Eighty-Sixed [manxman]

VI | Medicine |

VI

| Medicine |

-

Again, I scrubbed at my eyes. I'd been awake all last night with Ella as she battled a nasty bout of flu. The poor girl hadn't been able to keep anything down over the last couple hours. I'd managed to get her to sleep, so I would try to get her to eat and drink again when she woke. Until then, I hoped the rest would give her stomach time to settle enough to get her to drink some Pedialyte at least.

I finished drying the last bit of the supper dishes as the sun began to rise, sending golden rays through the wall-length windows and illuminating the room. Paige would wake up soon, and she'd keep me busy until Ella needed me again. Moving across the kitchen, I started a pot of coffee, inhaling the aroma as it wafted through the kitchen. If only the scent alone was enough to keep my eyes open.

Leaning against the counter, I propped my forearms on the ledge and stared into the hallway. Harlow left a couple days after Father's Day and had been gone for nearly a week. He was set to be home some time the following day. I hoped Ella felt better by then, so she could enjoy spending time with him before he bolted for the next assignment. Harlow stayed busy, which wasn't inherently a bad thing, but the girls missed him terribly. They talked about him often, telling me stories and asking when he return home to them. They liked to make plans for the three of them, some of which were more easily executed than others. And since the tea party, when they had so much fun spending the day with him, I'd committed myself to helping them pull off as many of their plans as possible. They loved Harlow unconditionally, and I wanted to support that, even if he was the notorious Savage 5 gang lord who murdered somebody for looking at him wrong. That wasn't the fault of the girls, and before things went sideways, they deserved to have as many good memories and experiences as possible with their father.

When Harlow got the back end of the justice he deserved, I wondered if other relatives would step forward to take Paige and Ella in. The thought made me nauseous with dread, and I couldn't quite bear myself to think of them going into the system.

Closing my eyes, I shook my head clear of those thoughts. After all, what came of the girls was none of my business. I had a job to do, and I intended to do it. Simple as that.

"Yikes." Kinsley stopped short at the threshold of the kitchen. "Someone looks like they slept about as well as a momma with a newborn."

I shot Kinsley a less than friendly glare. "I was up all night with Ella. She's got the flu."

Kinsley wrinkled her nose. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"No, she's finally sleeping. I'm going to give her some Pedialyte later and keep an eye on her throughout the day. I figured Paige and I would stick around inside today, take things pretty easy."

Nodding, Kinsley stepped around me and helped herself to a cup of the coffee which finished brewing. She took a second cup and poured for both of us. "How do you take it?"

"Just black."

"How very brooding of you." She passed me a black mug and grinned.

I rolled my eyes and accepted it. "Thank you."

"Absolutely. What else are friends for?" She began spooning sugar into her own while I stared at her back. Friends? We hadn't had over five conversations with one another. Shaking my head, I dismissed it as her way of trying to put me at ease and make me feel welcome. I thought we'd finally gotten past that part of things, but perhaps not.

I suppressed a wince as I heard little feet hit the floor.

"Looks like your day has officially started. Let me know if you need any help today, Alec."