he said, gritting his teeth in an effort to moderate his tone, ‘but this looks like more than just a headache to me.’
‘I guess it might be a migraine but I’ve never had one so I wouldn’t know.’
‘Have you taken anything for it?’
‘Aspirin, but it hasn’t made any difference.’ She walked past him into the kitchen and picked up a bottle of water, holding it to her chest as if she needed the defence. ‘You really didn’t need to come over,’ she grumbled. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning.’
‘Possibly.’
‘I’m just tired, that’s all.’
He glanced at the dark circles beneath her eyes and thought that exhausted was more like it. And she was way too thin. ‘When did you last eat?’
She frowned then shrugged. ‘Yesterday evening. The deal went through and we went out to celebrate.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I’ll make you something and then put you to bed.’
She jerked, her eyes widening and her cheeks flushing, which at least gave her some colour. ‘No,’ she said hotly. ‘Absolutely not.’
At the thought evidently going through her mind Marcus let out a sigh of exasperation and dragged a hand through his hair. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Celia.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘I don’t need a nurse.’
‘You need food.’
‘I need to be left alone.’
‘Well, that’s too bad because I’m not going anywhere.’ Two could play the obstinacy game, and with the state she was in she didn’t stand a chance of winning. How on earth could he leave her when she obviously wasn’t well at all? Dan would have his balls on a plate.
‘I hate you seeing me like this,’ she said.
He hated seeing her like this too. He’d always thought of her as so strong and resilient, and to see her a mere shadow of herself was twisting something in his chest. ‘I’ve no doubt you do, but you might as well get used to it.’
‘Well, you can’t make me something to eat,’ she said, clearly sensing that this battle was one she wasn’t going to win and, to his relief, giving in. ‘There’s nothing in the fridge apart from bread. I don’t cook, remember.’
‘Then we’ll get something in.’
‘Not sure I feel like eating.’
Ignoring that, Marcus spied the pile of takeaway menus on the immaculately gleaming counter, snatched up the one on the top and hauled out his phone. Tonight, it seemed, they’d be having pizza. Not quite the gourmet spread Lily had probably planned, but good enough.
‘What else is wrong besides the headache?’ he asked, tapping the number into his phone.
‘Nothing, really.’
He shot her a look of warning. ‘Celia.’
‘OK, sometimes I ache.’
‘Ache where?’
‘All over.’
‘And?’
She bit her lip and frowned. ‘I might have been having a few heart palpitations as well.’
Marcus froze, then blanched, his thumb hovering over the dial button. Migraines? Aches? Heart palpitations? What the hell was wrong with her? ‘A few?’
She shrugged. ‘More than a few.’
‘Anything else?’
‘No, that’s about it, I think.’
Well, it was quite enough, he thought grimly, deleting the number and scrolling through his list of contacts. Sod the pizza. Sod tucking her up in bed and keeping an eye on her till morning. She was going to see a doctor. Now.
‘I need a taxi,’ he said the second his call was answered, and then reeled off her address.
‘I thought you were calling for food,’ she said, looking a bit bewildered.
‘Change of plan.’ Then into the phone, ‘No. Half an hour’s too long. Make it ten minutes and I’ll double the fare.’ And with that he hung up.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘ We are going to A and E.’
She stared at him in surprise and then gave a weak laugh. ‘I’m sure I don’t need to go to A and E, Marcus. I’ll just take some more aspirin and go back to bed. You’re overreacting.’
He looked at her steadily. ‘Heart palpitations, Celia?’
‘Stress,’ she said
‘I guess it might be a migraine but I’ve never had one so I wouldn’t know.’
‘Have you taken anything for it?’
‘Aspirin, but it hasn’t made any difference.’ She walked past him into the kitchen and picked up a bottle of water, holding it to her chest as if she needed the defence. ‘You really didn’t need to come over,’ she grumbled. ‘I’m sure I’ll be fine in the morning.’
‘Possibly.’
‘I’m just tired, that’s all.’
He glanced at the dark circles beneath her eyes and thought that exhausted was more like it. And she was way too thin. ‘When did you last eat?’
She frowned then shrugged. ‘Yesterday evening. The deal went through and we went out to celebrate.’
‘Congratulations.’
‘Thanks.’
‘I’ll make you something and then put you to bed.’
She jerked, her eyes widening and her cheeks flushing, which at least gave her some colour. ‘No,’ she said hotly. ‘Absolutely not.’
At the thought evidently going through her mind Marcus let out a sigh of exasperation and dragged a hand through his hair. ‘Oh, for heaven’s sake, Celia.’
Her eyes flashed. ‘I don’t need a nurse.’
‘You need food.’
‘I need to be left alone.’
‘Well, that’s too bad because I’m not going anywhere.’ Two could play the obstinacy game, and with the state she was in she didn’t stand a chance of winning. How on earth could he leave her when she obviously wasn’t well at all? Dan would have his balls on a plate.
‘I hate you seeing me like this,’ she said.
He hated seeing her like this too. He’d always thought of her as so strong and resilient, and to see her a mere shadow of herself was twisting something in his chest. ‘I’ve no doubt you do, but you might as well get used to it.’
‘Well, you can’t make me something to eat,’ she said, clearly sensing that this battle was one she wasn’t going to win and, to his relief, giving in. ‘There’s nothing in the fridge apart from bread. I don’t cook, remember.’
‘Then we’ll get something in.’
‘Not sure I feel like eating.’
Ignoring that, Marcus spied the pile of takeaway menus on the immaculately gleaming counter, snatched up the one on the top and hauled out his phone. Tonight, it seemed, they’d be having pizza. Not quite the gourmet spread Lily had probably planned, but good enough.
‘What else is wrong besides the headache?’ he asked, tapping the number into his phone.
‘Nothing, really.’
He shot her a look of warning. ‘Celia.’
‘OK, sometimes I ache.’
‘Ache where?’
‘All over.’
‘And?’
She bit her lip and frowned. ‘I might have been having a few heart palpitations as well.’
Marcus froze, then blanched, his thumb hovering over the dial button. Migraines? Aches? Heart palpitations? What the hell was wrong with her? ‘A few?’
She shrugged. ‘More than a few.’
‘Anything else?’
‘No, that’s about it, I think.’
Well, it was quite enough, he thought grimly, deleting the number and scrolling through his list of contacts. Sod the pizza. Sod tucking her up in bed and keeping an eye on her till morning. She was going to see a doctor. Now.
‘I need a taxi,’ he said the second his call was answered, and then reeled off her address.
‘I thought you were calling for food,’ she said, looking a bit bewildered.
‘Change of plan.’ Then into the phone, ‘No. Half an hour’s too long. Make it ten minutes and I’ll double the fare.’ And with that he hung up.
‘Where are you going?’ she asked.
‘ We are going to A and E.’
She stared at him in surprise and then gave a weak laugh. ‘I’m sure I don’t need to go to A and E, Marcus. I’ll just take some more aspirin and go back to bed. You’re overreacting.’
He looked at her steadily. ‘Heart palpitations, Celia?’
‘Stress,’ she said
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