Page 76 of Boss with Benefits

I shrugged. "This morning."

"Right. It says on the hospital site that there's a cafeteria. I'll go grab some food. You need fuel." She tugged my hand and pulled me until I sat in the chair by my mom's bed. "You're no good to your mom or anyone if you can't function. I'll be right back."

I opened my mouth to thank her, but she was gone, and for a moment I wondered if I'd imagined Rachel. It had been over a week since I'd seen her, and with the distraction of my mom, I hadn't thought about her as much...only every hour of the day instead of every minute.

Rachel came back with a selection of sandwiches, soup, and a large coffee.

"Eat," she instructed.

Too beat to argue, I sank back into the chair and devoured one of the sandwiches. Rachel moved around the room as I ate, readjusting my mom's blanket, refilling the water pitcher, and reading the screen of my mom's vitals.

The door opened again, and this time it was Valeria. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw Rachel.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?"

"I just heard about your mom, but I'm more worried about Derrick. He looks like he's about to pass out," Rachel said. "I thought you were upstate."

"I got someone to cover for me." Valeria crossed to Mom, putting her hand on Mom's forehead. "Derrick's been pulling the weight of three people. You need to go home." She looked pointedly at me. "Let Rachel take you. Get some sleep."

I started to protest but Valeria cut me off. "Mom's stable. The fever's come down. The doctor just wants to observe her for another day. You can go. You're no good to anyone if you collapse."

Rachel was already gathering my things into my backpack. "She's right. Let's get you home."

The ride in the cab was a blur, and before I knew it, I was at my townhouse, collapsing onto the couch. Rachel put a blanket over me, and I tugged it around me, a shiver running over my skin. She placed her hand on my forehead, and I shoved it off.

"Not now, Rachel," I groaned. "I don't have the energy to deal with you."

Her body stiffened beside me, but she didn't move her hand.

"You're burning," she told me and stood up.

The stairs creaked as she walked up them, and I heard her in my bathroom upstairs, rattling through my cabinets and drawers.

"What are you doing?" I yelled, my eyes closed, the chill getting worse.

"Where's your thermometer?" she yelled back. Then, "Never mind! Got it."

She clambered down the steps and pressed the digital thermometer to my head.

"Shit," she mumbled.

"What?" I asked.

"It's over a hundred." She was pacing the rug in front of the sofa. "Do you have Tylenol?"

"Check the drawer next to the fridge," I said, closing my eyes.

"Can't find it," she said from the kitchen.

Then she was upstairs again opening and closing drawers. I heard her say something about going to the store. Another door closed, and then it was quiet and I drifted off.

I stirred from a restless sleep, my clothes sopping wet. I was burning and freezing all at the same time.

A light flicked on.

"Derrick, sit up. You need to take these." I peeled my eyelids open. Rachel stood above me with a glass of water and two pills in her hand. I lifted on my elbow and swallowed the pills down. Fuck, I felt awful.

"We should go to a doctor," Rachel said.

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