47. Rob

47

ROB

T he smell of coffee pulled Rob from sleep, a scent so tantalizing it made his mouth water.

When he opened his eyes, he found Margo sitting in the chair beside his bed and sipping from a paper cup that bore the village café's logo.

"Can I have a sip?" His voice came out raspy but stronger than he expected.

"Good morning." Margo stood and pressed her hand to his forehead. "Your fever's down." She studied his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Great." He tracked the coffee cup with his eyes. "But I really want a sip of that coffee."

"Bridget's going to kill me," Margo muttered, but she reached for the bed controls, raising the head until he was comfortably reclined, and handed over her cup.

The first sip was heaven, and Rob's eyes nearly rolled back in his head at the rich taste. "This is so good."

Margo laughed. "That's the best sign that you're officially past the initial stage of transition. You were always like this when you were sick—couldn't stand coffee, not even the smell, but as soon as you started getting better, you couldn't wait to have some. That's how Mom always knew you were on the mend."

"True." He took another appreciative sip. "Where's Gertrude?"

Margo pointed toward the bathroom door. "She slept on a cot next to your bed, and she waited for me to get here before grabbing a shower."

Rob had vague memories of the night—flashes of fevered dreams, Bridget instructing Gertrude about medication, but he couldn't remember if it had been pills or an injection or something added to his IV. Everything was wrapped in a haze of heat and discomfort.

The bathroom door opened, and when Gertrude stepped out wearing fresh scrubs, her hair still damp from the shower, she was the most beautiful sight he'd ever seen.

"Hello, gorgeous," he said with a grin. "Seeing you is the best medicine."

She smiled. "Good morning to you too, my love. How are you feeling?"

"Great." He held up the coffee cup triumphantly. "This is the sign. If I can drink coffee, I'm definitely over whatever was going on with me."

One dark eyebrow arched skeptically. "Really?"

"Really." He tapped his forehead. "No fever. Come check."

As she approached to feel his forehead, Rob seized his chance, catching her hand to pull her down for a kiss and delighting in her surprised laugh.

"You are definitely feeling better," she said, pulling back with a grin. "But let me get a proper thermometer to check your temperature."

The thermometer confirmed what Rob already knew—his temperature was normal. After a quick look at the monitors, Gertrude pulled out her phone and called Bridget.

While they waited for the doctor to arrive, Rob finished Margo's coffee and tried to piece together his scattered memories. "Was I as delirious as I think I was during the night?"

Gertrude patted his hand. "You talked about coffee and coding, but I had no idea what you were saying until you switched to ninja squirrels. Was it a computer game you worked on?"

The twitching of her lip betrayed her.

"No, and I'm choosing to believe you're making that up." Rob narrowed his eyes at her. "And since you're avoiding meeting my eyes, I know that you and Margo cooked this up to make fun of me. "

Margo laughed, but before Gertrude could respond, Bridget arrived without her white doctor's coat but with her trusty tablet in hand.

"Good morning, Rob. I hear that your fever has broken, and you even had coffee this morning." She cast Margo an accusing look.

"I didn't leave her a choice," Rob defended his sister. "For me, the ability to drink coffee is the best sign that I'm out of the woods."

"I won't argue with you about that, but I will just say that plain water would have been a much better choice."

Bridget checked his vitals, comparing them to the numbers on her screen.

"Looks good," she said finally. "If you maintain these levels for the next two hours without slipping back into unconsciousness, I'll release you to Gertrude's care at home."

"Perfect." Rob sat up straighter. "Can I have something to eat? I'm starving."

"You can have clear liquids for the next two hours," Bridget said. "You'll have to wait for the steak at least until tomorrow."

He frowned. "How did you know that was what I was craving?"

She patted his shoulder. "You are not my first transitioning male Dormant, Rob. Rest now." Bridget made a note on her tablet. "I'll be back to check on you in an hour." She walked out of the room .

"Do you want to have the transition test done before you leave?" Margo asked.

Rob shook his head. "I don't need one."

"It's tradition," Margo protested. "You only get to do it once, and you might regret not commemorating your transition properly later."

"I agree with Margo," Gertrude said. "You should have it like every other newly minted immortal."

He looked between their eager faces and sighed. "Fine. But only because you both seem so excited about it."

Margo's face lit up as she reached for her phone, but Rob lifted his hand to stop her. "Let's wait the two hours Bridget indicated, just to be sure."

It had suddenly dawned on him that Bridget had said she was releasing him to Gertrude's care, which meant that he was going home with her, but they hadn't decided anything in regard to their living arrangements.

He reached for her hand. "It's decision time. Are you taking me to your house, or are we getting a new place just for the two of us?"

She smiled so brightly that he was momentarily blinded by it. "First, I will take you home, and Hildegard will help me take care of you. I hope that the three of us will get along splendidly so we will all want to just continue living together."

Rob would have preferred for the two of them to move into a new place and have a fresh start, but he knew how much Gertrude cared about Hildegard. The two had been best friends for decades.

"I would love to have you all to myself, love, but I don't want Hildegard to be lonely."

"I know you would, and so would I." Gertrude sighed. "But I don't want Hildy to feel like I'm abandoning her or kicking her out. Hildegard is seeing one of Kalugal's men, but I don't know if she's serious about him."

"You need to talk to her," Margo said. "Perhaps she's ready for a change."