He Drowned in Memory by P.D. Workman

Author:P.D. Workman [Workman, P.D.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: pd workman

35

Zachary awoke later on the couch, one of the throw blankets pulled around him. He blinked blearily at Kenzie, who bent down and kissed him on the cheek.

“You got some sleep?” Kenzie asked, though the answer to that was obvious.

Zachary straightened his body out, stretched, and sat up slowly. He rubbed his neck, trying to massage away any cricks from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position.

“I guess it all caught up eventually,” he admitted, and covered a yawn. “The sleep meds. I couldn’t settle down, but I must have closed my eyes at some point…”

“And zonked. You were snoring to beat the band. Thought I had a saber-toothed tiger in my living room. It’s probably too soon to ask you how you’re feeling this morning.”

Zachary nodded. It took him a while to feel human after he woke up in the morning, then to analyze his body and determine whether he felt better or worse than any other day.

“If you’re still tired, why don’t you move to the bed? You’ll be a lot more comfortable.”

“I won’t go back to sleep now.”

“You sure? You were still pretty deep under, for you. Don’t overextend yourself. You were up late.”

“I’m sure. Want to make some calls this morning, catch people before they get too busy.”

“Just be careful. Sorry, I don’t mean to be a nag. Just want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself.”

“I’m fine.” He met her eyes. “The trip back to the hospital was unnecessary.”

“Okay. I’ll leave you alone. You’re the best one to know your own limits.” She put up her hands, indicating her surrendering of the issue, and turned toward the kitchen. “I’m putting on some coffee. Do you want it before your shower?”

Zachary noticed belatedly that she had already showered herself, damp curls still clinging around her collar. That meant it was quite a bit later than he usually woke up. The effects of the sleep aid or his body adjusting to his new, out-of-the-hospital activities. He would prefer to just wash his face, comb his hair, and slap on some deodorant to jump back into his work, but Kenzie’s mention of a shower was probably a subtle nudge that he was noticeably in need of one, so he’d better not skip it.

“I’ll have half a cup before.”

Kenzie nodded and measured grounds into the hopper. The machine would make single cups, travel mugs, or a full carafe, and they generally went through a full carafe in the morning. They waited while it brewed, making small talk. Kenzie didn’t bring up Zachary’s siblings, letting him think about it and be in control of whether he wanted to talk about it some more. They ran through the usual pleasantries about sleep, the weather, and the newest bodies in the morgue. Zachary drank a full cup of coffee instead of a half and headed for the shower.

“I’ll probably be gone when you’re out,” Kenzie advised. “Have a good day. I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay, see you then.”

“Date night, if you can swing it.

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