He wanted to believe her, but he knew better. “You sound like my sister.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“That’s how I meant it.” A sudden chill had him shivering, and he pulled his blanket tighter.
“How long will you be in the hospital?”
“Hope they let me out soon. I have this PICC line, so I can keep up the IV antibiotics when I leave the hospital.” His lids blinked shut over scratchy eyes.
“Finn? Are you there?”
Her voice jolted him awake.
“I’m here. Resting my eyes.”
“Can I come visit you in the hospital?”
Should he say yes? He’d told his best friends to stay away. If he let Laurie come, she might read something into it. She might believe they were more than friends. Even more dangerous, he might believe it.
“No offense, Laurie, but I’d rather you didn’t.”
“Okay.” Her voice sounded small… uncertain… disappointed.
Against his better judgment, he added, “But I’ll call you.”
“You will? Tonight?”
Pride swelled inside. She had a smile in her voice now, and he’d put it there.
“Tonight,” he mumbled, as he fell into a dead sleep.
CHAPTER 10
After tossing and turning all night, Laurie finally gave up on sleep at three a.m. Aware of Bran’s sleep schedule, she bided her time until 4:30 before calling him. From his rapid breathing, she could tell he’d already started his morning workout.
“Laurie? What’s wrong?” He correctly guessed she wasn’t calling for a casual chat about work.
“It’s Finn. I need to know where he is.”
Branson made a frustrated growl. “I’m sorry, Laurie. I gave my word I wouldn’t tell anyone.”
“Yes, but I know where he is, already. I just don’t know where.” She shook her head, attempting to clear it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t sleep last night, so my mind is kind of like soggy cereal. I’m trying to tell you I know he’s in the hospital.”
“How did you find out?” Bran’s voice had an edge.
Laurie couldn’t get Steph in trouble for accidentally spilling the beans, so she avoided the question. “We talked on the phone yesterday afternoon. You know, Finn and I are friends now.”
“He called you?” Bran sounded more curious than shocked.
“He promised to call me back last night, but he never did.” She did another deft side-step.
“It doesn’t mean anything. Maybe he was sleeping and didn’t wake up until it was too late to call.”
Bran’s heavy sigh said it all—he thought she was overreacting. But Laurie had an anxious feeling she couldn’t ignore.
“I don’t think so. I sent a half-dozen texts, and he didn’t respond.”
“Last time he was kind of out-of-it the first couple of days.”
“Please, Branson. Just tell me where he is so I can check on him.” She was too tired to hide her desperation. Let Branson think what he wanted.
“You won’t be able to find out anything, unless he put your name on the list.”
“Then, I’ll march up to his room and break the door down.”
Bran chuckled. “You don’t even know his room number, do you?”
“No,” she admitted, sullenly. “But I have this terrible feeling something’s happened. You have to help me. If I’m wrong, I’ll never question you again. And I’ll…” What could she use as a bargaining chip with a billionaire who had everything he wanted. “I’ll come over and cook my special fried shrimp Saturday night.”
“Tempting… I do love your fried shrimp,” he teased. “But I feel bad taking this bet. He probably just forgot. Or maybe his cell phone died. There’s a dozen reasons he might not have called.”
He’s right—it’s probably all in my head. And Finn will be so ticked when he finds out I made a fuss. Yet the knot in her stomach persisted. “Chances are I’m wrong, and I’m making a big deal out of nothing. But I’ll gladly spend a couple of hours cooking shrimp, just for the peace of mind.”
“If you’re that worried, I’ll get online and check his patient portal, though I doubt it’s been updated yet.”
“Thank you! And if there’s no update, will you call the hospital?”
