VICTORIOUS (A Quantum Novel)(61)

All I can do is sleep when I’m not puking.

Fluff is there, too, whimpering, but it takes more energy than I have to comfort her. I hear Flynn telling her that Mommy is sick. I’ll have to thank him for that when I can. He’s nice to her even after she bit him—again. I love him for that.

I fall back into a restless sleep filled with dreams about things I’d rather forget. I’m at the governor’s mansion, and Oren is there. He’s attacking me, hurting me. I’m screaming and crying and telling him to stop. I beg him to stop, but he doesn’t. Then Flynn’s mother is there, telling me it’ll be okay, that they’re taking care of me.

But Oren pushes her away and tells her to get out before he hurts her, too. I want to protect Stella, but I can’t move. My arms and legs are like lead pipes, refusing to follow my orders.

“Natalie.” Flynn’s voice breaks through the sound of my own screams. “Sweetheart, wake up. You’re dreaming.”

My eyelids seem to weigh a ton. I force my eyes open. He looks terrible. His hair is standing on end and his eyes are wild, as if he’s been awake for days.

“You were dreaming,” he says, wiping tears from my face. He kisses my forehead and both cheeks. “Do you think you can drink some water?”

I’m desperately thirsty, so I nod. Just that small movement sets off a painful blast in my skull that has me gasping.

He brings me a glass of ice water with a straw that he holds for me.

The cold water is like heaven to my parched throat, but it lands with a gurgle in my empty stomach. “What’s wrong?” I ask him.

“You’ve got the flu.”

“Your mom…”

“She was here to check on you yesterday.”

“Yesterday?”

“It’s been two days, Nat. You’ve been totally out of it. We came very close to taking you to the hospital, but the doctor came here to check on you so we wouldn’t end up in the news again.”

“Two days.”

“Two very long days.”

“Have you slept at all?”

“Not much. I was too freaked out to sleep.”

I want to reach up to touch his tired face, but my arms won’t cooperate. “So sorry to freak you out. And to puke all over you.”

He cracks the faintest of smiles. “You didn’t do that. Came close a few times.”

“Ugh, how sexy.” The thought of nearly puking on him makes me feel worse than I already do. “Sorry.”

“You think I care about that, Nat? God, I was so scared that something was seriously wrong with you and everyone was missing it. I was afraid to sleep, that I would wake up and you’d be… Well, I was scared.”

“I know I must smell gross and I’m probably communicable, but will you please get in bed with me and hold me?”

“I’d be very happy to do that.” He gets up to go around the bed and gets in with me.

I turn away from him because I don’t want to infect him any more than I already have.

“You don’t smell gross. I got to give you a sponge bath yesterday. We enjoyed that very much.”

“We?”

“You and me.”

“So you took full advantage of my feverish state to get handsy with me?”

“You know it.”

His arms around me are exactly what I need. With my head cushioned on his arm and the heat of his body warming me, I begin to feel the slightest bit better. And then I remember… I was expecting my period when I got sick. “Flynn…”

“What, honey?”

“I know we just got settled, but I could use the bathroom.”

“No worries.” He gets up, comes around to lift me right out of bed and carries me into the bathroom. “Take it easy. You’re going to be really weak and wobbly.”

I grasp the sink, hoping to stop the world from spinning. “I’m okay if you want to give me a minute.”

“You can pee in front of me, Nat.”

“I don’t think I can, actually.”

“I’m afraid to leave you.”

“I’ll hold on. I promise.”

“Call me if you need help.”

“I will.”

As soon as the door clicks shut behind him, I get busy checking what’s going on below. Nothing. I’m beyond thankful he didn’t have to deal with that on top of the puking and the rest.