Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“It doesn’t matter.” He brushed my hair off my face and whispered, “Mal, I’m really worried. Should I ask if there’s a doctor available?”
“No. Please just help me get out of here.”
We both stood up, and he kept his arm around me as we left the restroom and made our way through the restaurant. Our waiter rushed to catch up with us and asked, “Is he okay?” He was carrying a large bag, and he followed us out of the restaurant and through the lobby.
I muttered, “I’m fine.”
“I packed up a bunch of pastries, some quiche, and some fruit for you, since you didn’t get to eat much,” he told Daniel, as he held up the bag. “I figured that stuff would travel well and keep until you could get to it.”
“Thanks,” Daniel said. “You didn’t have to do that, but it’s really nice of you.”
“Dude, you tipped me seventy percent. It’s the least I could do,” the guy muttered.
Daniel smiled at him as he held the door for us. “I spent the last six years waiting tables. I will never not wildly over-tip.”
A golf cart and driver were waiting right outside. The waiter put the bag in the passenger seat when we climbed in the back, and then he waved to us as we drove off.
I leaned against Daniel and whispered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think it would hit me so fast. Usually, it builds for a while before it really starts to hurt.”
He picked up my hand and kissed my knuckles. “No more apologizing, Mal.”
“Okay, but maybe I should get you a room in the lodge for the next couple of days. You’re not going to want to tiptoe around and—”
“No chance. We’ll get through this together. I know you probably won’t want company, and that’s fine. But I’m going to be right in the next room, ready to help whenever you need some tea, or a cold compress, or anything at all. That’s not open for discussion.”
I put my head on his shoulder and whispered, “Thank you, Daniel.”
Things got pretty bleak over the next two days, as the migraine moved in and took over my entire life. I was nauseous and miserable, and the only thing I could do was lie in the dark bedroom with a cold cloth on my forehead to try to ease the pain.
Meanwhile, Daniel stepped up more than anyone I’d ever known. He was patient and attentive, and he made taking care of me his entire focus. I couldn’t really eat, but he did his best to keep me hydrated. He also turned switching out the cool cloths on my forehead into a full-time job. It was the only thing that provided a bit of relief, so he got a stack of washcloths from housekeeping, dampened them, and put them in the freezer. Then, whenever the one I was using warmed up and stopped helping, he immediately switched it out for a cold one. I lost track of how many times he did that.
He was there for me in other ways, too. If I wanted him to hold me, he did that. At other times, when I wanted company but couldn’t handle being touched, he curled up on the other end of the bed. Sometimes, I needed total silence. At other times, listening to him talk was soothing. Even though my requests often seemed to contradict each other, he didn’t question it. Instead, he listened to what I needed in that moment and did his best to help. It meant the world to me.
The pain began to ease on the third day, but I was far from a hundred percent. In the middle of the night, I got up and took a shower, then put on some clean sweats before joining Daniel in the living room. It was raining again, and all the lights were out. But there was a fire in the hearth, and it lit the room with a soft, golden glow.
When I curled up at his side, he spread his blanket over both of us and put his arm around me. “It’s a relief to see you up,” he said. “You look like you’re still hurting, though.”
“I am, but it’s half of what it was.”
“Would you like to try eating something? You must be starving.”
“In a little bit.”
“Okay. Let me know when you’re ready.”
I found his hand under the blanket and held it between both of mine. After a while, I said softly, “I can’t begin to tell you how grateful I am for all you’ve done for me throughout this, Daniel. I would’ve been lost without you.”
“You’d do the same for me.”
“Yeah, I would. But I feel terrible about wrecking your vacation, and I really—”
“You haven’t wrecked anything. Please don’t feel guilty.”
I put my head on his shoulder and listened to the rain drumming on the windows. After a while, I muttered, “You’ve gotten to see me at my absolute worst on this trip, between melting down over flying to getting taken out by a migraine. It’s not a pretty picture, is it?”