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Tall Dark and Hungry(36)

By:Lynsay Sands


Bastien peered more closely at the man, taking in the pallor of his skin and the way he was trembling. Then he breathed in, noting the acrid scent of Chris's breath. "It more than disagreed with you, didn't it?"he asked grimly. "You've been sick.»

"A couple of times,"the editor admitted.

"Any stomach pains or diarrhea?»

Chris grimaced in answer, and Bastien nodded. It was just as he'd thought. "Go get dressed,"he instructed, moving past him to the door of his suite.

"I'm not the one undressed,"C.K. pointed out dryly.

"In your street clothes,"Bastien clarified. He glanced at the editor's boxers and T-shirt, which had obviously been pulled on to come out into the hall. "You're going to the hospital.»

"I'm sure I don't need to go to the hospital,"C.K. protested.

Bastien arched an eyebrow. "Chris, your symptoms suggest food poisoning. And with the streak of bad luck you've been having lately-not to mention the fact that you only ate two hours ago, yet it's already hitting you hard-I'm guessing it's going to be a serious case. Go get dressed.»

Grumbling under his breath, the editor turned away and moved back toward his bedroom. Bastien waited until he'd stepped inside, then opened the door to his own room and slipped through, not at all surprised to find Terri standing near the door. The sheet from the bed was wrapped around her sarong-style, and there was concern on her face. Chris had obviously woken her with his knocking. She had probably heard most of their conversation.

That was good, he decided. He didn't have to wake her up and explain.





CHAPTER 13



Food poisoning.»

"Mmm."Bastien nodded solemnly.

"Bloody food poisoning,"Vincent repeated, with a combination of disbelief and disgust. "The guy is a walking disaster. This is what? The third time he's been to the hospital in a week?»

Terri stirred in her seat and glanced at the men on either side of her. "Has it only been a week?»

Vincent frowned. "Hasn't it? Kate brought him to the penthouse last Friday. It's Friday again. Really early Friday,"he added, scowling at the clock on the emergency room wall.

Terri followed his gaze to see that it was four A.M., definitely early. And apparently Friday morning. She pondered that information. Terri had known somewhere in the back of her mind that it was Friday morning, but it hadn't occurred to her until Bastien's cousin said it, that this meant she'd now been in New York for a week. Only one week. She marveled over that fact for a moment. She had only met Bastien a week ago. It felt as if a lifetime had passed. It was hard to recall what her life had even been like without him. He was so ingrained in her thoughts now, it seemed as if Bastien had always been in her life, or at least had always belonged there.

"Food poisoning,"Vincent muttered again with a shake of his head. "How has the guy survived to this age? He'll never make it to thirty.»

"I think he is thirty,"Terri said.

"Is he?"Bastien asked.

Terri hesitated. Kate had mentioned the editor and his age in an e-mail to her the fall before. It had been his birthday at the time. But she wasn't now sure what age her cousin had said. "I think so. Twenty-nine or thirty.»

"Well then, he won't make it to thirty-five,"Vincent predicted.

Terri smiled, then merely said, "Kate never mentioned him being accident-prone. I think this is just an unlucky streak.»

"An unlucky streak?"The actor laughed. "Terri, sprained ankles and stubbed toes make up unlucky streaks. This guy is a walking calamity. Instead of calling him C.K. we should call him C.C.-for Calamity Chris.»

Terri smiled wider, then said, "It was probably the casserole that made him sick. All three of us tried every dish that the caterers sent over, but just a bite of each. Chris is the only one who ate a lot of anything, and that was the chicken casserole.»

"We ate the trifle. Or shared it, at least,"Bastien reminded her, his voice dropping to an intimate tone.

Terri blushed as his words brought memories of the past evening sharply back to mind.

"But you're right-Chris is the only one who really ate the casserole. We only had a bite each,"Bastien remembered with a nod. "You didn't like it.»

"And you said there was something in it that you just didn't take to,"she reminded him.

"Yeah, salmonella. That's what you didn't like, and you didn't take to,"Vincent commented, pointing at first one then the other. Then he turned an impatient glance back to the busy E.R. waiting area. "How much longer do you suppose they're going to keep him?»

Bastien shook his head wearily. "I hope not much longer. I could use some sleep.»

