His Best Friend’s Sister

by Eve Gaddy

  “I dunno. But I feel—”

  She managed to get him turned around before he threw up on her and the bed. He didn’t make it to the bathroom, of course. By the time she got him settled, and cleaned up the mess, Katrina was at it again. She alternated taking care of the children throughout the night, feeling worse every moment.

  I’m going to have to call in sick and stay home with the kids. But at least I don’t have the virus. Yet.

  About five a.m. she thought the crisis was past and both kids seemed a little better. She called and left a message at work that she had to take a sick day. Gratefully she crawled into bed.

  Five minutes later she made a dash for the bathroom.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Zack had spent the past few weeks since his and Laurel’s fight buried in paperwork and biting off anyone’s head who was unwise enough to come near him. He still saw her. He could hardly help that since he couldn’t stop seeing Cody and Katrina. Not without hurting them. But that just made it harder than if he’d been able to simply stop seeing Laurel. Finally one day Levi walked into his office and said, “We need to talk.”

  “I don’t have time to talk,” Zack snapped.

  Levi pulled up a chair and propped his feet on the desk. “Make time.”

  “What the fuck do you want, Levi? And get your feet off my desk.”

  Levi ignored that command. “I’ve been elected to find out why you’ve been such a flaming asshole lately.”

  “I haven’t been,” he snarled.

  “Yeah, you have. Everyone around here thinks so. But the employees, naturally, can’t really ask you why you’re being a turd. However, I can.”

  Levi knew all about Laurel and her pregnancy. Zack had told him after they had spoken to the family. But Levi didn’t know about the house or Laurel’s continued refusal to marry him, live with him, or—he thought sometimes—have anything to do with him.

  Zack wasn’t big on talking about his problems. If he did want to talk about anything, he’d talk to Travis or Levi. But Travis was Laurel’s brother and there were some things you didn’t want to say to a guy about his sister. Such as, why the hell was Laurel so stubbornly refusing to give the two of them a chance? No, make that the six of them, counting all the kids.

  “I bought a house a few weeks ago. The one on the corner of the street behind you.”

  “The Schaefer house? It’s in pretty sad shape, isn’t it?”

  “Says he whose mausoleum only has three decent rooms.”

  Levi shrugged. “I’ll get around to fixing the rest someday. Okay, so you bought the house. Did you show Laurel before you bought it?”

  “No. I didn’t feel like arguing about it and it’s not like we can all live in either apartment. But that’s the problem.”

  “She doesn’t like the house?”

  “No, I think she likes it a lot. But she won’t marry me and now she won’t even move in with me.”

  “Does she say why?”

  “Not really. I think it has something to do with the ex, but she won’t talk about that either.” He got up and went to the window to watch the construction of one of the new hangars. “Laurel has a completely unrealistic idea of what she’s going to be able to do once the babies come. God knows how she thinks she can work two jobs and live with all the kids in that crappy apartment, with no help, but she does.”

  “I’m sure you told her there wasn’t a chance she could do that.”

  He turned around to look at his friend. “Of course I did. That’s what any sensible person would realize. Then she got all hysterical and accused me of calling her stupid and—”

  “Hold it.” Levi swung his feet down and sat up, an incredulous expression on his face. “You called her stupid?”

  “No. I’m not an idiot,” Zack said irritably. “I said she was being deliberately obtuse, which she was. Is.”

  Levi winced. “Good God, Zack, talk about stupid. What in the hell made you think that was a good idea?”

  “I lost my temper, okay? I’m so frustrated trying to get her to listen to me that I finally just lost it.” Zack shoved a hand through his hair. “She won’t believe that I love her either. Keeps saying shit like I feel obligated.”

  “Well don’t you?”

  Zack glared at him. “Of course I do. Any decent man would. But that’s beside the point. It doesn’t mean I don’t love her.”

  “How long has it been since you had this fight?”

  “It’s closing in on three weeks.” A very long, very miserable three weeks.

