Total pages in book: 69
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 64966 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 325(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
“I think I’m about to get a migraine. They usually start out with me generally feeling like shit. If that’s the case, it’s going to get a lot worse from here, so let’s enjoy ourselves while we can, okay?”
“Come and sit down.” He guided me onto a nearby loveseat and took both my hands as he sat beside me. “Do you get them a lot?”
“Two or three times a year. It’s been five months since my last one. I have no idea what triggers them, and my doctor doesn’t, either.”
“How long do they last?”
“Two days, sometimes three. Then that’s usually it for another few months.”
“How can I help?”
“You don’t have to help. I’ll need to stay in bed, where it’s dark and quiet. But you should go to the concierge’s desk, and they’ll find all kinds of stuff for you to do while I’m down for the count. There are seaplane tours, and spa treatments, and—”
Daniel cupped my face between his hands. “I don’t care about any of that, Mal. All that matters is getting you through this.”
“But you were really looking forward to this trip. I don’t want to ruin it for you.”
“You’re not ruining anything. Can you face having brunch in the dining room, or should I get someone with a golf cart to drive us back to the cabin? I’m fine either way, so please be honest about what you need.”
I thought about it as I ran my thumbs over the back of his hands. Finally, I said, “I’m good with the dining room, as long as you don’t mind me keeping my sunglasses on while we eat. Bright light is really jarring.”
“If you start to feel worse, or if it isn’t working for you, promise you’ll tell me. We can bail out at any point, even if we haven’t gotten our food yet.”
“Okay.”
Once we reached the restaurant, he scanned the room. Then he gestured to the right and told the hostess, “We need a booth back there, in the corner. That’s the quietest part of the dining room, right?” She told him it was, and he nodded and smoothly slipped her a twenty. “My companion is coming down with a migraine, and a lot of light makes it worse. If you could please lower the blinds directly across from us, I’d appreciate it.”
She followed his instructions, and once we were seated Daniel asked me, “Is this okay?”
“It’s perfect. Thanks.”
When our waiter came to take our order, I asked for tea and dry wheat toast. Daniel talked me into adding a scrambled egg for protein, and then he tried to order himself the exact same breakfast. “No way,” I said, as I opened the menu. After a quick scan, I told the waiter, “He’d actually like a pot of coffee, an assortment of baked goods, a side of fresh fruit, and let’s see…the eggs benedict with avocado instead of ham.” I glanced at Daniel over the top of my sunglasses and asked, “Does any of that sound unappealing to you?”
“No, it all sounds delicious. But you don’t want to watch me scarf down a bunch of yummy stuff while you gnaw on some dry bread.”
I handed our menus to the young, redhaired waiter and offered him a smile as I said, “Thanks. That should be it for now.”
Once he left, Daniel sighed and told me, “You’re very stubborn.”
“You already knew that.”
“True.”
“And nothing I ordered for you is going to make my nausea worse. I purposely avoided the smoked salmon benedict for that reason.”
“Good call.”
I made it through half a cup of tea and a triangle of toast before my nausea asserted itself with a vengeance. I dabbed my mouth with a napkin and told Daniel, “I’m going to find the restroom. I’ll be back soon.”
He instantly put down his fork and started to get up. “You’re feeling worse, aren’t you? How can I help?”
“By enjoying your breakfast. Seriously. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
I made it to the men’s room moments before the first wave of the migraine slammed into my skull. It was so intense that I dropped into a crouch and pressed my forehead to the cool edge of the granite vanity. Then I had to fight to keep down what I’d just eaten.
Fuck, this was going to be a bad one. That was really upsetting, not because of the pain, but because I felt awful about ruining this trip for Daniel. He’d been so happy and excited.
A moment later, he appeared at my side and put his arm around me. “I asked them to get us a golf cart and driver. They’re going to meet us out front and take us back to the cabin.”
“What about breakfast?”
“We’re all set. I paid the bill.”
“You should have billed it to our room. I mean, our cabin.”