Texas Proud and Circle of Gold (Long, Tall Texans #52) - Diana Palmer Page 0,39
of your fellow,” Mrs. Brown said. “I’ll get breakfast ready. If he can eat anything, I’ll make him whatever he likes.”
“I’ll tell him,” Bernie replied. “Thanks.”
“You come and eat whenever you like. I’ll make you up a plate that you can reheat, okay?”
“Okay!”
Bernie went back to Mikey’s room and closed the door. She sat down on the edge of the bed. “Still got the tablet?” she asked, because she’d handed it to him earlier.
“I got it.”
“Here. It’s open.” She’d already taken the top off the bottle before she handed it to him. He swallowed down the tablet and handed her back the bottle. “Thanks, honey.”
“No problem.” She put his drink on the side table. “Will it stay down?” she worried. “Mrs. Brown said we can call one of our local doctors and they’ll come give you a shot if you need it.”
He swallowed. “Maybe the pill will work.”
“Does it usually?”
He smiled. “No. It helps just a little. Nothing stops it.”
She smoothed back his cool, wavy black hair. “You just let me know what you need. I’ll get it.”
His eyes adored her. “There was never a woman in my whole life who’d have taken care of me the way you just did. Well, except for my grandmother.”
“I’m sure there were plenty who wanted to,” she teased.
“Maybe a couple. But I’m funny about women. Most of them are jaded and glitzy,” he added, his eyes cold with memory.
“Maybe you’ve been looking in the wrong places for them,” she said, tongue in cheek.
His black eyes twinkled at her. “Think so?”
“It’s a possibility.”
He lay back and closed his eyes, wincing. “Of all the things to get from cheese,” he groaned. “It’s my favorite food.”
“You can find a new favorite one. Maybe squash,” she teased. “Or okra.”
“Stop! You’re killing me!”
She laughed. Most of the men she worked around hated both vegetables with a passion.
“Frozen yogurt, then.”
“That sounds nice.”
They were quiet for a few minutes, but it was obvious that even when the tablet had time to work, it wasn’t doing much.
“Pill helping at all?”
He put his hand over his eyes. “Not so much.” He closed his eyes and winced. “It’s just over-the-counter stuff.”
“Let me call a doctor. Please.”
He drew in a breath. “Okay,” he said finally.
“Be right back.”
* * *
She phoned Lou and Copper Coltrain’s office. The nurse said she’d ask Lou to come right out. Lou was short for Louise, she was blond and sweet and she knew exactly what to do for Mikey.
“You should see a neurologist,” she told him after she’d given him an injection for the pain. First, of course, she’d examined him, asked what he’d already taken for the headache and inquired about any drug allergies. He had none. “But in the meantime, I’ll write you a prescription for the preventative and something for the headaches that works when you get one.” She turned to Bernie. “I’ll give these to you, Bernie. You get them filled today.”
“I will,” Bernie said, smiling at the physician. “Thanks for coming.”
“You’re most welcome. If you have any more issues, Mr. Fiore, you call the office, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said complacently. He smiled up at her through dark-rimmed eyes. “Thanks, Doc.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I didn’t think doctors made house calls anymore,” he said.
“Jacobsville’s not like most small towns,” she laughed. “We do what’s needed.” She glanced at Bernie. “I thought you might be dying, from Bernie’s description. She was very upset.”
He opened both eyes and stared at Bernie. “She was?” he asked softly, and smiled at her.
She flushed even more. He laughed. Lou hid a smile, said her goodbyes and left.
* * *
“Can I get you anything else?” Bernie asked.
“No, but you can give the prescriptions to Santi. I’ll text him.” He pulled out his cell phone and made a face. “Damn, I can’t see it,” he murmured.
“Just a sec.” She took the phone from him, pulled up messaging and looked at Mikey. “What do you want to tell him?”
“Ask him to come over right away.”
She typed it in. The response was immediate. “On my way,” it read.
“He’ll think I’m dying or that Cotillo got me,” he chuckled.
She frowned. “Who’s Cotillo?”
“A bad man. Even worse than me,” he said in a husky tone. His eyes tried to focus on her face. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, kid.”
“Well, there’s a lot you don’t know about me, too,” she said.
His big hand searched for hers and held it tight. “We’ll learn about each other. It takes time. Right?”