Keller by Lynn Hagen

Author:Lynn Hagen
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-04-22T00:00:00+00:00

* * * *

Horace wasn’t sure how much more of the pain he could take. It had lasted all night, even after Keller had given him two baths to try and cool him off.

Horace was curled into a ball in the middle of Keller’s bed, sweating like crazy and wishing the feeling of being stabbed in the gut would stop.

Keller sat on the side of the bed, rubbing a cool cloth over Horace’s face and neck. He kept saying he was sorry, and Horace was ready to shove that cloth into the guy’s mouth just to shut him up.

Neither of them looked up when someone knocked on the door. It was early morning, dawn making the room a bit lighter.

Nash walked in with a tray in his hands. He set it on the bed. “It’s Aunt Beatrice’s soup. It helped Layne and Stevie with their pain when they were going through the change.”

At this point Horace was willing to try anything. He’d drink a bowl of dumpster water if it stopped him from feeling as if he were dying. Keller helped him sit up then took the bowl from Nash.

“Thanks,” Keller said.

“Let me know if you guys need anything.” Nash looked at Horace with sympathy in his gray eyes before he left the room.

“I never knew about this soup,” Keller commented as he held the spoon to Horace’s lips. “Let’s see if it works.”

“I can feed myself.” But Horace didn’t uncurl his arms from his stomach. He was terrified and pissed and his emotions were all over the place. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to shout, cry, or laugh. This was too crazy to be real, yet he knew Stevie was pregnant and Layne had already given birth.

“I know you can, now open up.” Keller fed Horace the first spoonful, and Horace gagged.

“That tastes bad.” He turned his head when Keller held the spoon up again. Maybe his willingness to drink dumpster water was a bit outrageous. The soup tasted like gritty sand and Horace loathed finishing it.

“You have to eat this.”

“No I don’t,” Horace said as if he were five and refusing to eat his vegetables. “It tastes nasty.”

“Please?” Keller gave him a pouty-lip look. “Just a few more sips.”

With a groan and a wrinkled nose, Horace ate as much of the soup as he could stomach. The grit was awful, and the soup tasted like the inside of his stinky shoe. To his surprise, Horace ate all of it, even though he wanted to throw it back up.

“Happy?”

“Delighted.” Keller helped Horace lie back down. He slid the now-warm cloth over Horace’s forehead. “Have I told you that I’m sorry in the last five minutes?”

Horace snatched the cloth and tossed it to the floor. “First, that isn’t even cold anymore. Second, tell me you had any control over this situation.”

Keller brushed the hair from Horace’s face. “Even though I didn’t, that still doesn’t make it right.”

Horace’s brows drew down. “Is it because you didn’t have any control or that you lost your control with me?”

Keller scratched at his bearded cheek.

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