Page 130 of Family Bonds- Emma & Warren

“What?” she asked. “It wasn’t? What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” he lied. “What did I just say?”

She seemed to buy it. “Never mind,” she said. “Why don’t we order you some food? It won’t be as good as Marcia’s.”

“I’d eat one of your frozen dinners right now I’m so hungry.”

“That might be what you’re going to get anyway,” she said, giving him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

He might be foggy right now, but he knew enough to watch what he was saying and not worry them any more.

37

LET IT LOSE

“Icould have stayed at your place,” Emma said on Tuesday afternoon.

“Nope,” he said. “You didn’t have your laptop or anything else. You would have had to come here to get it all.”

“My mother would have done it for me,” she argued.

The hospital released Warren on Monday. The team flew them home via a private jet. Casey and Stephanie drove back home once Emma said she’d stay with Warren for the first week.

That had been her plan when they arrived at his house last night, but he said that he’d rather recover on the island.

“I appreciate it,” he said. “But you are more comfortable here, and truthfully, so am I. You know I’ll stay out of your way. I need to relax anyway. What better place to do it than here, instead of worrying about people stopping over to see me at my place?”

“You’ve got a point,” she said.

He’d never stayed at her house for a full week before, but that was the plan. She’d driven his SUV from his house to the ferry and then boarded it.

“You’re not going to argue with me?” he asked.

“No,” she said. Though he looked a lot better and wasn’t as confused, he did tire easily. He even slept half the drive to her place. “Go lie down and I’ll get your clothes.”

“I can carry my bag,” he said.

“Warren, I’ll raise my voice if you argue, and then I’ll still get your stuff. Find a spot in the house to plant your ass and keep it there. I’ll get us some lunch.”

He squinted one eye at her, but moved into the house while she went back to get two bags out of his SUV. It was more than a week’s worth of clothing that she’d packed without him knowing.

He could fly over for an appointment with the team doctors in the helicopter, but other than that, he was doing what he was told even if she had to sit on him to get him to stay.

She brought his stuff to her room and dropped it on the floor. She’d unpack it later when he was napping, but she was hungry.

When she came back downstairs, she didn’t see him anywhere but walked through the kitchen into her sunroom. He was in a chair with his feet on an ottoman and Lucky in his lap.

The cat didn’t seem angry that her boyfriend hadn’t been around lately.

Unless animals could sense when something was wrong with someone.

“I know I can’t provide for you like Marcia,” she said. “But if you want a fruit and veggie platter with some yogurt I can do that. Dinner will be here with some other food for a few days in a couple of hours.”

“That sounds good,” he said. “I don’t want you waiting on me.”

“I don’t plan on it,” she said. “I’m doing it now and then I’ll explain the rest.”

She went back to the kitchen and cut up fruit and whatever vegetables she had. It’s not like she had planned on thishappening. She was just lucky she still had fresh stuff in her house.