“He did. He told Finn that he and Cole could handle it, but Finn can be as stubborn as Branson. I know he feels extra guilty since Jarrett is out, too.”
“But it’s not his fault. No matter how hard he tries to prevent it, he’ll get sick sometimes. That’s the reality of CF.”
“I know that. But Bran says he’s always been like this. I don’t understand it, either.”
“It’s like he’s determined never to let his cystic fibrosis disturb anyone else in any way. He’s more worried about protecting other people from the effect of CF than protecting himself.”
“I wonder who made him feel that way,” Steph mused. “Guilty about something he has no control over.”
“I don’t know.” Laurie chewed on her lower lip. “But I sure hope I didn’t contribute to it.”
And if I did, I’m going to find a way to make it up to him… like any good friend would.
“Time to get some blood from you.”
The perky lab tech woke Finn up from a dead sleep. He felt like he’d been run over by a truck.
“What time is it?” he croaked, rubbing his eyes.
“It’s 4:15.” She rolled her noisy cart beside his bed and set up for a blood draw. With a freckled forehead and her hair in a ponytail, she looked all of twelve years old, though she had to be at least eighteen.
“4:15 in the morning?” He swam through the fog in his head. How long had he been here?
“4:15 in the afternoon. Want me to open the blinds before I go? Let the sun in?” She wrapped a rubber tie around his arm.
“No.” He was so tired, he knew he’d fall back to sleep as soon as she left. But wait, he needed to stay awake so he could call Laurie. She was bound to be furious with him, considering his cover story. “I changed my mind. I think I’d like the blinds open, after all. I’m sorry, I missed your name.”
“It’s Mallory.”
He watched her push the needle through his skin and into his vein. “Mallory, how did you decide to become a vampire?”
She giggled as she released the band and blood flowed into the waiting tube. “I guess I was inspired by reading vampire romance novels. Don’t worry—they were clean romances.”
“Clean romance? Didn’t know there was such a thing.”
She pulled the needle out and secured a pad in its place with a piece of stretchy gauze around his arm.
His cough started up again and wouldn’t stop. Over and over, the violent cough tore at his raw throat. Mallory took a few steps backward, probably grateful she was wearing a face mask. When it finally subsided, he sent an apologetic look her way, but she was already rolling her cart out the door, having forgotten her promise to open the blinds.
He found the control and lifted the head of his bed, all too familiar with the procedure from all his hospital stays. After drinking water to soothe his irritated throat, he practiced speaking, intent on hiding his hoarseness. Two more rounds of drinking and practicing followed, and then he dialed Laurie’s cell number.
The phone rang for a while before she answered, her voice tentative. “Hello?”
“Hey, I thought I’d check in while I had cell phone reception.” He steeled himself against the angry retort he knew was coming. She’d had hours to rehearse, so it would probably fillet him with precision. But he deserved it. Though he hadn’t escaped on an overseas vacation as he’d claimed, he’d nonetheless let Laurie down. Not only her, but also Branson, Cole, Jarrett, and his whole R&D team. He would undoubtedly lose a minimum of a week at work, lying around, sick and useless.
“Finn? How are you?” She made a throat-clearing noise. “I mean… how is your trip?”
“Uhmm… good, so far.” Where was her sharp temper? Why was she holding back? “I know you’re angry with me, but—”
“I’m not upset at all. I mean… I was at first, but now I’ve got everything under control. I have an appointment with Branson in the morning to sort things out, and Cole’s helping me, starting Thursday.”
“Excuse me a second,” he rasped, stuffing the phone under his pillow to stifle the sound of his violent coughing. He sipped some water before he picked up the phone again. “Listen, Laurie. You don’t have to pretend you aren’t mad. But I think I can help you, even though I’m not there.”
“Honestly, I’m making great progress on my own. I got two more physical checks in the mail today. Hard to believe these wealthy people are still doing checks the old-fashioned way.”
A sinking feeling swirled in his gut. Something wasn’t right. “You know, don’t you?”
“I… uh… I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
If he hadn’t been so weak, he would’ve been angry. As it was, he didn’t have the energy to care. “You’re a terrible liar. Might as well admit it.”
“Why does it matter if I know?”
“Because, I don’t want your pity.”
“Good thing, buddy, because you aren’t getting it.”
He imagined her lifting her chin and making that cute, sassy face, pushing her plump lips into a pout. “Who told you? Was it Frederick?”
“Are you kidding me? That man wouldn’t reveal the color of your hair if I stuck him with live electrical wires.”
He laughed, which made him cough, once again. As it subsided, he heard Laurie asking, “The real question is why didn’t you tell me? I thought we were good friends.”
“Just a second.” Feeling cold, Finn spread out his extra blanket, huddling under the covers while conjuring an answer. “I guess I get tired of being defined by CF. I don’t want to be that guy you can’t depend on because he’s sick all the time… even if it’s true.”
Her voice came back, gentle and soothing. “No one thinks that, Finn. No one but you.”
