“If there’s a reason some aren’t responding, it has to be at the cellular level. B cells are initiated because of inflammation, caused by excess sugar, but also excess low-quality animal products. I mean, I don’t see how that would affect the effectiveness of the medication, but…it’s just a thought.”
“Inflammation is the number one killer on the planet. That’s not unrealistic.”
I kept mulling it over, scanning through the labs in my head, thinking, my brain pumping.
“You’ll figure it out.”
“Yeah…I just need to figure it out before more people die.”
Two weeks later, we started to move her things.
“So, let me get this straight.” Derek was in a t-shirt and shorts despite the fall air outside. The trees were starting to turn red and gold, the temperature was dropping, the humidity fading too. “You’re leaving the place fully furnished…and you still have all this shit to move?”
Boxes upon boxes were stacked in the living room, nearly to the ceiling.
Daisy emerged from behind the wall of boxes. “Wow, you’re quick. Get moving.”
Derek turned to me. “Do you even have room for all this stuff?”
Oh, I did. They hadn’t seen my place yet. “Even if I didn’t, it wouldn’t matter.”
Daisy’s voice came from behind the wall. “Damn right.”
Dex walked inside, dressed for the move. He stopped when he saw the boxes. “Is this the Night’s Watch, and that’s the wall keeping out the Night’s King?”
“Shut up and move shit.” Daisy’s voice came again.
Dex turned to me. “You sure you want to do this, man? Because we’d totally understand if you want to jump ship right about now.”
“Yeah,” Derek said, lowering his voice. “Get out while you can.”
Her brothers showed me no animosity despite the split. They acted exactly the same, which was nice. It felt like they were friends…even brothers. “If she’s anything like her dad, she’d totally kick my ass if I tried to bail now.”
“Ooooooh, burn.” Dex high-fived me.
Derek chuckled. “That was a good one.”
Daisy emerged from behind the wall, her hands on her hips. “If you’re going to just stand around and make jokes all day, go to a comedy club.”
“Why?” Dex asked. “When we can just make fun of you all day.”
She grabbed a box and chucked it at him.
She threw it so hard that it seemed light, but when Dex caught it and stumbled several feet back and his ass hit the wall, it was clear it wasn’t that light at all. “Jesus, this has to weigh like forty pounds.”
“That’s adrenaline for you.” She disappeared again.
Derek looked at his brother then at me, actually a little scared.
“I know,” I said with pride. “She’s strong.” They should have watched her throw Darin to the floor within a few moves.
Dex straightened himself, carrying the box with a grunt. “It feels like my stomach got punched in.”
“Then get to work if you don’t want to be next,” Daisy called.
“Why does this weigh so much?” Dex put the box on the floor and opened the lid. “Shoes?”
Daisy marched back around. “Hey, do you mind?”
“How do shoes weigh this much?” Dex asked.
“Because there’re a lot, okay?” Daisy yanked the box out of his hands and shoved it into Derek’s chest. “Can you do this or not?”
Without a word, Derek hurried the hell out of there.
Dex lay flat on the floor. “Geez…I’m tired.”
Daisy looked at me, shaking her head. “I guess if I wanted some muscle, I should have asked Little Deacon or Cam. They would be able to handle more than this goof.” She gave his shoe a gentle kick.
“You literally chucked a box of bricks at me,” Dex argued.
“Shoes,” Daisy said. “You can’t pick up shoes?”
“Not when they weigh forty pounds and they’re chucked at me like a fucking cannonball.”
This argument was going to go on for a long time, so I grabbed a box and headed to the door. “Don’t kill him while I’m gone.”
She continued to stand over him as he lay flat on the hardwood. “Can’t promise anything.”
“This place is sweeeeeet.” Dex walked inside with a stack of boxes in his arms. “The elevator opens right into the living room. How sick is that?” He moved inside and took a look around. “Dude, this place must have made a lot of panties drop.”
I ignored what he said because Daisy was right there. “You can take the boxes down the—”
“The only panties that are going to be dropping now are mine.” Daisy strutted down the hallway, holding a couple boxes herself.
Dex cringed in disgust. “Anyway…I’ll just follow her.”
We worked to bring everything up, piling her things in a couple spare bedrooms so they wouldn’t take up the space in the living room or the master that we would share together. Up and down the elevator we went, bringing more boxes, stuffing my big penthouse with all her belongings that she couldn’t live without.