Chapter Six
Ava dragged herself to work the next day. Her head was still pounding, but she knew she could handle it if she stayed quiet and moved slowly. She made herself eat a little lunch, so she didn’t become more nauseous. She was diligent in taking the medication as prescribed. She took just enough to keep the clawing pain away, even if it made her tired and sluggish.
She spent most of the day in her office, and fortunately, Phyllis stayed away and just took care of business. She totally forgot about Sean until he was standing just inside her office. One look, and he was striding toward her, squatting beside her chair.
“What the hell, baby? What’s wrong with you?”
Her first thought was that it felt nice having someone worry about her. She thought it had been her mother who was the last one who really cared.
“Honey, answer me.”
She sat up, careful to move slowly. “It’s just a headache, Sean.”
His mouth tightened. “A headache doesn’t make a person look like death.”
She tried to smile, but she was too tired. Instead, she rubbed and pressed on her temples.
“Okay, it’s a bad headache.”
“Migraine?”
“Yes. But I’m taking medication for it, so it should be better tomorrow.”
Sean gently caressed her arm, and she liked the contact from another human. It soothed her.
When she had the migraines with Alan, he put her in a room with a pitcher of water and a bottle of pills, never checking on her or showing any concern.
“How long do these usually last?”
“Two to three days.”
Sean gritted his teeth. His scowl turned darker. “So, you had this headache yesterday while I was here?”
She noticed his anger and started to get nervous. “Yes, but Sean, it had just started, and I thought I’d get to my medicine before it got to migraine level.”
“And what exactly kept you from your medicine?” Although he sounded angry, his touch stayed gentle.
“It was my fault for not having any with me. I usually do. I don’t know how it fell out of my purse, but it won’t happen again.”
“No, it won’t, baby. I’ll make sure of that.”
“Sean.”
He stood and gently pulled her up. Then he sat down in the chair and pulled her down until she crossed his lap, laying her head against his chest. “How long before you close the library?”
It felt so good to be held that she didn’t move to see the time. She laid her hand on his chest, his heartbeat soothing her. “At five.”
Sean lifted his arm to see his watch. “Good, it’s almost five now. Do you have to do anything before we leave?”
Getting sleepy, she yawned and then shook her head. “Just lock up.”
“Can Phyllis do it on her own?”
“Yes, but it’s my turn, and she doesn’t like to trade days.”
He nuzzled the top of her head gently, but she could tell that pissed him off. “Okay, baby. We’ll lock up and then get you home and to bed.”
She tensed.