"Yeah, me too. I want to be well rested for the trip this weekend.»

Terri turned to Vincent in surprise. "What trip?»

"I'm leaving this afternoon to go home to California for the weekend,"he told her. "I'm missing my old haunts.»

"Oh?"Bastien asked with interest. "What's her name?»

"I said my old haunts, not a woman,"Vincent pointed out.

"Uh huh."Bastien grinned, then repeated, "What's her name?»

His cousin hesitated, his mouth twisting with displeasure. At last he gave in and muttered, "No one you know.»

Bastien opened his mouth, but before he could pursue the matter further, a woman in a white coat opened the door to the waiting area and called out, "Bastien Argeneau?"She glanced around.

He was on his feet and at the woman's side at once. Terri and Vincent watched as the two spoke, then he followed her back through the door.

"Hmm."Vincent sat up a little straighter and glanced at her. "What do you suppose that's about?»

Terri shook her head. She didn't have any idea, but it didn't seem like a good thing. The good thing would have been a pale and weak but recovering Chris Keyes coming out to the waiting room ready to return to the penthouse.

They both fell silent as they waited. As the minutes ticked by, Terri found her gaze sliding around the emergency waiting area, something she'd been able to avoid while the men were talking. They'd distracted her from where she was. It was better for her to be distracted. The first trip with Chris had been easier because it had all been in panic. By the time they'd reached the hospital, the editor had almost been blue from his difficulty breathing. There had been all that rush and fuss when they'd arrived. They'd all of them been hurried through the waiting area and into one of the examination rooms to answer the questions the doctors were barking-questions Chris hadn't been able to answer in his state. Then Vincent, Bastien, and Terri had been hustled out into the hallway to wait while the professionals worked. But they hadn't had to wait long, and Terri had been so worried about Chris she hadn't had a chance to worry much about where she was.

Tonight was different. While the editor was sick as a dog, she didn't think the ailment was life-threatening. There wasn't as much to distract her, and now there was no Bastien or Vincent holding up the conversation to distract her either.

Terri hated hospitals. Hospitals meant illness and death to her. The two most important people in her life had gasped their last breaths in hospitals: her mother and Ian. And both had been nightmares to endure. She'd stood helplessly by, watching them die long lingering deaths filled with suffering and countless indignities. She took a deep breath in an effort to ease some of the tension building in her, but let it out quickly and closed her eyes at the scent that filled her nose. Hospitals all looked and smelled the same.

"There he is.»

She glanced up at that announcement from Vincent, and watched with relief as Bastien walked toward them.

"They're keeping him overnight,"he announced as Vincent and Terri got to their feet.

"Is it that bad?"she asked anxiously.

"No. I don't think so. He's very dehydrated, and they have him on an IV, but they said he should be fine. It's just that he's been through so much trauma the last week, they'd feel better keeping him here to be sure of his recovery.»

"Oh,"Terri said. That didn't sound so bad. It even seemed sensible.

"So? Are we out of here?"Vincent asked. "Or do we have to do something else? Sign papers, or whatever?»

"We're out of here."Catching Terri's hand in his, Bastien turned toward the door.

The three of them were silent as they walked to the car. It had been a long night and they were all exhausted. At least, Terri suspected the men must be; she knew she herself was. While she'd caught a couple minutes' nap before waking to the sound of C.K.'s knocking on the bedroom door, it hadn't been enough. Bastien had tried to convince her to stay behind and sleep, but Terri had known she wouldn't be able to until they returned; she'd simply sit up worrying until she knew that the editor would be all right. Going to the hospital and pacing about hadn't sounded like fun, but at least she'd know what was going on as it happened and wouldn't be pacing alone in the penthouse.

Terri had been surprised, however, when Vincent had insisted on coming. The man's sleep had been disturbed when Chris came out of his room after another bout of sickness, still in his boxers and T-shirt, and tried to argue that he didn't really feel well enough to be traipsing off to the hospital, but he'd probably feel better after some sleep. Bastien had lost his temper and yelled, waking his cousin up in the process. Vincent had, of course, come out to discover what was going on. He'd immediately decided to join the party heading for the hospital. Terri supposed he'd been just as concerned as the rest of them, despite his comments about the editor's misadventures.