Page 16 of Believing in a Billionaire (Hearts and Holdings #7)

JULIA

J ulia’s world didn’t just tilt, it capsized, each breath a battle in the storm that raged within her, blurring reality and fear as the room spun in a disorienting dance. Kyle lifted her into his arms, crossing the room to the bed and laying her on it.

“Shall I call an ambulance, sir?” Worthington asked as he hurried into the room.

A moan escaped Julia’s lips, a raw sound of agony as pain lanced through her, a relentless throb at her temples mirroring the turmoil within her stomach. “No.”

“Yes,” Kyle answered.

“No!” she insisted. “I’m just a little sick. It must have been something I ate.”

Kyle laced his fingers through hers, his touch gentle yet firm. “Julia,” Kyle said, a warning in his voice.

“Kyle, I’m fine. I'm just feeling a little sick.”

Kyle pressed his fingers against her wrist again. “Julia, you are not fine. And these symptoms…sudden, severe. I’m concerned this isn’t just a bug.”

She sucked in a deep breath before she blew it out slowly, riding out a wave of pain and nausea. “I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Her voice came out more like a pleading whine than a directive.

Her mind was a chaotic whirlpool. The mere idea filled her with dread that rivaled the pain pulsing through her.

Kyle heaved a sigh. “I’m going to get my bag. Do not move.”

“Don’t worry,” Julia said as her head pounded. “I couldn’t move if I tried.”

“Good,” he answered. “After I’ve taken a better look at your vitals, we’ll discuss the hospital.”

She groaned as he stepped away from the bed.

“Worthington, do not leave her alone, okay? And she doesn’t move out of that bed.”

“I understand, sir,” Worthington said with a nod of his head.

Kyle hurried from the room, leaving Julia behind. She twisted the sheet under her into a ball in her fist she struggled to focus, a haze clouding her mind.

“Is there anything I can bring you, Mrs. Harrington? Perhaps a cool cloth for your head?”

Julia struggled to breathe through her discomfort as she shook her head. “No, thank you.”

Worthington’s features twisted with concern as he studied her.

“I’m okay, Worthington, really,” she promised as Kyle raced back into the room.

“I really wish you’d let me be the judge of that, Julia,” Kyle said as he eased onto the mattress next to her and pressed a thermometer against her forehead. “You’re feverish.”

“Pulse is racing,” he said after pressing his fingers against her wrist again before he donned his stethoscope. “Sorry, this will be cold…and your heart rate is up.”

“Because I don’t feel good.”

“What are you feeling?” Kyle asked.

“Sick,” she whined.

Kyle flicked his eyebrows up. “Mind being more specific?”

“Yes. I just want to close my eyes and lay here quietly.”

“Okay,” he said with a bob of his head. “You can lay quietly in a hospital then…well, after you answer all their questions.”

Julia pressed her head into the pillow as she snapped her gaze to him. With her pounding head and nausea, she wanted to be left alone, but she understood his concern. She grabbed his hand and squeezed. “Fine. Headache, nausea, mind fog. I do not need to go to the hospital, though.”

“I will be the judge of that.”

“Kyle, people do get sick. Not all of them need to be hospitalized.”

“You’re not just anyone, Julia,” His voice softened, his gaze intense. “You matter to everyone in this house. We can’t take risks with you. But, okay. No hospital…for now. As long as you follow my advice.”

“If that advice is to lay here quietly until I don’t feel like throwing up everything I had at lunch, that’s not a problem.”

“Well, yes, it involves that, but it also, you need some water. Acetaminophen for your headache and fever. Maybe a cool cloth for your head.”

She bobbed her head, the sensation making her stomach roll and her head throb.

“I shall arrange everything, sir.”

“Thank you, Worthington,” Kyle answered as the man hurried from the room.

“You don’t have to stay. I’m fine. And I’m not going to move,” Julia said.

“I’m staying right here. I’m not leaving your side until we’re certain you’re out of the woods. I’m not taking any chances.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped on it.

“Please tell me you’re not calling the hospital.”

“I’m not. I’m texting Dad.”

“What?” Julia asked, her eyes going wide. “Don’t do that. He went to the office. He doesn’t need to be disturbed because I have a tummy ache.”

“You nearly passed out a few minutes ago, Julia. You do not have a simple tummy ache. And you’re lucky I’m not insisting on the hospital. I don’t like this sudden sickness.”

Julia shifted, trying to get her stomach to settle. “Because no one gets food poisoning.”

“I’m not sick.”

Julia heaved a sigh. “We didn’t eat the same thing, Kyle.”

“And you didn’t eat anything that would cause this,” he answered.

“People get sick sometimes,” she answered. “It’s perfectly normal.”

Worthington returned with water, the fever reducer, and a cool cloth. After she’d taken the pills, she settled back into the pillows as Sierra stormed into the room.

