Page 78 of Wicked Little Darling

He listened to his heart and lungs with a stethoscope, then did a nasal swab, saying it was probably the flu or a bad cold.

While we waited for the results, I sat by Reese and held his hand, bouncing my knee to try and rid myself of the lingering panic.

Twenty minutes later, Dr. Burns, who’d been sitting at my desk doing something on his phone, interrupted the silence. “Yep. Flu. Nothing to worry about, he just needs some rest and TLC.” He stood up and put his things back in his bag.

“Are you sure?” I asked, glancing back at Reese.

“Positive. Strain A positive.”

He laughed at his horrible joke while Val covered his face with his hands and muttered, “Oh my god.”

Dr. Burns left with a chuckle, and I sagged on the bed.

“Well that’s good, right?” Val smiled at me, then grabbed a few things off the desk and brought them over to us. He had an assortment of cold and flu medicines, told me which ones he was giving him now and which ones to give him later.

“Do you want me to stay?”

I looked at Val, whose deep brown eyes were soft with concern.

“No, it’s okay. You’ve already done more than enough.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

He nodded, then hugged me. “Call me if you need anything.”

I kissed his head. “I will.”

Val pulled away and gave me a sad smile before leaving, and I almost called him back. I was terrified that something would go wrong and there would be nothing I could do.

Reese coughed and my heart exploded.

I ran to his side, ready to grab him up and take him to the hospital, but he didn’t cough again. His lips moved like he was trying to say something.

I sat near his hip and brushed his damp hair away from his forehead.

“Dakota?” He cracked his eyes open.

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Water,” he whispered.

Water.Water.

Where was the water?

I glanced around, frantically searching for the bottle I always had with me. I stood up, about to run out of this room and bang on every door for some water when I spotted it on my desk.

I snatched it up and was back at Reese’s side in half a second. I twisted the top off, tilted it toward his lips, and slid a hand under his shoulders to help prop him up.

He drank a few sips then sagged back against the pillows with a groan, turning his head to the side. A shiver racked his body, so I grabbed my blanket and draped it over him.

Taking care of someone who was sick was second nature; Val fell ill so often that caring for him and helping him during those times were embedded in my core. Watching over him, tending to his every need, making sure he was still breathing—I was the only one in the family who ever cared enough to do that for him. Evelyn and Albert would just pawn him off on Dr. Burns and visit once a day to make sure their son hadn’t died, that the doctor was fulfilling his purpose. That their money wasn’t going to waste.

I dragged my desk chair over to his bed, sat back and crossed my arms, and watched him.

He was sleeping. His cheeks were still flushed, but he didn’t look as sweaty as he had before.