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“Please call me Ali, and it’s a seven.”
“Don’t let it get above a five.” She handed me what looked like a call button. “Press this whenever you feel it creeping up. It’s important to stay ahead of it.”
“What will happen? Will you bring me more?”
“Press it, sweet thing.”
I did and nothing happened. Or maybe something did.
“You can control the delivery of your medicine yourself, to a certain extent. It’ll only let you have so much. If it beeps, it means you’ve reached your limit. Just call me if that happens, and I’ll have the doc up your dosage.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“I would be too if I had such a nice-lookin’ man sittin’ at my bedside.” She patted my hand. “You need anything, hit this button.” She pointed to a large box that hung on the bed rail. “You can have clear liquids tonight. We’ll see about solid food in the morning.”
The thought of food made my stomach turn. I’d be in no hurry for liquids or solids.
Cope came back in and sat down. Before I could say anything, he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “I’ve got a proposition for you.”
8
COPE
Ali looked up at me with those giant blue eyes I could get lost in, and it was all I could do not to lay the world at her feet. The thing about her that made me want to do so even more, is that she wouldn’t ask for it. Not ever.
“What?” she asked.
“I was thinking about our bet. You said that, if you won, I’d have to give you an exclusive about the trial. Daily updates.”
“But I didn’t win. You did.”
“The point is, you can still write about the trial.”
Her eyes scrunched. “How am I going to do that?”
“I’ll give you the exclusive, your own personal daily press conference.”
She tried to fold her arms in front of her but then dropped them at her sides. “Why?”
“Because you’ve had a string of bad luck, and I?—”
“What happened to you not being able to talk about the trial, especially to me?”
“I’d be an anonymous source.”
More eye scrunching.
“Stop doing that with your eyes,” I told her.
“Tell me why.”
“I think this could benefit us both.”
She turned her head and looked in the direction of the window. It was dark, but there were plenty of lights from the city reflected in it. “I won’t report anything that isn’t the truth.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to.”
“What’s in it for you, Cope? You said it could benefit us both.”