Page 41 of Mac
Elyse dropped her face into her hands wondering how much trouble she was in at work.No use in worrying about it now.She'd find out when she went back tomorrow.
"Like I said, you scared me.Last night I called a friend who's a nurse.I wanted to know if I should take you to the emergency room or something."
Something in his voice made her look up and watch him."I take it she said no?Since I didn't wake up having my stomach pumped."
"He.He had me go find your meds and asked if I knew how many you took."Mac shrugged."I didn't want to go snooping but he'd said it was important.I told him what I knew.You said you'd taken something before I got here and I heard the pill bottle when you got up yesterday morning, so I figured the medicine cabinet was a good bet.I hope you don't mind."
Elyse lifted one shoulder."I was out, and you were trying to help.Besides, I invited you over.I guess I can'tbitch too much about you're trying to make sure I was all right."
"There are some that would, but that's neither here nor there.Kinard told me that medication you're on is some pretty heavy-duty stuff."
"It is, but as you saw, even it took a while to knock it out, and as bad as it was, I've had a lot worse.Before the meds, I've had migraines like this one last as long as a week."
Mac blinked and stared at her a second."A week?"
Elyse nodded slowly, thinking about the last headache that had knocked her out for a week.It had been the migraine that had finally sent her to the doctor to get treatment.There had been a lot of trial and error before they found a combination of medications that worked for her.A maintenance med that she took every day and it made her migraines less frequent and usually less severe, but she also had what they called an emergency medication.That's what she'd ended up taking three of.It was a high dose but not a dangerous one, she knew from experience.
"I can't imagine something like that lasting a week.You were out."
"That is only because of the pills.Normally, when it gets as bad as it was when you got here, I can't sleep."She shook her head, slowly so as not to jar it and make the pain that was all too fresh in her memory return."I'm still surprised I fell asleep so quickly after you got here.Normally I'll lay there for hours afraid my head is actually going to explode.Sometimes wishing it would so the pain will end."
"I'm sorry."Mac wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
The tender way he held her made her feel cared for, even protected.She relaxed against him, reveling in a sensation she couldn't recall having felt in a long time.Maybe not since she was a kid and realized her daddy couldn't protect her from everything.
CHAPTER19
Mac held the pale, fragile looking woman in his arms and fought back the urge to yell.She'd scared him bad enough to call Kinard and all but demand he come over and check her out.Mac didn't tell her that part.He was afraid of how she would react at his having let another man not only into her house, but into her bedroom to examine her while she slept.Kinard had looked her over and checked the pill bottle in the bathroom before telling Mac that she seemed fine, if drugged.His advice had been to let her sleep it off, but don't let her take any more for at least twenty-four hours.That hadn't been much of a worry since it had taken her that long to wake up.
Still, Mac felt better for having someone he trusted check on her.He'd called Jake and had him cover at the shop.The kid might not have a poker face, but he knew how Mac liked the shop to run and he was reliable.There was a lot the kid could do around the Souls, even if they didn't want to put him in a position where he could be a liability.Being Mac's second in command at the shop was as good a cover as any and positioned him well to see what was going on, not only at the shop, but at the clubhouse as well since it was next door, without being too much of a suspect.
Mac shook his head and turned his attention back to the woman in his arms.She was up and moving around, responding to him normally, if a bit slowly, but he was still worried about her.Her skin had a ghostly pallor he didn't like, and she hadn't eaten more than that single cracker in at least thirty-six hours, likely more.
"Aside from that," he nodded at the small sleeve of crackers in her hand, "what's the last thing you ate?"
She was quiet a moment and he assumed she was trying to remember.When she spoke, her voice was soft.
"Lunch Monday, I think.I was going to make dinner when I got home, but Mom called."She sighed, making Mac wonder if maybe her mother was the cause of the headache that had consumed the last day and a half."This started while I was on with her, then I fell asleep."
"With as long as you slept and it has been even longer since you ate, we should get some real food."He gave the crackers in her hand a pointed look."I take it those are to settle your stomach?"He'd never had a migraine, but he'd known a few who did, some of them complained about how they made them sick to their stomachs.
She looked at her hand as if it belonged to someone else."Yeah, kind of," she said after a moment, "but it's more out of habit than need today."
Mac wondered if she had headaches like this often enough to have habits related to them and what that must be like.He didn't like the idea.
"You think you could eat?"
Elyse stared at him a moment and Mac wished he knew what she was thinking.
"It would depend on what it was, but I could probably eat."
"What sounds good?Anything you want, I'll have it delivered."If her place of choice didn't deliver, he'd have one of the prospects bring it to him, or maybe Kinard if he wanted to check on Elyse now that she was awake.
"What sounds best doesn't deliver."She lay her head back against his shoulder.
"I don't care.I'll have someone bring it to us."
She frowned and rolled her eyes up to watch him, as if not sure if she should take him seriously.
