The Baby Gamble (Texas Hold'em)
As long as he kept all his safety measures in place.
“Becky said with early intervention you could overcome, or at least completely manage, the disorder.”
“She’s right.”
“Did you have that?”
“Yes.” And because he was sorry he’d hurt her, because he knew that words were important to Annie, he continued. “Education goes a long way toward instilling managing skills, as well.”
“What about medication? Do you take anything to help?”
“Not really. A minimum-dosage sleeping pill every six months or so.”
“And you’ve really only had a few of these things, these episodes, in over two years’ time?”
“Really.” If you didn’t count his night stalker visits. And he wasn’t.
“So what you’re telling me is that you’ve got this pretty much under control.”
Her hair, tousled around her face and shoulders, made him want to bury his fingers in it, in her. To get lost in Annie’s arms and never find his way out.
“Pretty much.”
“So what set you off tonight? Besides me, that is.”
“I shouldn’t have said that Annie. I’m sorry.” He couldn’t really see her expression in the darkness, couldn’t see her eyes, but he could tell they were glistening.
“Of course you should, if it’s the truth.”
“It’s not what you think.”
“It’s okay, Blake. I understand.”
“No,” he interrupted. “I don’t think you do. It’s not you who’s caused the resurgence of stress,” he told her. “It’s staying away from you that does that.”
“Then…”
“No, Annie. I am not in the market for a relationship. And if you weren’t feeling sorry for me, you’d admit that neither are you. We just had this conversation. Remember?”
“People change, Blake.”
“Overnight?”
“Sometimes.”
Painfully equipped with far more information than Annie had on this subject, Blake wasn’t going to entertain any such ideas. Period.
“So what precipitated tonight’s troubles?”
Welcoming the change of topic, he told her about the scene in the movie, the violence. Realizing that he wasn’t in any state to have taken it on.
“So you identified with Sonny’s situation, and that’s all it took,” Annie said.
“Tonight, yes. Generally, I can see it coming and focus on something else enough to ward off any adverse reaction.”
“Tell me what you saw tonight, Blake. Tell me what happened to you over there.”
His mind blank, Blake stared in her direction, mouth open but with nothing to say. Not a word occurred to him.