Zander wasn’tsure what was wrong with her, but he figured Webb might have an idea. Pulling out his phone, he sent off a text.
Zander:She seems to have a fever, and a swollen cheek. What’s wrong with her?
Webb:I don’t know. Could be lots of things.
Zander:That’s not helpful.
Webb:Is she in any pain? Have you taken her temperature? Do you need me to come?
Zander:No. I can handle this.
Hopefully.
He wasn’t entirely sure he knew what he was doing, but what he did know was that he wasn’t letting someone else take care of her.
It was his job now.
She shuffled out of the bathroom, moving more slowly than he would have thought given her ribs had had close to a week to heal.
“Oh, you’re still here,” she muttered.
“You really expected me to leave?”
“You haven’t exactly stuck around much.”
“I didn’t think you would want me around after our last encounter,” he admitted stiffly.
He noticed that her speech was off, as though she didn’t want to open her mouth too much.
He shot off another text to Webb.
Zander:Her mouth could be hurting her.
Webb:What about her teeth?
“Didyour mother never teach you that it was rude to text while you were having a conversation?” she snarked at him.
Zander shook his head. “I barely remember my mother. I was raised by my uncle. He was . . . reclusive. I didn’t attend school, he homeschooled me. We didn’t have a television, just a radio and some old books.”
She stared at him with something like sympathy. “That must have been hard on you. Did you not have any friends your age?”
“No, there was no one close by. We lived on an island. It was very remote. But he taught me to shoot and hunt.”
“Is he still alive?”
“No, he died shortly before I joined the military. It was then that I realized how unusual my upbringing was.”
“Were you in the army?”
“Navy,” he replied. “A SEAL. It was an adjustment, learning all their rules.”
“I bet.”
As they spoke, she moved slowly towards the table and took a seat. Well, she sort of slumped into the seat as though her legs could no longer hold her up.
“What is this?” she asked.
“Picnic breakfast.”