Chapter 360: Sick

Ian watched Mina curl up in the quilt on his bed, but not before she made a cocoon for herself in the original blanket she was wrapped in. When Ian asked her what she was doing, she claimed to be taking the necessary precautions to protect herself from bacteria. He wanted to be angry with her, but he too would have felt the need to do the same if he were in her shoes. In that aspect, he and Mina were extremely similar.

Ian was still waiting for James to video call him from Mina's apartment to prove that he had kept his part of the bargain. In the meantime, Mina was snuggled up; enjoying the heated blankets and enticing Ian to jump into the bed with her. He had warmed up significantly, but he still felt a chill. When his phone finally rang, it was not the news Ian wanted to hear. Emma was refusing to let James into the apartment, and when Ian relayed the information to Mina, she laughed.

"Good, tell him to sleep in front of the door for the night." Ian did not need to repeat her words because James heard them.

"Sir?" James asked, not sure if he should listen to Mina or not.

"You heard what she said." President Lee ended the call, perplexed by Mina's orders.

"Why put him through that?" He asked.

"Because, if Emma forgives him too easily, which she will, James will think it is okay to disappear on her for days with little to no explanation."

"Are you an expert in relationships now?" Mina scoffed bitterly.

"I just have a lot of experience with people hurting me." Ian felt that slap in the face with full force, but he had walked himself into it.

"And about your sister?"

"She also did very stupid things for a man. She was even willing to turn her back on our family." Ian could see what Mina meant, but he had a feeling it was deeper than what he was being told. He started to leave the room, but Mina called out to him.

"Please don't tell Miss Lisa what I told you. I don't want her to think I am trying to sabotage her."

----

Emma barely slept the night before. James had shown up at her apartment, and taking her sister's advice, she did not let him in. He kept tapping at the door, but she ignored it until she could no longer keep her eyes open.

Now morning, Emma opened the front door, only to feel it push in on her. She was shocked to see a drowsy James sprawled on the ground in front of her.

"Did you sleep out there?" Emma asked, stating the obvious, but James did not answer her. He picked her up and carried her back toward her bedroom. "I have to work," Emma whispered. She was embarrassed by how James was carrying her, but she did not dislike it.

"Quit," James responded as he stripped down to a t-shirt and shorts.

Emma looked away from James, not knowing what he was planning to do, but her heart was racing with the possibilities. She questioned him, but he just crawled into her bed and scooped her into a cuddle.

"Stay here with me. If you get fired, I will pay your rent for as long as you need me to." Emma could feel her heart thudding against her chest, and she was almost positive James could feel it to, because he pulled her in closer and kissed the top of her head.

"And how will you pay for your own cost of living?" Emma was not opposed to being taken care of for a while, but she wanted to be sure it was not a false promise.

"I will move in here with you." Emma's face turned red again. She could not imagine sleeping next to James every night and not have it lead to something else.

"We can't do that to Mina," Emma said. Her voice was so quiet that it made James smile.

"Watching over her is my full-time job now. We can just pay her double rent for the inconvenience." Emma frowned and turned away from James.

"Until you leave again." James pulled Emma's back against his chest and breathed in her scent. He missed her so much, and he was grateful she was even willing to allow him to touch her after what he had done.

James was not sure how Mina had settled things, but she had somehow convinced his boss to allow him all the privileges of the highest ranked individuals, with none of the work. His boss had even offered to shorten his commitment if he found someone he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

James was sure Emma was that person, but he had no idea how she really felt about him. He knew she was physically attracted to him, but he was not sure if she wanted anything else. While lost in his thoughts, Emma turned to face him and rubbed his stubble and that was when he noticed.

"You are not wearing your uniform," he said as he flipped her into her back, and kissed her neck, but Emma pushed him away.

"I work for Miss Olivia now, and you are kind of making me late." James jumped out of the bed and dressed himself.

"I'll drive you."

----

Mina was down with a high fever. She did not know when she had fallen asleep, but at some point during the evening she could not keep her eyes open. She was almost positive that President Lee had come into the room to check on her, and near certain that he carried her back to the medical ward.

"Why is her fever not breaking?" Mina heard president Lee ask and Doctor Witt responded.

"She may have already been coming down with something before her immune system was compromised by the cold. Her fever is her body's defense."

"Is there nothing else we can do? She looks…"

"Miserable," both men said. They looked at each other almost surprised.

"All we can do is keep her cool. She is sick, but she is a rational woman. She understands why we cannot give her a blanket." Ian hated to see Mina in any sort of pain, especially pain likely caused by him.

"Doctor Witt, you're needed," said Veronica. She stole an extra glance at Mina and her face showed her pity. Ian had forgotten to tell the woman that Mina was not carrying his child, but he also saw no need to stop the rumor from spreading if it did. Doctor Witt followed Veronica to another ward where twenty-three sat looking pensive.

"I'm sick," he said. "I couldn't do what Mina asked." Jeremy pushed at his glasses. Mina needed to leave the Lee facility. Her antics had pushed twenty-three into thinking he was broken after being assigned an impossible task.

"My sister told me what happened. Mina knew you would not be able to do what she asked. That is why she asked you to do it. You aren't sick." Twenty-three shook his head.

"Maybe I need more sleep? Mina said that I was exhausted." Jeremy made a note on his clipboard. He wanted to know everything about what happened between twenty-three and Mina. If his guess were correct, the woman could be dangerous.