Page 41 of Tides of Discovery
“We’ll try,” I said. “Just a little.”
I brought him a mug of broth rather than a bowl, easier to manage in his weakened state. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched as he managed a few cautious swallows.
“This is good,” he murmured, surprise clear in his voice.
“Don’t sound so shocked,” I teased. “I’m not useless in the kitchen. If I can make a latte, I can microwave a mug of canned broth.”
He continued to sip the broth, and I was acutely aware of how domestic the moment was: sitting on his bed, watching him drink something I’d prepared, the casual familiarity of caring for someone when they were helpless. It was the kind of moment couples shared. At the end of our four weeks, would we be a couple? Indecision and longing jumbled in my gut.
His eyelids drooped. “You should rest,” I said gently. I took the still-half-full mug from his hands.
Jack caught my wrist as I stood, his grip surprisingly strong for someone so ill. “Cooper.” His eyes burned with something more than fever. “Don’t leave me.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I assured him. “Just to the living room. I’ll be right outside the door if you need anything.”
He shook his head and tugged weakly at my wrist. “Stay here. Please.”
How could I refuse him anything when he looked at me like that? I settled back onto the edge of the bed. “Okay. I’ll stay until you fall asleep.”
Jack nodded, apparently satisfied, and closed his eyes. His hand remained loosely wrapped around my wrist, as if to ensure I wouldn’t leave. Within minutes, his breathing deepened, and his grip relaxed as he drifted back to sleep.
I should have moved then, returned to the couch. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Instead, I gently disentangled my wrist from his fingers and transferred to the chair, where I could watch over him without disturbing his rest.
The day passed in a rhythm of caretaking. I urged fluids whenever he woke, helped him to the bathroom when he had the runs, and administered medication at regular intervals. By late afternoon, his fever had dropped slightly, though he was still obviously miserable.
At dinnertime, I woke him gently. “You haven’t vomited since noon. Think you can sip a little more broth? Eat some crackers?” I asked.
Jack struggled to sit up, and I instinctively moved to help him. I arranged pillows behind his back. The casual touch of my hands on his shoulders, his back, felt both completely natural and heart-stoppingly significant.
“Thanks,” he mumbled. He accepted the mug of broth and the crackers I offered. “You’ve been here all day?” he asked, as if he didn’t remember asking me to stay.
“Where else would I be?” I settled into the chair with the sandwich I’d had delivered for myself.
“What about The Coffee Cove?”
“Jessica and Marco took care of it.” Throughout the day, Jessica had sent me text updates and reassured me everything at the shop was under control.
Jack looked at me strangely, as if trying to solve a complex level in a game. “You’re too good to me,” he said finally.
“Impossible,” I countered lightly, though fear crept in at the edges—what if I let him down after our four weeks ended? How would he feel about me then?
We ate in comfortable silence, and Jack managed more food than I expected. His color was slightly better, and his eyes seemed clearer. The worst of the fever had broken, though he was still frail and sick.
“I should let you get back to sleep,” I said when he’d finished eating. “Need anything else before I go?”
Confusion crossed his face. “You’re leaving?”
“Just to the living room,” I said. “I’m going to sleep on your couch tonight.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he protested, though without much conviction.
“I know,” I said simply. “But I’m going to. Someone needs to make sure you don’t take a turn for the worse in the night.”
Jack’s fever spiked again around midnight, and with it came rambling that had me sitting on the edge of the bed, washcloth in hand, trying to follow his disconnected thoughts.
“Cooper?” His voice was thick and uncertain, eyes unfocused as they found mine in the dim light.
“I’m here,” I said softly, and pressed the cool cloth to his forehead.
