only driven across town. The poor man would’ve heaved himself to death if he’d had to ride any farther.
Graham scrubbed a hand across the sheen of sweat covering his brow, grabbed the vial of scented oil, and fisted it under his nose. Snorting in a deep inhale, he closed his eyes and held it. His greenish pallor morphed into a vein-popping red, much like a time-lapse video of a ripening tomato. He blew the breath out hard. “I will be”—he shuddered, swallowed hard, and inhaled another deep whiff of the peppermint—“fine.”
Lilia leaned beside him back against the car, wishing there was some way she could make him feel better.
Poor guy. The perfect specimen of a hot hunky Highlander taken down by technology.
“You wait here and keep deep-breathing that peppermint oil. I’ll be right back.”
Graham didn’t open his eyes, just kept sucking in wheezing gasps over the glass vial as he waved her away.
Snagging her purse out of the car, Lilia hurried out of the parking garage, jogged across the street, and tested the door of the local pharmacy. No luck. It was nearly lunchtime and the drugstore always closed for an hour at noon. So much for the idea of getting Graham some motion sickness pills. The way the poor man reacted to riding in a car, he needed something a hell of a lot stronger than oil of peppermint.
She glanced up and down the street, hoping to spot a store that might carry the medicine—maybe a place of business she’d somehow overlooked during her daily visits to the hospital. Still no luck. None of the stores lining the busy avenue would carry what Graham needed.
Maybe the tiny shop in the lobby of the hospital? She’d only been in there once to buy Eliza a small vase of her beloved roses, but if she remembered correctly, there had been one wall dedicated to daily necessities. Back across the street she jogged. She didn’t bother stopping to check on Graham. She could hear his retching groan echoing through the concrete tomb of the parking garage.
Hurrying through the quietly shushing doors of the entrance, Lilia slowed her careening pace to a much more respectable walk. No matter how old she got, Granny’s voice would always be in her head telling her to mind her manners. A pang of loneliness slowed her even more. It had been too long since she’d last jumped back for a visit. She missed them all so much.
Her heart lifted a bit at the brightly lit interior of the gift shop and the glass door propped wide open for customers.
Thank goodness.
The pink-coated volunteers were there today and the store was open. Now to find poor Graham some drugs. She went straight to the cluttered square of glass countertops hemming in the cash register and an elderly volunteer deeply engrossed in the daily paper’s crossword puzzle.
“Excuse me?” Lilia shifted her weight from side to side. She didn’t want to be rude but Graham needed help and she needed to get him stabilized so they could get up to Eliza’s room without him gagging his way through the hallways.
The silver-haired matron peered up from her folded paper, her ink pen frozen in space mere centimeters from the black and white squares of the puzzle. “Aye? Can I be a-helpin’ ye then?”
“Do you have anything for nausea?” Lilia fished her wallet out of her purse and waited.
“Nausea, ye say?” The elderly lady pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose and, in painstakingly slow motion, tapped the nib of her black ink pen against the blocks of the puzzle in front of her. “First off, I need t’ask ye a question. Four letters. Strongest power in the world. Ends with an ‘e.’ What say ye?”
Lilia curbed the urge to drum her fingers atop the glass counter.
I’ve gotta be polite
. She had to respect her elders or Granny would reach through time and tan her hide. “Uhm…I’m not sure. Now about the nausea, do you have anything? More specifically, something for motion sickness?”
“Ends with an ‘e,’ ”
Graham scrubbed a hand across the sheen of sweat covering his brow, grabbed the vial of scented oil, and fisted it under his nose. Snorting in a deep inhale, he closed his eyes and held it. His greenish pallor morphed into a vein-popping red, much like a time-lapse video of a ripening tomato. He blew the breath out hard. “I will be”—he shuddered, swallowed hard, and inhaled another deep whiff of the peppermint—“fine.”
Lilia leaned beside him back against the car, wishing there was some way she could make him feel better.
Poor guy. The perfect specimen of a hot hunky Highlander taken down by technology.
“You wait here and keep deep-breathing that peppermint oil. I’ll be right back.”
Graham didn’t open his eyes, just kept sucking in wheezing gasps over the glass vial as he waved her away.
Snagging her purse out of the car, Lilia hurried out of the parking garage, jogged across the street, and tested the door of the local pharmacy. No luck. It was nearly lunchtime and the drugstore always closed for an hour at noon. So much for the idea of getting Graham some motion sickness pills. The way the poor man reacted to riding in a car, he needed something a hell of a lot stronger than oil of peppermint.
She glanced up and down the street, hoping to spot a store that might carry the medicine—maybe a place of business she’d somehow overlooked during her daily visits to the hospital. Still no luck. None of the stores lining the busy avenue would carry what Graham needed.
Maybe the tiny shop in the lobby of the hospital? She’d only been in there once to buy Eliza a small vase of her beloved roses, but if she remembered correctly, there had been one wall dedicated to daily necessities. Back across the street she jogged. She didn’t bother stopping to check on Graham. She could hear his retching groan echoing through the concrete tomb of the parking garage.
Hurrying through the quietly shushing doors of the entrance, Lilia slowed her careening pace to a much more respectable walk. No matter how old she got, Granny’s voice would always be in her head telling her to mind her manners. A pang of loneliness slowed her even more. It had been too long since she’d last jumped back for a visit. She missed them all so much.
Her heart lifted a bit at the brightly lit interior of the gift shop and the glass door propped wide open for customers.
Thank goodness.
The pink-coated volunteers were there today and the store was open. Now to find poor Graham some drugs. She went straight to the cluttered square of glass countertops hemming in the cash register and an elderly volunteer deeply engrossed in the daily paper’s crossword puzzle.
“Excuse me?” Lilia shifted her weight from side to side. She didn’t want to be rude but Graham needed help and she needed to get him stabilized so they could get up to Eliza’s room without him gagging his way through the hallways.
The silver-haired matron peered up from her folded paper, her ink pen frozen in space mere centimeters from the black and white squares of the puzzle. “Aye? Can I be a-helpin’ ye then?”
“Do you have anything for nausea?” Lilia fished her wallet out of her purse and waited.
“Nausea, ye say?” The elderly lady pushed her glasses up higher on the bridge of her nose and, in painstakingly slow motion, tapped the nib of her black ink pen against the blocks of the puzzle in front of her. “First off, I need t’ask ye a question. Four letters. Strongest power in the world. Ends with an ‘e.’ What say ye?”
Lilia curbed the urge to drum her fingers atop the glass counter.
I’ve gotta be polite
. She had to respect her elders or Granny would reach through time and tan her hide. “Uhm…I’m not sure. Now about the nausea, do you have anything? More specifically, something for motion sickness?”
“Ends with an ‘e,’ ”
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