Page 13 of The Queen of Nightmares

“What?”

“Where’s the bug you managed to save?”

“Shit. I left it in the truck. I’m going to need to run and get that. But it can wait until Bones gets here first.”

I gave him a grateful smile and then turned to the nurse. “It was about an inch long, maybe less, and was brown. It had a lot of legs like a millipede, but it definitely wasn’t as long, maybe more like a pill bug, only hairy instead of body armor. Oh,” I winced as I gave in to the increasing urge to scratch one of the many bites.”They bite or pinch or sting. I know that’s not helpful. I’m sorry.”

“Have you tried Googling the bug?” she asked, and I shook my head.

“It all happened so fast. I didn’t even grab my phone before heading here.”

Doc spoke up, already pulling his phone out of his pocket. “I’ll start looking while you get dressed in the hospital gown. I’ll be right outside the room, so don’t worry.” I nodded, my neck feeling stiff, and my smile was brittle as I followed Helen into the room.

She walked over to a cabinet and pulled a typical gown from a shelf before handing it to me. “Change into this. I’m assuming Dr. Erickson will be the one to run your tests, so I’ll wait for him to give his instructions. I will get your ultrasound machine ordered, though.” She smiled as she walked to the door and pulled the curtain toward the wall, blocking all view inside the room from the open door, before closing the door behind her.

I had the top and shorts I had been wearing off and folded neatly on the chair before struggling with the ties on the hospital gown. Suddenly, I was hot, sweaty, and finally feeling that nausea I hadn’t missed waking up with this morning. It seemed that whatever charm Jack had for holding back the morning sickness had worn off.

I collapsed back on the bed and breathed deeply with my eyes closed. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it without having to sprint for the toilet. I heard the heavy knock on the door and swallowed thickly. “Come in,” I croaked out before the wooden door swung inwards.

“You decent, Red?”

I grunted out my answer. I rolled up one hip to tug on the blanket I was lying on, barely having the energy.

“Hey, hey. What’s going on? You were fine a minute ago?”

“I feel sick. And hot.” I whined with a ridiculous pout as I felt sorry for myself.

“Come on. Get up so I can fix your sheets. Bones should be here in just a few minutes. Then you can get my brother to rub your back or whatever shit will make you feel better.” I snorted as I lowered my feet back to the cold floor.

“Nice bedside manner you have there,Dr. Erickson,” I swayed, and the room seemed to grow smaller as I watched through squinted eyes as Doc pulled the blanket and sheet back for me.

“Family and the club get the real me. The hospital gets the professional me. Don’t you feel special?” He turned to look at me after I had stayed silent. I was patting my clammy cheek and taking in deep breaths through my nose.

“Oh, shit.” Doc darted to the sink to grab a plastic bag attached to a bottomless cup from the small stack sitting there. With expert ease, he had the long blue bag stretched out and the cup shoved under my chin just in time.

I groaned once I was done. It probably wouldn’t have been so bad if I had at least eaten something. But after Jack left, I had fallen back to sleep. Then Kara woke me up, and after that, the whole bug thing happened.

Heavy footsteps sounded outside in the corridor, seconds before my heavy room door was pushed open. I knew it was Jack before he even came around the curtain, but I was surprised to see Doc holding a gun and holding me back with his arm when I tried to get past him to get to Jack.

“Jack!” His name came out in a strangled sob. All of the emotions I had been trying to hold back, all the fear, pain, the sudden weakness from being sick. It all came out of me as Jack shoved past Doc when he didn’t move back quickly enough. He scooped me up in his arms and held me cradled to his chest, giving a grateful nod of thanks to his brother before Doc slipped out the door. Without a word, he let me get it all out until I gave an exhausted hiccup.

Jack rested his cheek on the top of my head. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there for you.”

I let out a shaky breath, then cringed. “You have nothing to feel bad about Jack.” I covered my mouth with my hand. “But, if you love me, you will take me to the sink so I can rinse out my mouth. I kinda threw up right before you showed up.”

He cursed as he stood up and carried me to the sink. He handed me a small paper cup and turned on the cold water. “I didn’t get your ginger cookies and tea this morning.”

I spat out the water and glared into Jack’s beautiful dark eyes before turning back to the sink and rinsing again. When I spit it out, I reached for a paper towel, smacking Jack’s hand away when he tried to do it for me.

“You can’t control the world, no matter how big, bad, and tough you are. You just have to accept that some things you can’t command and deal with the aftermath the way we mere mortals have had to do our entire lives.”

“I don’t like seeing you sick or injured,” he growled as he walked me back over to the hospital bed. Then he sat down on the edge, swinging his legs up so he could rest comfortably against the raised head with me in his arms.

“I’m certain I wouldn’t like seeing you hurt either, Jack. But if that were to happen, I would do everything I could to help you get better.”

He raised a sexy eyebrow and ran his tattooed fingers over the red, swollen bites on my cheeks. While he inspected the bites, I ran a fingertip over his neck, lightly tracing the bones that were shaded so spectacularly. I couldn’t help but admire the artistic talent. His T-shirt covered the base of his neck down, so I wasn’t able to give into the enjoyment of tracing the rest of the bones down his chest.

“You wouldn’t torture yourself with the thought that there might have been something you could have done to prevent it?”

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