  “Have you seen her at all since then?”

  “Unfortunately, yes. Whenever I go to see Cody and Katrina, or pick them up to do something with me. Why?”

  “Make up with her. Grovel if you have to. Apologize for being a dick.”

  “That’s rich, coming from you. Have you ever groveled to a woman in your life?”

  Levi shrugged. “No. But we’re talking about you, not me. You’re miserable, if your humor is any indication of that. Laurel’s probably miserable too. You’re not going to give up on your kids, and it doesn’t sound like you want to give up on her. So what other choice do you have?”

  “I’m not groveling. But I could apologize for fighting with her, I guess.”

  Levi got up. “That’s my advice. Take it or leave it, but stop being a dick to the employees, okay?”

  Before Zack could respond his cell phone rang. “It’s Laurel,” he said.

  “My cue to leave. Good luck.”

  “Laurel?” he answered.

  “Uncle Zack, it’s Cody.”

  *

  “Uncle Zack?”

  “Cody? What’s wrong?” The boy’s voice was weak and pitiful. And it didn’t sound put on. He sounded scared. “Does your mom know you’re calling?” He knew Cody could read, but he hadn’t known he read well enough to find Zack’s name in Laurel’s contacts. But maybe Laurel had dialed it for him.

  “Mommy’s sick. Me and Katrina are sick too.”

  “Can Mommy come to the phone?”

  “No. She’s frowing up. And when she stops frowing up she lies on her bed and does this.” He made moaning and groaning sounds.

  “Are you and Katrina frow—I mean throwing up too?”

  “Nuh-uh. But my tummy still hurts and Katrina won’t stop crying.”

  “How long—Never mind. I’ll be right there. Can you let me in?”

  “Probly. ’Cept if I’m frowing up.”

  “I thought you said you weren’t—” He cut himself off, aware that talking to a six-year-old on the phone had its limitations. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  Twenty minutes later, he was knocking on the door to Laurel’s apartment.

  “Who’s there?” a quavering voice asked.

  “It’s Uncle Zack, Cody. Can you let me in?”

  “’Kay.”

  Zack heard a lot of noises coming from the other side of the door, and then the door opened a crack to reveal Cody’s pale face. He shut the door and a few moments later, opened it to let Zack inside.

  Zack pushed aside the stool Cody had obviously used to reach the door lock. “Hey, buddy. How are you?”

  Cody burst into tears.

  That’ll teach me not to ask stupid questions. “Everything’s going to be okay. I’m here now.” He picked up the little boy and stopped at Katrina’s room when he heard her call out. She looked as pitiful as Cody did. So he picked her up too and went to Laurel’s room. Sure enough, she lay on the bed, curled in a fetal position and moaning. He set down the kids and walked over to her.

  “Hey.” She looked pitiful. Her complexion was pasty white, her hair was yanked back in a ponytail but some of it had escaped and hung in a tangled mess in her face.

  Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked at him. “Zack? What are—” Her eyes widened and she shot out of bed and ran into the bathroom.

  It took him a while to get the kids situated with TV, two trash cans, crackers and water, checking o
n Laurel in between. They needed a bath but that would have to wait until he took care of their mom. At least the kids weren’t actively puking. At the moment, anyway.

  When Laurel had dry-heaved for the umpteenth time since he arrived he got worried enough to say screw it, and called Tobi’s cell phone. It went directly to voicemail, which probably meant she was working, so he left an urgent message asking her to call him ASAP.

  Then he called Travis, wondering why Cody had called him instead of one of his uncles, but it made him feel good. Cody wouldn’t have called him if he hadn’t trusted Zack to take care of things.

  “Where are you, Zack? We had a meet—”

  “Never mind that,” Zack said impatiently. “Can you get over to Laurel’s apartment?”

  “Why?”

  “I need you to stay with the kids while I take Laurel to Urgent Care. I put in a call to Tobi but she hasn’t called back.”

  “What’s wrong with Laurel and why aren’t the kids at daycare?”