“Step-mommy? What’s going on?”

“I’m fine, Sierra.”

“She’s sick,” Kyle answered. “Suddenly. I don’t like these symptoms.”

“Should we be taking her to the hospital? Where is Daddy?”

“Dad is, as usual, unavailable. Busy with work,” Kyle said as he eyed his phone again. “And I am monitoring her…for now. If she gets any worse, she’s going straight to the emergency room.”

Sierra climbed onto the bed next to Julia and grabbed her hand. “Well, while Daddy is busy, we’re going to stay here with you and make sure you’re okay.”

“Thank you, Sierra,” Julia whispered with a squeeze of her hand. The warmth in Sierra’s touch was a balm to her frazzled nerves, a tangible reminder of the family’s unspoken bonds of love and support. “Honestly, I’m okay, though. I’m feeling better already.”

“Sure you are,” Kyle answered. He pressed his fingers against her wrist. “Your pulse suggests otherwise.”

“I’m not…well, but I’m better than I was.”

Kyle arched an eyebrow. “We’re not leaving, and you’re not moving.”

Julia sucked in a deep breath, her stomach still unsettled, but the pain at her temples somewhat less.

She closed her eyes as a wave of nausea passed over her. The room faded around her as her mind struggled to focus.

“Did you try Daddy again?” Sierra whispered as she stroked Julia’s hair. “She’s still feverish.”

“He’s not answering,” Kyle hissed. “I don’t expect her fever to break yet. The good news is it’s low grade, and doesn’t seem to be getting worse.”

“Could it be food poisoning?”

“I don’t think so. Maybe the stress finally caught up to her, but…I don’t like this. If she doesn’t recover in a few hours…”

His voice faded as she drifted off to sleep.

When her eyes opened again, the sun had started to drift past the horizon. Long shadows crossed the room, and a movie droned on in the background.

She sucked in a sharp breath as she stretched and blinked a few times. The movement made her stomach roll again and her head throb.

Sierra shifted next to her, stroking her hair. “Hey, Julia, how are you feeling?”

“A little better,” she murmured, “but not great.”

Kyle rose from his armchair. “Let’s get a check on those vitals, shall we?”

She nodded, still weary from whatever had caused her illness.

“Temp’s hovering just above normal. Your pulse is still elevated, though. Julia–”

“I don’t need to go to the hospital,” she answered, irritation lacing her voice before she flicked her gaze up to him. “I’m sorry, I’m just…”

“Not feeling well, I know,” Kyle said. “Which is why we are all worried.”

“But the fever is done. And my headache and nausea aren’t nearly as bad. It’s improved, just not gone.”

“Drink some water, and let’s see if we can get some food into you.”

“Mmm, no on the food,” Julia said with a shake of her head.

Kyle rose as he pulled his stethoscope from his ears. “It’s not optional, Julia. I want to see how you fare after eating.”

She sucked in a breath, trying to push up to sit.

“Easy, Julia,” Sierra said as she adjusted her pillows.

Julia’s head swam as she eased back into the pillows. The sip of water made her stomach roll again but it passed as she leaned her head back. “Has anyone checked in with Grant? He was going to the office.”

Sierra shifted as her forehead creased, and she shot a glance at Kyle. Julia shifted her gaze between them, trying to read the pointed look they shared.

Before she could inquire, the door burst open and Alicia raced in. “Julia? You’re sick?”

“I’m fine. Just something I ate didn’t agree with me.”

Alicia shifted her gaze between Kyle, still wearing the stethoscope around his neck, and Sierra, rubbing Julia’s shoulder. “It doesn’t look like you’re fine.”

“I am. They’re just…overly concerned.”

“We are not overly concerned. But we are concerned,” Kyle answered. “And we are taking the necessary precautions to make certain that Julia is fine.”

Alicia eased onto the edge of the bed, taking Julia’s hands in hers. “Should she be in the hospital?”

“No!” Julia insisted.

Kyle shoved his hands into his pockets as he paced at the foot of the bed. “For now, I’m keeping a close eye on her. We’re going to see how she does with some food.”

Worthington arrived with a tray of scrambled eggs and toast. The smell of the food wafting to her nostrils twisted her stomach again, but she swallowed the bile creeping up her throat and forced a few bites down.

She felt marginally better after eating. “There,” she said as she pushed away the plate, mostly cleared. “Food’s down. See?”

“And how do you feel?” Kyle asked.

She sucked in a breath, shifting as the residual pain at her temples continued to throb lightly. “Okay. Better, maybe. See? I’m fine.”

Kyle arched an eyebrow. “Let’s see how you feel in a little bit. Drink some more water.”

“Yes, doctor,” she said as she lifted the glass to her lips.

Worthington came to collect the tray. “And how are you feeling, Mrs. Harrington?”

“Better, Worthington, thank you. All this fuss isn’t necessary.”