Free Colton Manor by Francene Carroll

in Damien’s eyes fluttered open for a few seconds
    “Well, that is a good sign,” said the doctor. “Do you have any idea how long he’s been ill for?”
    “We went out for dinner last night and he was okay then. I think I heard him moving around this morning but I’m not completely sure.”
    “ Seems he’s had a very high fever, but it’s broken now. Can you hear me Damien?” Damien muttered something and twisted his head to look at the three of them standing over him.
    “What’s going on?” he said.
    “You’ve just ha d a bit of a fever, but it’s all under control now,” replied the doctor in a soothing voice.
    “Does he need to go to hospital?” asked Bonnie. The doctor glanced at the thermometer in his hand.
    “No, I don’t think that will be necessary . His temperature is not dangerously high anymore. The best thing he can do is stay where he is. He just needs to rest and build up his fluids. This bug has been going around for the past few weeks. Most people complain of exhaustion and aches and pains as well as a high fever.” Ursula remembered Damien mentioning how bad he felt when he got up the previous day.
    “Could something like this cause a person to hallucinate and act in ways that are out of character for them?” she asked.
    “When a high temperature is involved people can do all sorts of strange things.”
    “What about before they know they’re sick?”
    The do ctor looked at her with curiosity. “It could take a few days to come on. It’s possible.” Was it possible Damien had just been coming down with a fever, that’s why he’d walked in his sleep and why he couldn’t remember it? Was he wandering around in a fever-induced state when he tried to get into her room? It still didn’t explain why there seemed to have been two people in the house that morning, but that could just have been her overactive imagination playing tricks on her.
    She glanced across at Bonnie expecting her to also be relieved, but she still looked worried. “Are you sure you’ll be okay here with him, Ursula? It’s a big burden to look after someone you hardly know. Maybe he’d be better off in hospital.”
    “How long will he be sick for?” she asked the doctor.
    “Most people recover in a day or two. I can call in tomorrow to make sure he’s ok ay, but I’ll ring an ambulance now if you like.” For a moment Ursula was undecided. Bonnie was right, it was a big responsibility to look after him till he got better, maybe he would be better off in hospital. At that moment Damien opened his eyes again and tried to pull himself to a sitting position.
    “ Hey guys, I can hear every word you’re saying. I really don’t want to be a burden to you, Ursula, so if you want me to go to hospital it’s okay with me.”
    His colour was returning and he sounded so much like his normal self that Ursula made a snap decision. “No, really, that’s fine. You can stay here tonight and we’ll see how you’re feeling tomorrow.”
    “Thanks.” He smiled up at her and her stomach felt like it was full of butterflies.
    “Okay then, that’s settled,” said Bonnie, springing back into action. “I’ll get Tom to help you into a fresh pair of pyjamas, Damien, while I change the sheets. Then we’ll sort out something for you to eat and drink. I’ll come over first thing in the morning to see how you are. How does that sound, Ursula?”
    “That sounds great ,” she replied, glad that Bonnie had taken charge. She had no idea how to look after a sick person and she didn’t relish the thought of having to feed him or help him get dressed, no matter how sexy he was.
    Forty minutes later she waved goodbye to Bonnie and Tom as they disappeared down the drive. Upstairs Damien was sleeping soundly after eating some soup Bonnie had whipped up for him, and he had looked very peaceful when they’d last checked in on him. Ursula told herself again that it was just the fever that had caused Damien to act so