  “They’ve all got the vomit virus. The kids are better but I’m really worried about Laurel—There’s my other line. Get here quick.” He clicked over.

  “Zack, what’s wrong?” Tobi asked.

  “It’s Laurel.” He told Tobi what was going on, especially the fact that Laurel wasn’t getting any better and looked like death warmed over. “Do you think she could be dehydrated?”

  “It’s certainly possible. Can you bring her here?”

  “As soon as Travis gets here. The kids are better but they’re still home and I don’t want to bring them unless I have to.”

  “All right. I’ll see you soon.”

  Zack knew how badly Laurel must have felt when she didn’t argue about going to the clinic. He wanted to take her in her pajamas, but she refused.

  “I’m not that sick,” she said. “I’m not going out in my pajamas.”

  He thought it was dumb but he also knew better than to argue with a sick woman. He managed to get her into shorts and a T-shirt by the time Travis arrived.

  “Thank God,” he said when Travis walked in.

  “Hi, kiddos,” Travis said before turning to Zack. “How is Laurel?”

  “Not good. She’s letting me take her to the clinic without an argument.”

  Travis raised an eyebrow. “That’s a dead giveaway in itself of how bad she feels. Let me know what’s going on, okay?”

  “I will. I’ve fed the kids crackers and water but I didn’t know what else they could eat. Plus, they need a bath.”

  “So I see,” Travis said, looking at his niece and nephew. “We’ll be fine. Take care of Laurel.”

  Ten minutes later, Zack walked into the Urgent Care clinic carrying Laurel. She tried to walk but Zack was afraid she would pass out, so he carried her, ignoring her complaints. “I’ve already carried you from the apartment to the car. What’s the big deal?”

  “I feel stupid with you carrying me.”

  “Yeah? You’ll feel worse if you pass out and hit your head.”

  Tobi met them in the waiting room. “Bring her on back.”

  Zack laid her down on the exam table. Tobi thanked him and kicked him out. “I will let you back in once we’ve got her taken care of. I’m going to put her on a saline drip and you can come sit with her then.”

  “Tobi? Is she—is she going to be okay?” He hadn’t realized just how scared he’d been for her until he actually got her to the clinic.

  Tobi patted his arm. “Yes, if it’s what I think it is.”

  “What do you think it is and what else could it be?”

  “In all likelihood it’s the same virus the kids have. The symptoms are exacerbated because of her pregnancy. But it’s good you brought her in. We have medicine we can safely give her and I think an IV will do a lot to make her feel better.”

  “And if it’s not a virus?”

  “We’re not going to worry about that unless we have to. Now, go wait and I’ll call you as soon as you can come back.”

  Zack went back to the waiting area, sat down and stared unseeingly in front of him, imagining all sorts of dire things that might be wrong with Laurel. The longer he waited the more he worried. He pulled out his phone and tried to read some news but he couldn’t concentrate. He had to stop himself several times from googling Laurel’s symptoms and pregnancy. Finally, the nurse came and told him he could see Laurel.

  She was lying on the exam table, hooked up to an IV. She still looked a bit pale, but all in all, she looked pretty good considering her last twenty-four hours had been spent in the bathroom being sick as a dog. She opened her eyes and held out her hand when she saw him. “Thank you.”

  He took her hand and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “You’re welcome. I’m just glad you’re feeling better. You scared the hell out of me.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  “I scared myself, too,” Laurel said. “Or I did before I was too sick to think about anything. Are my kids okay? How were they when you left?”

  “They were looking a lot better. I don’t think either of them have been sick again since some time last night. At least, that’s what they told me. Travis is with them. Which reminds me, I need to call Travis and tell him you’re okay.”

  “I’m so glad you brought me here. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that bad before.” She’d kept thinking the worst was over, but then it never was.

  “I’ve never seen anyone be that sick before. Thank God Tobi was able to help you.”

  “What made you show up? Did you just stop by?”

  “No, Cody called me.”

