me Friday night. I have the flu.” As soon as the words left my mouth I was hit with a coughing fit, because of course there’s nothing sexier than hacking up a lung—and possibly some other nasty stuff—in front of a hot guy.
“Okay, get up. I’m takin’ you to the doctor.”
“It’s fine,” I lied, pushing his hands away when he tried grabbing at me. “I’ve got this. While you and Brant are gone, I’m gonna take a little nap then go get some medicine. I just need to rest.”
He scowled down at me like I was a petulant child. “That’s such a crock. You need a doctor, Shane.”
“Really, I swear. Just some sleep, some over-the-counter flu medicine, and I’ll be good as new. I’ll just snuggle up in my bed while you guys are gone—” I tried sitting up again, which was a huge mistake. “Or maybe I’ll just stay here.” The living room suddenly got really fuzzy. “Yeah. Here’s good. Here’s the best. Who needs a bed when you’ve got a secondhand couch with a permanent butt indent to curl up in?”
“That’s it. I’m done taking your word for it. We’re going to the doctor.”
Brantley came rushing down the hall and into the living room. He’d put on so many layers of clothes his arms wouldn’t go down all the way. “Ready!” he called out. “I put on extra stuff so it won’t hurt real bad if I fall. But I don’t think I will, ’cause I’m a super good bike rider.”
Jensen moved to him and crouched down. “Change of plans, buddy. Your momma’s feeling pretty sick today, so you and I are going run her to the doctor really quick.” His little face fell into a pout, but before he could throw a fit, Jensen continued, expertly defusing the situation. “After all, it’s our job to take care of the women in our lives, right?”
Brantley suddenly squared his shoulder and lifted his chin, apparently taking his made-up job as protector very seriously. “Right. It’s our job.”
“Yep. So why don’t you go take off a couple of those layers so we can go. But I promise we’ll ride bikes as soon as we get back. Deal?”
“Okay!” Once again cheerful, my boy ran back to his room to strip down while Jensen headed to me and gently pulled me off the couch and onto my feet.
“You know this is totally unnecessary, right? I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.”
He gave me a sardonic look. “Yeah? And how’s that been working out for you the past two days?”
He had me there. Not that I’d admit it.
The drums in my head decided to kick things up a notch right then, beating so loud my eyeballs began to pulse. Maybe I needed a doctor after all.
“Fine, I’ll let you take me,” I relented with all the dignity of a spoiled brat. “But only because I don’t want to hear you bitch about it anymore.”
“Sure, honey,” he muttered, the humor clear as a bell in his voice as he hitched an arm around my waist and took most of my weight.
“There’s just one thing I have to do first.”
“Yeah? What’s that?”
I answered by lurching forward and puking all over his shoes.
Chapter Seventeen
Jensen
“Well, no doubt about it, you definitely have the flu.”
At the doctor’s declaration, Shane shot me a pouty look that screamed told you so. Instead of reacting, I turned my attention to the small old man in a white coat. “So what’s next, Doc?”
He pushed his glasses up on his nose and turned to me after scribbling something down on a chart that I wouldn’t have been able to read with a microscope and all the time in the world. “Well, I’m giving her a prescription for Tamiflu.” He turned to Shane and said, “That should kick in quickly, and hopefully you’ll be back to your regularly scheduled program in a few days,” before looking back to me. “In the meantime, I want her to alternate between ibuprofen and acetaminophen every four hours until the fever breaks. Repeat if it returns. That will help with the body aches as well. Other than that, she needs a lot of rest. And call me if she doesn’t start improving within the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Will do. Thanks so much, Doc.”
“No problem. You can check out up front when you’re ready.” He ripped a piece of paper off his prescription pad and handed it to me before heading out of the exam room.
As