Layla

Rolling my head to the side, I watched him sit in one of the recliners Layla loved. “You think so?”

“Oh, I know so. The first time Colette got sick after we got together, I assumed it was period pains and asked her what she needed. A few weeks later, she actually had period pains, and like an ass, I went back to the pharmacy and picked her up the same shit I’d gotten her when she was ill—chicken soup, NyQuil and DayQuil, and a romance book.”

I burst out laughing. “What did Colette do?”

His lips twitched. “Threw them at me and kept the book. Then she ordered me back to the store to pick her up a decent selection of chocolate, candy, and savory snacks.”

“I’ll have to remember that,” I snickered, then rubbed my chest. “I hate Layla being ill, Jack. It makes something hurt in my chest.”

His expression sobered as he watched me. “Sign of being in love, son. It hurts to think they’re in pain, and the fear of something happening to them keeps you up at night, even if it’s just a head cold.” That about covered it.

“About eighteen years ago, I read an article about this woman who’d been diagnosed with a newly discovered cancer, and she was dead seven weeks later. I couldn’t sleep for three days worrying about Colette, so I dragged her to the doctor’s office and demanded they test her, scan her, and do everything they could short of cutting her open for exploratory surgery to make sure she was okay.

“Poor woman didn’t know what’d hit me, but after the doctor had assured me he’d do it, he kept Colette behind while I went outside to get some water like he’d asked me to.” I watched as the somber expression morphed into a grin. “Know what Colette did?”

“What?”

“Apparently she hadn’t slept for three days because I hadn’t slept, and she was worried about me, so Colette asked him for a sedative or something to calm me down.”

I barked out a laugh. “Did he give it to her?”

“After the crazy I’d just shown him, he absolutely did.”

Colette found us a few minutes later, still laughing. “Your darling wife is now in clean pajamas and has finished another popsicle. Although, it would have been more fun shoving it up her ass,” she muttered the last bit under her breath. “Do you need us to do anything while we’re here?”

I stood up and patted my pocket, checking the prescriptions hadn’t fallen out at some point. “I won’t be long picking up her meds and getting her the stuff the doctor recommended. Do y’all need anything?”

When they both shook their heads, I smiled gratefully at them.

It was as I got to the door that an idea hit me. “Hey, Jack, do you have an hour free tomorrow to come with me to get something for Layla?”

He looked surprised initially, but then his face softened. “Well, I think I’d enjoy that, Mark. You wouldn’t rather take Colette or one of her brothers?”

I shook my head and meant it. “I’ll drag Colette on a trip like that one day, but not for this one.”

He grinned at me, and as I left, I caught him laughing at Colette’s pout.