Page 88 of Boss from Hell

“Yes, he’ll be fine in a couple of days.”

“Does he need a doctor?” she asked. The worry was evident in her voice and I realized despite what Max believed, his mother really did love him.

“I don’t think so, but I’ll stay the night, and I promise to call you if his situation changes.”

“Yes, please do that.”

Not wanting to wake Max up, I put the soup in the oven to keep it warm and watched a movie with the sound turned right down so I could hear him if he called. A couple of hours later, I carried a tray up to him. I pushed the door open and found Max writhing in his bed. Startled, I hurried to him and shook him awake. He looked disoriented at first.

“Why did you do that to me, Lillian?” he gasped, his eyes wild.

“I think you were having a nightmare,” I said, noting that he was drenched in sweat.

“Yeah, it was just a nightmare,” he said and sat up.

I went to the bathroom to wet a washcloth. Returning to the room, I gently wiped his face and neck. His temperature was still high, but so high it was a worry. I placed the tray on his lap andlike a mother hen guarding her chick, I watched over him as he finished the soup.

“Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome.”

“What time is it?”

“Nine.”

“You’re not leaving, are you?” he asked restlessly.

“No.”

“That’s good, but you don’t want to catch what I’ve got. Sleep in the guest room.”

I nodded and Max yawned and slid under the covers again. He closed his pretty eyes and I smiled at the sight. I kinda liked him this way. He seemed almost meek and kitten-like.

Friendly, at any rate.

I turned off the lights and carried his empty bowl downstairs. I ate a bowl as well, cleaned up, and headed upstairs to the guest room.

I checked on Max throughout the night and sometime in the early morning hours, he grabbed my hand and pulled me down on the bed next to him. “Don’t go, Lillian. Please. There is so little time left,” he whispered.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“We don’t have long,” he muttered.

I touched his forehead. It was still hot, but not concerningly so. He couldn’t be delirious. “Why don’t we have long?”

He squeezed my hand desperately. “Because Chris will come back with the results soon.”

Ah, something to do with his business. “We’ll worry about that when it happens, okay. Just rest now,” I consoled.

“I don’t want to lose you,” he mumbled.

“You won’t. I’m right here.” I curled myself around his feverish body, and eventually, we both fell asleep.

Chapter 51

Lillian

“That was a rough night,” he said as we ate a breakfast of oatmeal at the dining table. It was more like brunch, as Max had slept in. But it had done him a world of good. The way he had grasped my hand earlier in bed and muttered nonsense worried me a little.