be okay?”

I start to nod, then think better of it. My skull has been filled with concrete, and it’s quickly starting to set.

“M-migraine,” I manage to sputter. I pull Damon’s mail out of my purse. “There. Sleep it off.”

Just before my knees give out, the huge man scoops me up gently. “I’ve got you, Allie. We’ll go to the medic. It’ll be okay.”

There’s a break in the trees, and I close my eyes to block out the strong sunlight. It’s like fire crawling across my skin.

“You feel a bit warm,” the man says soothingly. “I know Damon. I’ll call him in just a minute. Everything is going to be all right.”

If I were anywhere other than Old Hemlock Valley, I’d be terrified that a strange man was taking me somewhere.

But here I’m not afraid. Just totally ashamed.

I didn’t want to be a bother. Didn’t want Damon to know I’m so fragile that I overheat during heatwaves. That I’m still adjusting to my thyroid meds, and I don’t know the side effects yet. That I get terrible air pressure headaches, and occasionally full-blown migraines. I didn’t want him to think I’m a bother – some child that he’s going to have to tiptoe around.

Well, that dream is shattered now. All my stupid health stuff is going to make him run for the hills. I mean, he’s so polite that he’ll think of some excuse. Like maybe he’ll say he can’t have a steady girlfriend because he’s a firefighter and his schedule is erratic. Whatever. He’ll let me down easily, since he’s such an incredible guy.

Way too incredible for a…

Too incredible for…

My head flops against the stranger’s shoulder as I stare helplessly at the flashing lights behind my eyelids as they turn from orange and green to gray, and then…

…

11

DAMON

Oh God, my poor sweet Allie.

My foot is lead on the gas as I drive as fast as I normally do when answering fire calls. This time it’s in response to a call from James, Old Hemlock Valley’s lone police officer.

Thank goodness it was a small fire today and I was already on my way back to town, and that James found Allie staggering in the street before anything happened to her.

I reach City Hall in record time, racing inside to Jonah Wolfe’s small medical office at the corner of the building.

The lights are off, and the curtains are shut tight. Allie is lying back in an easy chair with a cool compress on her head. She’s pale. Her eyes twitch slightly, as if she’s fighting a dream or something.

“She’s okay,” Jonah whispers, waving me over to where he’s sitting across the room with James.

“She looked like she was about to pass out,” James murmurs quietly. “Slurred the word ‘migraine’ and gave me your address, saying she wanted to sleep it off. But I didn’t want her to be alone.”

“She has all the classic migraine signs,” Jonah says. “Mumbled something about flashing lights and being oversensitive to light and heat.”

“This week has been really rough on her,” I tell them. “Something about new thyroid meds making her extra heat sensitive… Does that sound right?”

Jonah frowns. “Could you hand me her purse? I should double check what they are, if that’s all right with you.”

Digging into Allie’s purse feels like an intrusion, but I’m sure she’d understand. I pull out several small bottles, and hand them to Jonah, noticing that the blue and white one is empty. “She also gets air pressure headaches. Said something about tension in the side of her head before they hit.”

He nods, examining the labels. “That explains the painkillers mixed with muscle relaxants. They’re usually used for back pain, but many people say they help with certain kinds of headaches.”

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