Page 81 of Beau Pair
Bless him. I don’t know how deep of a sleep he got, but I pass him a chocolate bar that’ll hopefully help ground him.
“You rest up, baby. I’ll take us to your mama,” I tell him, and pull out of the gas station, then turn left.
The GPS has already given up trying to calibrate, as I thought it might, so I’m glad I asked for directions when I did.
“How did you know to get here?” Beau says as I park up at a cute little farmhouse with both the porch and first floor lights on.
I turn to him and lean in to give him a gentle kiss. His lips taste of chocolate and the edges of his mouth are dark brown when I pull away. I use my thumb to wipe his face and then lick my thumb clean.
“I asked,” I tell him, and get out of the car.
I go around and open the door for him, and we walk to the front door together, which swings open the minute we step in front of it.
“Beau,” says an elderly woman with black and white curls and a shawl around her shoulders. “So good to see you again.”
“Hi, Mrs. Miller,” Beau says, and the nurse steps into the house with Beau following behind her. “How is she?”
Mrs. Miller smiles and walks into the kitchen where she proceeds to fill up the kettle and boil some water for tea, even though we didn’t ask for any.
“She’s in a lot of pain, but I gave her some of the good stuff, so she’s resting now,” she replies.
“Can-can I go see her?” he asks.
Mrs. Miller leans against the kitchen counter and cocks her head to the side.
“Fine, dear. But be quiet. She only closed her eyes a few minutes ago, and she needs the rest.”
Beau nods, gives my hand a tug, and goes off upstairs.
“Please, sit down,” she tells me when Beau disappears from my line of sight, and I turn to her. “I’m Jackie Miller. The town nurse. You must be Beau’s boss.”
Well, I’m far more than that, but I nod and tell her my name.
“It was so nice of you to drive Beau all the way here. Milk? Sugar?” she asks, and pours the hot water in three cups.
“Yes to both. Two sugars,” I tell her, and as she turns her back to me to make my tea, I take the opportunity to look around me.
The walls are white and the ceilings low. The main colors are brown and beige, although there are some vibrant spots—like an indigo wooden herb rack that’s hanging in the middle of a bare wall—that I know is all Beau. It’s a mix of old and modern that gives it a rustic feel even though it’s not on purpose.
“Have you heard from the lab?” I ask when she puts down my cup.
“No, it’s likely it will be in the morning. I’ve made up the guesthouse so you can get some shut-eye if you want,” she says.
I don’t tell her I’m not sleeping without Beau. It’s none of her business. But I do hope he can get some rest because he hasn’t stopped all day, even before we got the news, and he needs it. Especially if he’s going to be strong for his mother.
He joins us a few moments later and sits down on the chair next to mine.
“She’s fast asleep. She looks fine,” he says, and slurps the tea that’s already on the table. Jackie must be a friend if she knows how he takes his tea—five sugars and a bucket of milk. My baby has an extremely sweet tooth.
“I’ve made your bed, dear. Go and get some sleep. You look like death,” she tells him, and Beau glares at her.
“I’m fine,” he says. “I can’t sleep now even if I wanted to.”
Jackie nods, picks up her tea, and gets up.
“I’ll leave you two alone. I’m gonna go read my book and keep an eye on your mama.”
Beau thanks her and turns to me. I take him in my arms and caress his hair that’s starting to get longer, and I can’t say I don’t like it.
