Page 78 of Boss with Benefits

She halted her words, looking frightened. I'd never seen her unsure like this, and my heart beat quickly, anticipating what she might say. There was something about the way she was looking at me. Like she was seeing me for the first time.

She bit her lip, the habit so familiar it filled me with warmth.

Her phone went quiet, but then mine started ringing. She glanced over my shoulder at it and her expression shifted to worry.

"It's Valeria," she said, reaching over and giving me the phone.

I answered it. Valeria spoke rapidly, urgency in her voice, and before I could ask any questions, she hung up.

My heart lurched, and I sat up too quickly, dizziness washing over me.

"What?" Rachel asked. "What is it?"

"Something's happening with Mom. Valeria said to come. Now." I stood but then fell back to the bed, my legs weak. "I have to get back there."

Rachel steadied me, her voice filled with determination. "I'm coming with you."

"Okay. But could you change out of that damn outfit?" I grumbled.

Her mouth hitched up in a mischievous smile. "Nope."

37

RACHEL

Derrick made the Uber driver speed through the streets until we reached the hospital in Brooklyn. I nearly barfed. I held my stomach as we rushed through the hospital corridors, the sharp smell of antiseptic not helping my nausea.

Derrick's face was filled with worry, and I barely kept up with him as he barreled through the door of his mom's room. The sight that greeted us was terrifying. His mom was seizing, her body convulsing violently on the bed. Nurses and a doctor swarmed around her, working with a practiced urgency that did nothing for my panic.

"What's happening?" Derrick's voice cracked as he grabbed Valeria who stood at the edge of the room, hands gripped in front of her chest.

"She's having seizures," Valeria said. "They're not sure why. It could be a complication from the infection, a reaction to the medication, or something else entirely."

Valeria's words were a blur as I tried to process everything. Seizures. Complications. It seemed too much for a simple infection.

A nurse ushered us out of the room and the doctor entered the hallway a few moments later.

"Dr. Nwosu, what happened?" Derrick asked.

The doctor was tall, in his early sixties, with close-cropped hair graying at the edges. He glanced at me, his gaze sweeping down my outfit, a quizzical expression on his face, but he didn't say anything.

"We had to put her in a medically induced coma to stop the seizures," the doctor explained, looking between Valeria and Derrick. "It's the best way to give her brain a chance to rest and prevent further damage."

Derrick's face fell into darkness. "A coma? Is that safe?"

"It's not without risks," Dr. Nwosu admitted. "But it's necessary right now."

Derrick's muscles tensed in his neck and face as he processed this information. I stepped closer, putting a hand on his arm, but he shook me off.

"Derrick, she's going to be okay," I assured him.

"You don't know that," he snapped.

His words stung, but I couldn't blame him. He was in a world of fear. There was a tightness in my chest, wishing I could relieve his pain, but he was rigid next to me, and his body screamed “don't touch me.”

All I wanted to do was be near him, soothe him, comfort him, and just be with him. I'd never felt an urge this strong.

It was terrifying.

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