“Mom, Dad won’t be too happy seeing you like this.” I gave her a hug, telling her what my father would say the moment he opened his sharp eyes. He loved my mother yet hated it when she cried. I wasn’t sure what it was about tears and women, but that shit seriously never failed to go straight to my heart. I immediately felt like the ultimate bastard when I made Lily cry or any woman, for that matter.
My mom barely acknowledged me as she sat herself on a cushion situated next to my father’s bed. I offered to stay, but upon seeing Lily’s clearly exhausted face, I knew I should take care of my wife first.
“I’m going to take Lily home, Mom, if that’s okay with you?”
“Of course, dear. The poor thing had a long day, as did you. Go home.” She genuinely smiled at me, her face brightening. “Please make sure to come with breakfast tomorrow. Your father won’t be happy with the food here, that’s for sure.”
My father and his meticulous, expensive taste in food, I mused, nodding towards my mom before walking to where Lily looked as if she could barely keep her eyes open. It was about two in the morning, and with her early schedule, it was no wonder she was ready to hit the sack.
“Come on, babe. Time to take you to bed.”
She shook her head, sending some of her strands from her loosened bun cascading. “No, no—am okay. I can drive still. Why don’t you go ahead and stay with Patricia?”
As much as I loved my parents, my wife came first. “My mother will be fine,” I reassured her before placing my hand gently on her elbow. “Trust me, she’s going to be fine. You, on the other hand, look like you’re in desperate need of sleep.”
She appeared to contemplate my argument before finally giving in to my request, but that was before asking my mother first, only then did she oblige my request. After five minute or so of reassuring each other that, if there was an emergency, my mother would immediately contact us, we headed out the room and haggardly strode into the banks of elevators.
Catching Lily make a small, cute yawn, I rested my arm around her shoulder, pressing her closer to me. “How was your day? You look exhausted, more than usual.”
It was right around that time the elevator pinged, announcing its arrival. Lily made a sour face the moment we stepped into the cart, and I thought then that she was trying to ease her allergies. However, when we stepped out of the elevator and out of the hospital building, she didn’t look that much better, and I started to become concerned.
“Lil?”
She released a strangled sound, as if she was dying or something. “The elevator and that smell—UGH! I can’t stand it,” she vehemently cursed the air, as she tried to heave in small pants.
“What?” I asked, perplexed as I looked back at the building, hoping to recall smelling anything foul, which I couldn’t.
She started to fan herself, appearing a shade paler than her normal pallor. “It’s just too much. I think the bed sounds great, actually,” she grumbled before she gave me a pleading look.
“Oh, Lil, you should’ve said something sooner that you were sick. Had I known, I wouldn’t have let you stay here with us all night.” Taking her in my arms, past caring that I was carrying my wife in the hospital parking lot, I immediately felt wretched for not detecting that she wasn’t feeling well. “Time to take you home, beautiful wife of mine,” I murmured just as I heard her release a sigh of relief before sagging into my shoulder. “Hang on to me while I fish my keys out of my pocket.” She nodded while I used all of my strength to hold her with one arm while I took my keys out and then unlocked the car.
After carefully placing her in the passenger seat, securing the seatbelt and shutting the door, I rounded the car to go into the driver’s seat. I made another worrisome glance at her before starting the engine.
Chapter Two
Drake
The next morning, I woke up with Lily almost dashing out of the bathroom, scurrying to get to work and barely giving me a goodbye kiss.
“Good morning to you, too,” I murmured before wishing her a lovely time at work.
A part of me wanted to chase after her to get one more satisfying kiss in since little missy there passed out on me last night and could barely kiss me at all. I was a needy husband who enjoyed my wife; I wasn’t ashamed to admit that. Although, if I did carry on with my wants, I would find myself late, and today of all days, I couldn’t, since Katie Fullerton was to start her internship with me. And I was almost positive her father would join us for the quick office orientation and catch up.
There was a movie project that the company would fund, and I just got Bass Cole and Emma Anderson to star in the film. It was quite a feat since Emma had decided to take some time off from acting, but after applying my very best negotiating skills, I got the golden couple to sign with me. I only needed Paul Fullerton’s extra funding to scout for directors.