“Joshua, take me to the ER instead of the office. Rory’s brother is being taken there.”

“Sure thing, Ian.”

Even though Rory said it wasn’t necessary for me to come there, I was doing it anyway. I didn’t want her there alone and with no support. As I walked into the ER, I asked the nurse at the desk where Stephen was. She took me back to the curtained room, where I saw Rory sitting in the chair and holding his hand.

“Hey, sweetheart,” I said as I walked over and kissed her head.

“Ian, what are you doing here?”

“Hey, buddy.” I smiled at Stephen. How are you?”

“Not too good, Ian,” he whispered.

He was pale and he looked weak. “Don’t worry; the doctors here will take good care of you.”

I grabbed a chair and set it down next to Rory. She grabbed my hand and smiled at me.

“Thank you for coming.”

“No problem, sweetheart. What did the doctor say?”

“They haven’t been in yet. The nurse came in and drew some blood and said the doctor will be in shortly.”

“He probably just picked up a virus or something.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

The doctor walked into the room and introduced herself as Dr. Kullen. She walked over to Stephen and examined him.

“Stephen has all the symptoms of the flu virus. We’ll keep him here overnight for IV fluids and we’ll monitor him. The virus just needs to run its course and he should be fine in a couple of days.”

“Thank you, doctor,” I spoke.

“Yes, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Get better, Stephen.” She smiled as she gave his arm a light squeeze.

“We should go, sweetheart, and let Stephen get some rest,” I said.

“I don’t want to leave him just yet. You go. I’ll be home later.”

“I’m not leaving you here. I’ll stay with you. I’m just going to run to the office and grab a couple of things and then I’ll be right back,” I said as I kissed the top of her head.

I could see the worry in her face and in her eyes as she sat there and held Stephen’s hand. I called Joshua and had him come pick me up from the hospital and drive me to the office. Once I grabbed what I needed, I headed back to the hospital and stayed with Rory until she felt comfortable enough to go home.

Chapter 17

Rory

I tossed and turned all night. Even though the doctor said not to worry, and the virus would run its course, I couldn’t help it. Ian had his arm around me as I wiggled my way out from under him as carefully as I could so I didn’t wake him up. The clock read four a.m. I made my way to the bathroom, shut the door, turned on the light, and looked at myself in the mirror. The bags under my eyes were not a pretty sight. As I splashed cold water on my face, there was a light knock on the door.

“Sweetheart, are you okay?”

Shit. I didn’t mean to wake him up. I opened the door and looked at Ian. “I’m fine. I just couldn’t sleep. Go back to bed. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. “If you can’t sleep, then neither can I,” he said.

I looked up at him and ran my hand lightly down his cheek. He always looked so sexy in the morning. I softly kissed his lips, and then my soft kiss turned passionate. He picked me up and carried me over to the bed. Before laying me down, he took down the straps of my nightgown and it fell to the ground. His mouth instantly gravitated to my breasts as he forcefully took them in his mouth. I hooked my thumbs in the waistband of his boxers and pulled them down, feeling his hard cock, which was ready and waiting for me. I knelt down and softly wrapped my lips around the tip, gently sucking before letting my tongue lick around it in circles. He gasped and then moaned as his hands gripped the sides of my head.

“I can’t have you make me come this way, sweetheart. I need to come inside you,” he said as he lifted my head.

I lay down on the bed and he hovered over me, not hesitating to plunge two fingers deep inside me. “You are incredible, baby,” he whispered as he kissed me.

His mouth explored my neck and his thumb make small circular motions around my clit, exciting me more than I already was and bringing me to the verge of an orgasm. My body tightened and shook and one last stroke was enough to send me over the edge. I threw my head back and let pleasure take over my body. I opened my eyes as he stared at me, smiling with delight.

“Are you ready for orgasm number two?” he asked.

“Always,” I whispered as I brought his lips to mine and kissed him passionately.

He thrust inside of me fast and hard without a moment of hesitation. He pounded himself in and out of me as if we hadn’t had sex for a while, even though we did last night. Loud and deep groans escaped from his chest as he pushed me and himself into oblivion. I was always amazed at how fast this man could make me orgasm so many times in a row. He strained as he pushed every last drip inside me before collapsing on top and burying his face into my neck.

