Sean bundled me off to the Academy hospital shortly after Owen vanished, and I spent the remainder of the morning getting stitches and then going through a battery of uncomfortable tests with the specialist Phil had mentioned. I was disappointed when I found out that there would be no immediate information for me after my medical morning, and the guys weren't any happier.
We pull up to my house and Sean doesn't get out of the car.
"I've got to work this afternoon, Pookie. If I walk you in, I'm going to want to stay, and I really do need to be on shift today. I'll text you when I get a break." He reaches over and pulls me into a sideways hug before shooing me out the door.
I look back through the open window at him and shake my head. He has dark circles under his eyes that rival my own. "No, Sean. I want you to find an empty room and take a nap whenever you get a moment. You look beat, and you need to take care. Text me before you leave to go home instead, okay?"
He smiles and winks at me. "You're always looking out for me, Sang. Thank you." He mock salutes me. "Will do as ordered, Ma'am." He blows me a kiss and drives away as Luke comes jogging down the front steps.
I notice that his eyes are shadowed too, and I promise myself that I will get them all to sleep more. "What are we up to today?" I ask. He grins and skips in a circle around me.
"No idea. There's nothing on the agenda, but I'm not due at the diner until tomorrow's lunch shift, so you're stuck with me, Sugar."
I take a leap of faith and reach out to take his hand. Luke's eyes light up and he intertwines our fingers. He fails to stifle a yawn and I narrow my eyes at him.
"Hmm," I tap my lips. "Now I know what you're going to do, Mister."
He looks worried and I wave my finger in his face. "You are going to march upstairs and take a nice long nap. I'm going to play with my new laptop for a bit, and then when you're awake, I'll have figured out what I want to do with the rest of the day."
He pouts out his bottom lip and looks at me with puppy dog eyes. "Aw, Cupcake, don't you want to join me?"
I shake my head as we enter the house. "I actually got enough sleep for once, and I'm a bit worked up from all of those tests." Worry crosses his face and I wave it away with my hand. "Nothing you can do about it, Luke. I just need to distract myself for a bit. I'm going to be lousy company until I can get past it, so I'm probably going to just play some of the games Victor installed. The one with the fairies looks cute."
His expression lightens and he yawns again. I turn him toward the stairs and point up. "I don't want to see you again until you've slept at least two hours," I order in my most stern voice. He looks amused, but does what I request without argument.
When I hear the door click shut, I pull out my laptop and begin to explore.
***
I look at the clock and see that it's almost three. The games are fun, but I just can't concentrate right now. I feel a pang in my stomach and realize that I skipped lunch. I remember Gabriel saying that you could find anything on the internet, so I decide to look for a recipe. I want to try cooking without Luke or anyone else to help me. I think that right now, with how I'm feeling about what happened this morning, I want to feel in control of something.
I find a couple of lists of 'easy recipes', but realize that I need to have a better handle on what's available. I carry my laptop into the kitchen and dig through the fridge and pantry. I know that I'm not skilled enough yet to try something too difficult, so I when I see that I have all of the ingredients, I decide on Beef Stew. I think that I'll be okay to double the recipe, which makes me feel happy. I'll make this for everyone, and send out the dinner invitation once I've got it cooking.
