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She didn’t need rest. She needed answers. Rosemary tried to tell her about the person in her room, but her eyes began to close of their own accord. “Someone…” She tried to get the words out, but it was as if a dark curtain closed over her mind as she took a deep breath and descended into the darkness.
- 37 -
WHIT
Whit was not looking forward to the conversation he needed to have with Sloane. He’d rearranged his meetings at his Senate office so he could have time with her this morning. She was sitting on the love seat in their bedroom, reading a book, when he walked in.
“Good morning,” he said, smiling as he approached her and kissed her on the lips. “Athena brewed you a cup of green tea, so I brought it up for you. I thought we could have some time together this morning.”
“How nice.” She patted the cushion next to her. “Come sit.”
“How are you feeling?”
“Better. I told Athena I want to take a stroll outside after breakfast. I can’t sit in this room all day staring at the walls. I’m going crazy.”
He squeezed her hand. “I know, but your joints are so swollen. Don’t push yourself. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about something.”
Her forehead creased, and she looked at him with suspicion. “What?”
Whit sighed. “Athena told me about what happened yesterday. In the hallway. Sloane, you could have been killed.”
Her shoulders sagged, and she looked down at her lap. “I told Athena to keep that between us!”
“It’s her job to make sure you’re safe, and honey, you’re not. Tell me what happened.”
Her hands tightened into fists at her sides. “It was nothing. Iwas just looking over the railing, and all of a sudden Doris came running up the stairs and grabbed on to me for no reason.”
“Sloane, come on. We both know that’s not what happened.”
She squeezed her eyes shut and rocked forward. “Oh, Whit. It was scary, but strange and wonderful at the same time.” She took a deep breath. “Suddenly, I was infused with all this energy, and I thought…just for a minute…well, I thought I could fly.” She sat up straight and looked at him, her eyes brimming with concern.
Whit put his arm around her, pulling her close to him, and she leaned her head against his shoulder.
“I’m frightened,” she said.
“I know, I know. But we have to be proactive. We’ve always known that hallucinations are possible with your kind of lupus. What if Doris and Athena hadn’t come out in time? Have you thought about that?”
She nodded. “I’ve thought of nothing else. I’m going to call Dr. Porter’s office today.”
“I already have. He’s upped the steroids again and will see you at your appointment the day after tomorrow.”
“Okay.”
“Until then, we need to make sure you don’t leave your room unsupervised.”
“What do you mean?” Her tone was guarded.
He took his arm away and faced her eye to eye. “You just admitted you thought you could fly! The alarm people are coming later this morning to put a sensor on your door that will alert Athena and the staff when it’s opened.”
“You’re treating me like a child! It’s humiliating.”
“No, I’m treating you as someone I love and am worried might hurt herself without knowing it. And it’s only until we get to the bottom of things. We can’t risk another incident like this. Be reasonable, Sloane. What other solution is there?”
She slowly nodded. “Fine. But only until after we see Dr. Porter and get this resolved.”
He could hear defeat in her voice. “Of course, sweetheart.” He stood. “I’m going to stop by the foundation and sign some checks for Brianna. Then I’ve got back-to-back meetings this afternoon, so I’m not sure how late I’ll be.”
“Okay.”