“I’m talking about the fact that if you’re not watching your surroundings then someone could sneak up on you.”
She brushed her hand at that. “I always run with pepper spray, I’ll be fine. I’m trained to fight.”
“And if you froze or panicked?”
She sucked in a brea
th.
“I don’t say that to upset you or disparage you. Just thinking worst-case scenario. If you don’t notice them then they could easily get the upper hand on you. What if you hurt yourself? Collapsed?”
“It’s only been lately where I’ve had heart issues that have made me dizzy and light-headed.”
“Heart issues? What heart issues? I thought you said there was nothing big wrong!” He stood with her in his arms. “That’s it, you’re going back to the hospital until these heart issues have been sorted. What the hell was Xavier thinking, discharging you? I’m going to kick his fucking ass.”
“Ed, no! I’m fine. Put me down.”
“No way, I’m not putting you down until I get answers. We’re going back to the hospital. I’m going to teach Xavier how to do his damn job properly.”
“Ed! I don’t have heart problems.”
“You just said you did.” He paused at the front door, glaring down at her.
“I don’t have any issues with my heart. I have palpitations and my heart tends to race. But it’s caused by stress and anxiety and likely too much caffeine. Although there’s no way I’m giving up my caffeine. I need it to live.”
He studied her. “That the truth?”
“Promise.”
“So if I rang Xavier and asked him? That’s what he’d tell me?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Don’t you believe me?”
He moved his gaze over her face. “I believe you. But I’m still worried. I don’t like the sound of heart palpitations. Especially not when you collapsed.”
“Believe me, they’re no fun to experience. They make me feel ill and nauseous.”
“I’m guessing running wouldn’t help that, would it?”
She shrugged as he turned and headed back down the hallway, but this time he moved into a large bedroom. It was filled with light due to the floor-to-ceiling windows that meant you could look out onto the lake. A huge bed faced the big windows. Wow, she thought it would be amazing to wake up to that view. Behind the bed was a false wall that housed the walk-in closet. He placed her next to the bed and then pulled down the plain, dark blue duvet cover, revealing black sheets. She’d never seen black sheets before. On each side of the big bed were bedside drawers but other than that the room was pretty bare.
“What are you doing?”
“You’re having a nap,” he stated. “I’ll get you something to sleep in. Sit.” He pointed at the bed.
She sighed, even as she sat. “Ed, I don’t need a nap.”
“You look exhausted. You’re just out of the hospital. You need a nap. And you haven’t been sleeping well for a while. You’ll need daily naps for a while until you build up your strength.”
“I will not!”
He shot a firm look at her. “Georgie-girl, when it comes to your health, I am not messing around. I’m still concerned about your heart, even though you’ve explained it. I’d still like to talk to Xavier about it.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “I’ll give him permission to speak to you.”
“Thank you.” He hugged her tight and her tense body relaxed as his arms surrounded her. She was engulfed by this big bear of a man. And while he was around, she knew nothing could get to her. Nothing physical. She wished he could hold the nightmares at bay.
He kissed the top of her head. “Right, nap time. I’ll get you one of my shirts to sleep in.”