  “Really? I knew he could call Travis or Harlan but I didn’t realize he could call you.”

  “He’s a smart kid,” Zack said with a smile.

  “Thank you.” Laurel blinked back tears. Zack was being so sweet. What would she have done if he hadn’t come over? She knew she couldn’t handle everything alone. Especially not with twins coming. Before long she would have to accept help from Zack. But it wasn’t fair to him to live with him simply because she needed the help. It wouldn’t be fair to any of them. “How about marrying him because you love each other?” her mother had said.

  Laurel put a hand on her stomach. Tobi had said the babies should be fine but to have her OB check her out when she was feeling better, just in case.

  “I’m not sure how long we’ll be here,” Zack was saying to Travis on the phone. “The IV drip can take a long time. Can you stay a while?” He turned to Laurel. “Travis says don’t worry about anything,” Zack told her.

  To Travis he said, “Okay. Tell Cody and Katrina their mom is fine and she’ll be home later on.”

  Zack hung up and stuffed his phone in his pocket. “Why don’t you try to get some sleep while we wait?”

  “Okay. I am sleepy. Probably the medicine they gave me.” She sighed and shifted around to get comfortable, but the IV made that a little difficult. “Zack? I’m really glad you’re here with me.”

  “Me too. Now get some sleep.”

  But she still had something to say. “I wanted to look perfect the next time we saw each other. I dreamed of being all dressed up and looking great.” She laughed weakly. “I’m about as far from that picture as it’s possible to get.”

  “You look perfect to me no matter what.”

  “That’s so sweet. And false, but that’s okay.” She hesitated, then said, “About our argument, I—”

  “There’s no reason to talk about that now. We’ll talk later, when you feel better.”

  “Why are you so good to me?”

  He smiled at her and traced his fingers over her cheek. “Because I love you. Now go to sleep.”

  Laurel closed her eyes and felt him kiss her forehead and smooth back her hair. And she slept.

  *

  After the virus mess, Laurel no longer denied she needed help. She didn’t know what they would have done if Cody hadn’t called Zack. He could have called one of her brothers but she knew neither of them would have been able to stay wi
th her and take care of the kids while she recovered. They could have handled the emergency, but the aftermath? Probably not.

  The virus had done a number on her. Probably because of the pregnancy, she hadn’t bounced back the next day. In fact, it was three days before she felt remotely human. Zack had stayed with them the whole time. But when she went back to work, and the kids went back to daycare, he moved back to his apartment.

  And she missed him, damn it. She still saw him, but he wasn’t living with them. Obviously, she and Zack had made up since their fight. Not that they’d solved anything. No, they mutually agreed not to talk about “it.” The fight. The misunderstanding. Living with him.

  She would need more help as her pregnancy progressed. And she would continue to need help after the babies were born. Laurel remembered how difficult having twin newborns had been for a friend of hers and her twins had been her only children.

  Her babies. Even though she hadn’t wanted to be pregnant, even though it made her life harder, with every day that passed she grew happier about having more children. She’d been petrified she’d lose them when she was sick, but Tobi had reassured her quickly. And a quick trip to her OB had reassured her further.

  Zack didn’t bring up the subject of living together again, but he talked about his new house. Hearing his plans for remodeling made her itch to be involved. Which she could be, if she’d agree to move in with him. Zack and she could have so much fun picking paint, carpet, floors and working on the yard, which needed massive amounts of labor.

  Laurel knew what held her back. The specter of her failed marriage, and her husband’s descent into drug addiction. How could she tell Zack? She’d never told anyone about Stan. Not her parents, not her brothers, not a friend, not a support group, not even her minister. Of course, the poor man would probably faint if she and the kids showed up at church. She hadn’t set foot in a church since Stan left.

  Intellectually, she knew Stan’s addiction was on him. Knew that she had nothing to be ashamed about. Nothing except her naiveté in not recognizing the problem until Stan had run through all their money. And then believing him when he promised he would get help. Believing that he even wanted to get help.