Page 60 of Blackmail
Dammit, Lehman.
“You met him when he stopped by the office a few days ago.”
“What? Oh. OH.” He nods. “Simon. Right.” He smiles awkwardly at the doctor. “I’m terrible with names.”
Perhaps that’s why he suddenly calls Lilliana “Lilly.”
“The doctor here is concerned that I’m abusing Simon because he has old broken bones that I don’t know anything about.”
“Oh.” Lehman clears his throat. “Well, you haven’t known him that long.” Then he mouths something at me that looks like, Have you?
Never again will I send this man in my stead to negotiate a contract. I shake my head.
I turn back to the doctor. “You have no reason to keep him here, and I suspect you’ll be short-staffed when the storm hits. Eighty percent of Belle Argo has already evacuated. You can’t honestly justify wasting resources on someone who only has the flu. Give me whatever medication he needs, and then I’m taking him with me.”
As luck would have it, Simon chooses that moment to wake up. Probably the noise of all of us arguing more than luck, but I’ll take the win.
He blinks awake and meets my eyes, asking, “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Well, isn’t that the question of the day? I’m honestly wondering myself. I don’t know why I stayed, only that I couldn’t bring myself to leave him here alone.
“I was visiting someone else when they brought you in?—”
“Mr. Sinclair, please tell me when and how you broke your arm?” The doctor inserts himself between me and Simon’s bed. Probably hoping to get an answer without my evil meddling.
I need a cat to stroke for this conversation.
Still, I lean forward, more interested in Simon’s response than anyone else in the room.
“My arm?”
“Yes. You have an untreated spiral break in your left arm and some previously broken ribs?”
Simon gives a sleepy, halfhearted shrug. “I grew up on a farm—lots of injuries between the equipment and the animals. The community I grew up in wasn’t too big on outsiders, not even doctors. And by the way, I heard the tail end of your little monologue. Spiral fractures can also come from sports injuries, and things like car accidents, which I know you know because you’re a doctor. So if you’re done filling me full of fluids and interrogating Sebastian, I’d really like to go home. Please.”
Damn right. The way he’s propped in the hospital bed looks extremely uncomfortable. This entire place smells like rubbing alcohol. Somebody down the hall keeps screaming. This is no place for Simon at all.
Lehman looks at me again and mouths, Sebastian?
I’m about to shove that asshole into the hallway.
The doctor is still eyeing me as if he thinks I’m a criminal, but he’s got no real ground to stand on. However, I’m a bit surprised Simon is backing up my story after our last conversation.
“Fine. I’m going to send you home with an antiviral. I want you to rest and stay hydrated. I’ll have a nurse bring your discharge papers.”
Once the doctor is gone, Simon turns to me. “Thanks for swooping in, but I can take it from here. I’ll just Uber home.”
“You are not going to Uber home. We’ve got a storm set to hit shore in a matter of hours, most of the town has left, we’re already getting pelted by outer bands, and you think you’re going to simply call someone to pick you up?”
“Even if you can get one, you know damn well they’re going to be running surge pricing,” Lehman says from over my shoulder. Then he gestures between me and Simon. “Seriously, though, Sebastian, what’s going on here?”
Few people in my life have known me longer than Lehman, and I’d wager he’s seeing a version of me he’s never seen. Given how I’m feeling a little unhinged, I doubt I’d recognize myself if I looked in the mirror right now. Still, I’m too focused on getting Simon the hell out of here to explain.
“Nothing’s going on.” Simon groans and sits farther up in bed.
“I’ll explain later,” I tell my business partner. I turn back to Simon. “And yes, I will be giving you a ride home.”
Simon sinks back against a meager pillow, most likely realizing he doesn’t have much energy to argue. I shoot a text to Lehman and then toss him my car keys. He looks oddly at me before looking at his phone and muttering, “Be right back.”
