Page 96 of Wine & Whiskey
Her small smile confirms he’s doing the right thing. She shouldn’t be alone. He steps into the hall, curling his hand around the edge of the door to keep it from shutting all the way in case she needs him. Nick’s right. He is getting soft.
Carter nods to him. “How is she?”
“Freaked out.” Just like he is. He rubs his throbbing eyes. “What’s the plan?”
“We’re going to say it’s an emergency appendectomy, which gets us—”
Max puts up his hand to stop him as Nathan strides towards them, nodding toward the door. “Is Shae inside?”
“Yeah.”
They follow the physician into the waiting room, and Shae grabs Max’s hand and squeezes as he sits next to her. His stomach clenches, uncertain of what he’ll do with her if Nathan delivers bad news.
Nathan nods before pulling a chair in front of them, his face pinched from stress. “Nick’s unconscious but stable. He’s responding well to the meds, and we’ve been able to reduce the swelling in his brain. I don’t think there’s any permanent damage, but we’ll know more when he wakes up. Right now, we have to wait and see.”
Unsure of when he crossed the line from job to friendship, his body relaxes at Nathan’s good news. First Nick, then Shae. He’s kidding himself, thinking he’s only concerned about the business.
Nathan frowns and shakes his head before he continues, “His blood work came back with markedly abnormal levels. I’ve sent his test results to experts who specialize in cerebral edemas. I have a hunch about what caused it, and they can confirm if I’m right.”
She asks the question before he can get the words out. “What do you think it is?”
“Normally, I would wait until we know for sure, but if I’m right, you’re in even more danger than usual.” He lets out a long sigh, his voice dropping to a restrained tone. “Someone may be drugging him. His symptoms were so sudden and severe, and nothing else would cause them to come and go. The uneven doses would explain why the first attack was moderate and improved when you went to New York, but returned so intensely when he came back.”
What the hell? His mind and pulse race at Nathan’s theory. The culprit would have to be someone they trust. No one else could get close enough to Nick to poison him.
Her fingernails dig into his skin as she squeezes his hand again. “How is that possible? He would know if someone was giving him pills or injections.”
“He’s ingesting it. We have to figure out what it’s in so you don’t consume any. With your size difference, it would probably kill you if you received a dose. Is there something he eats or drinks no one else does?”
Now, it’s Max’s turn to rub his forehead. Nick always turns to alcohol when something bothers him. Shae in New York without him would be more than enough to drive him to drink. “Whiskey. She doesn’t drink it, and I haven’t had any lately.”
Her hand flies over her mouth, and she turns to him. “When Spencer threatened me, he asked if I ever drank whiskey. He knew—”
“Spencer threatened you, and Nick’s being drugged?” Nathan’s face flushes before he stands up. “Damn it, Shae! This just gets worse and worse. I knew I shouldn’t have let you and Carrie stay at his house.”
There’s no time for arguing. He has to get her settled so he can sweep the house again and find this son of a bitch before he causes them any more harm. “That’s enough, Nathan. Neither of us can deal with this right now.”
Nathan scowls as he puts his hands up. “Fine. Let’s focus on Nick right now, and then we’ll talk about the rest later.” His expression softens. “Where’s Carrie?”
Max glances at his watch. “She’ll be here soon. The plane lands in about ten minutes.”
She stands up and hugs Nathan, his name badge swinging from her arms sliding around his waist. “I’m sorry to put you into the middle of this. Thank you for helping him.”
Max meets Nathan’s gaze over her head, raising his eyebrows and nodding. Nathan better fucking comfort her, even if he’s pissed.
Resistant at first, the doctor sighs and returns her embrace. “You’re welcome. If you see Carrie first, tell her I want to talk to her right away.”
“Okay. Can we see Nick now?”
They follow Nathan to a dimly lit room, silent except for the beeping of Nick’s heartbeat across a black screen. His face remains pale with dark circles under his eyes, but the tension is gone. She strokes his forehead before kissing him and whispering, “I’m glad you’re not in pain anymore.”
Max pulls a chair next to the bed and motions for her to sit down, forcing himself to appear calm for her sake. “The guys are right outside, so you’re both safe. I’ve got to take care of some things. Will you be okay?”
“Yes, do what you need to do. I’ll be fine.”
* * *
After the door closes, she wraps her fingers around Nick’s hand and caresses his relaxed face. He fills almost the entire bed. His muscular arms lie at his sides with an IV drip attached to the back of his right wrist. It would infuriate him to know he’s so weak and vulnerable. “Max said this isn’t my fault. We both know that’s not true. I’ve caused you nothing but problems since we met.”
