Page 11 of Daddy's Little Patient

She sighed and handed him the spoon. She ate until the bowl was gone.

“Good girl. You must have been hungry,” Alex said.

“I was. I can’t really remember the last time I ate, but I know it wasn’t much.”

He didn’t like the sound of that. “What was it?”

“An apple from a tree.”

“The day you ran away or the day after?”

“The next day.”

“That’s four days. No wonder you’re so weak. Do you think you could eat any more?”

She shook her head.

“Where were you for four days?” he asked.

“I hid in the garden shed the first night, but I heard someone looking for me, so I ran. That’s when I got the owie. I bumped into some barbed wire. I knew it was bad the next day when I woke up hurting so much and feeling hot, so I walked until I found the barn. That’s where Mara found me.”

“I’m glad she did. It was pretty serious.”

She smiled. “But you saved me.”

“Yes, I did.” Alex grinned. “If you’re done talking, I want you to drink the milk.”

The glass was empty when she handed it back.

Alex set the tray on the chair and turned back to her. “Scoot down, Baby.”

Sally slid until her back hit the mattress. He helped adjust her pillows. “Are you comfortable?”

She nodded.

“Good. Go to sleep.”

She was out before he got to the bedroom door.

Alex cleaned up her dishes and then warmed up some food for himself. He watched the news on the small TV in the kitchen, standing against the counter, hoping it would give him any information on the woman, but there was nothing. He couldn’t believe no one cared for her or wasn’t worried about her.

He was anxious to find something about her. When he went to check on her, she lay on her side, opposite to where the injury was, with her hands tucked under her cheek. She looked like an angel.

He was exhausted from staying up with the woman for the last few nights. He didn’t want to leave her alone to nap in his room, so he lay down on the other side of the bed. The mattress was king-sized, and he laid on the covers close to the edge. He could justify that he was being ethical and not crossing the line.

The sun was setting when he opened his eyes. He checked on Sally and saw she was still sleeping deeply. He’d let her sleep another half-hour, but then he’d wake her up to eat.

After checking his phone for messages, he started heating up some soup. He put that and a glass of milk on a tray and took it to her. She was still asleep, but since she hadn’t eaten a lot in the last several days, he’d feel better having her eat than sleep.

“Hey, honey,” he said, sitting on the mattress by her hip. He tucked her hair behind her ear. “Sally, it’s time to get up. I’ll let you go back to sleep after you’ve eaten.”

She opened her eyes and stared at him for a moment.

He grinned when she looked confused. “You remember me, right? Alex, the doctor who’s taking care of you.”

She blinked and then nodded. “Hi.”

“Hi. Can we get you sitting up?”

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