“Hi Harlow,” Lisa greeted me after I waited nearly five minutes for her to answer the door, and I realised she was now also sick.
“Hey, honey. You’re not feeling well?” I stepped inside, closed the door behind me, and followed her into her bedroom where she slumped onto her bed, curling into a ball.
“My throat is so sore.” She could barely get the words out, and my sympathy kicked into gear. Lisa didn’t get sick often and she never complained, so for her to telling me this meant she must be feeling awful.
“You’re burning up,” I said as I placed my hand on her forehead. “Have you taken some Advil?”
She nodded, but didn’t speak again.
“I’m just going to get a washer and I’m also going to check on your mum, okay?”
Again, a nod, but no words.
I left her and found Michelle asleep in her bed. Pressing my hand to her forehead, I found that her fever seemed to have broken. Thank goodness.
A couple of minutes later, I sat with Lisa on her bed and tried to cool her a little with a cold washer. She shifted so that she could curl into my lap, and a little while later she was asleep.
As I sat with her, running my hand gently over her head in an attempt to help her sleep, pain sliced through my heart as I thought about doing this for my own child. I loved Lisa as if she was my own, but after losing my baby, everything felt different. Doing this for Lisa was high on my priorities, however doing it for my own child one day was something I prayed I would get to do.
Lisa fell into a deep sleep, and I tried to leave her a couple of times, but each time she clung to me, clearly not ready for me to leave. Eventually, I fell asleep with her, not waking until Scott touched my shoulder.
“Harlow.” His voice broke through my sleep and I blinked my eyes open to find him staring down at me.
I smiled up at him and this time when I moved, Lisa shifted onto her side and continued to sleep. “Hi, you,” I whispered as I stood.
He jerked his chin at Lisa. “She sick, too?”
“Yeah, poor baby, her throat is really sore and she has a fever.”
His arm slid around my waist and he pulled me close so he could kiss me. “Sorry I’m so late.”
As we left Lisa’s room, I asked, “What time is it?” The only thing indicating to me how long I’d slept was the crick in my neck.
“It’s nearly eleven.”
I frowned as concern snaked through me again. “Is everything okay with the club?”
He led me into Michelle’s living room and we sat on the couch. “I’m not sure. We’ve been doing some digging on that drug dealer I mentioned to you the other day, Julio, and I’ve gotta head down to Adelaide with J and Nash to check out his connections down there.”
My heart beat a little faster. “Should I be worried now? I mean, usually you just send the boys to look into stuff while you stay here. What’s making you go this time?”
His eyes held mine and I didn’t fail to detect the uncertainty clear in them. “I’m not gonna say this is nothing to worry about because I believe it is something to be very concerned about. But I don’t want you to panic at the same time. Griff and Wilder will be staying in Brisbane, along with Rogue, Colt and Gunnar. Blade will also be around, as will his men, so I’m not worried for your safety. I do need you to be alert, though, sweetheart. Just keep to your usual routine because I’ve got eyes on all club members’ families now and the usual routines are important for that.”
I blinked a few times as I took that information in. Scott will keep us all safe . “When are you leaving?”
“Tomorrow morning, about five. It’ll take us three days to get there, so all up we’ll be gone either six or seven days.” He watched me closely, obviously waiting for my response.
I wanted to tell him not to go, and to tell him that I needed him home now, more than ever, but I didn’t. I simply nodded my understanding. And then I tried to reassure him I would stay safe – I didn’t want him spending unnecessary energy worrying over me when he clearly needed to conserve that energy for the club. “I’ll keep to my usual routines. Is there anything else you need me to do while you’re away?”
“Yes, can you keep an eye on Madison and Velvet? I’m sure they’ll be fine, but I want us all to be looking out for each other. I don’t want to take any chances on this, not when I don’t know enough about this asshole.”
“Will do, baby,” I promised. “And I’ll make sure Michelle and Lisa are okay, too. I think Michelle is getting better – her fever seems to have passed.”
He stood. “We should stay here tonight in case either of them need us.” Eyeing the couch, he added, “I know it will be uncomfortable, but I don’t want to leave them when they’re both sick.”
Standing next to him, I shook my head in disagreement. “No, you should go home and get a good night’s rest. I’ll sleep here on the couch.”
“The couch is fine for me.”
Of course he would argue with me, but I decided to put my foot down on this one; no way did I want Scott to attempt a long ride after a night of shitty sleep. “You need your sleep, Scott. We don’t both need to be here. I mean, chances are they won’t even wake up.”
His brows pulled together the way they did when he was about to argue with me. “Harlow -” he began, but I cut him off.
“No,” I said forcefully. “Don’t argue with me because I’m not backing down on this. I’ve told you I’ll do what you asked while you’re away; the only thing I’m asking is for you to get some sleep tonight.” I kept my eyes trained on his, letting him know I had no intention of giving in.