“I love you so much, Rory.”

“I love you too, Ian.”

Our heart rates began to slow and our breathing slowly returned to normal. He climbed off of me, got up, and went into the bathroom. When he was finished, he climbed back into bed and pulled me into him.

“We don’t have to go back to sleep. We can talk if you want,” he said as he kissed my head.

I wanted to talk to him about the bruise on Mandy’s cheek because her story didn’t settle right with me.

“The bruise on Mandy’s cheek is bothering me.”

“Why? She said she ran into the door. It happens.”

“I guess. She told me she was seeing someone.”

“Good for her,” Ian said as he tightened his grip around me.

“I think we should get up. I really want to get to the hospital early and see how Stephen is doing.”

“Okay, sweetheart. Let’s shower, grab some breakfast, and then we’ll go.”

We both climbed out of bed and took an amazing shower together. A shower that was supposed to be quick, but ended up taking us longer as Ian couldn’t keep his hands off me. We headed downstairs and as I grabbed two mugs from the cabinet, Charles told Ian that Mandy called in sick today.

“Really? She’s never once called in.”

“She said that she and her daughter both have the flu,” Charles replied.

“Ah, well, it’s going around.”

I set our cups down on the table and Charles made me scrambled eggs and toast with a side of fresh fruit. As Ian sat down with his muffin and fruit, we heard Adalynn’s voice coming from the foyer.

“Good morning. I have arrived.” She smiled as she walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning.” I smiled back.

“Adalynn, don’t you think it’s a tad early to be dropping by?” Ian asked.

“No. I know you’re up anyway.”

I laughed lightly and Ian looked at me and rolled his eyes.

“Eggs, Adalynn?” Charles asked.

“Of course, Charles. Soft boiled, please, with a side of wheat toast.” Adalynn sat down next to me and grabbed my hand. “I received a call yesterday that all the bridesmaids dresses are in! I’m so excited. I did hire a wedding planner yesterday to tie up the odds and ends of the wedding. I feel like I’m running out of time.”

“Gee, didn’t we ask you if three months was enough time to plan a big wedding?”

“Shush up, Ian. Anyway, darling, I’m going to need you to go to the bridal shop for a final fitting.”

“Okay. I’ll go today after I leave the hospital.” I smiled.

“Hospital? Why are you going to the hospital?”

“Stephen was admitted there yesterday. He has the flu virus.”

“Oh, Rory, I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but the doctor said he’ll be fine. The virus just has to run its course.”

Adalynn, Ian, and I finished our breakfast and Adalynn left for Prim. Ian grabbed his keys and told Joshua that he would drive us to the hospital while he sent him on some other errands. I ran upstairs and grabbed my purse and Ian waited for me in the car.

“I’m sure Stephen’s doing much better today,” I said as I stared out the passenger window.

“I’m sure he is, sweetheart. We’ll be there soon and you can see for yourself.”

Ian pulled into the hospital and into the first parking space he saw. He walked around and opened the door, taking my hand as we walked into the hospital. We took the elevator up to the third floor where Stephen’s room was. As the doors opened, we saw a team of doctors and nurses running down the hall. As we watched them from behind, I saw them go into Stephen’s room. I grabbed Ian’s arm and began running faster down the hallway. My heart was racing with fear. I couldn’t remember if Stephen had a roommate. As I approached the room, I saw them. It was chaos. I looked at Stephen from across the room and he wasn’t moving. I screamed as Ian grabbed me and pulled me into him, pressing my face against his chest.

“Get them out of here,” someone yelled.

“Please, you need to wait outside. I promise we’re doing everything we can,” the nurse said as she guided us out of the room.

I started to shake uncontrollably as I began to pound on Ian’s chest. “Do something, damn it! Do something. Please,” I cried.

“Shh, sweetheart.”

A few moments later, a doctor came out of the room. “Are you his sister?” he asked.

I turned around and looked at him with tears in my eyes as I nodded my head.

“We did everything we could but it was too late. We think that the virus he had attacked his heart. I’m so sorry.”

“No. No. No,” I said over and over as I shook my head in disbelief. “He’s fine. He’ll wake up you’ll see. I’m going in there right now to wake him up!” I screamed.