Vivi stared up at Ethan. She kind of wished she’d told the guys to get out. It was hard to think with them so close. Difficult to breathe. She couldn’t believe she’d had a panic attack in front of them. Those had become more frequent lately, usually coming when she’d been required to attend some function on William’s arm.
“Why? What’s wrong?” Caleb asked.
Ethan flicked him a gaze but then looked at her again. “Vivi, do you know what height you are?”
“Umm, I’m five foot eight.”
“And your weight?”
She hesitated.
“I can have some scales brought in if you don’t know.”
“I’m not sure but I think maybe a hundred and twenty?”
“My guess is that’s it’s closer to one-ten,” Ethan told her. “Have you been on some sort of diet and restricting your food intake?”
She licked her dry lips then grimaced. “I haven’t been on a diet.”
Ethan frowned. “You’re underweight. We took some blood when you came in and your blood results are worrying. You’re anemic. You’re deficient in a number of vitamins and minerals, including Vitamin A and zinc. Any anxiety? Negative feelings about yourself?”
“A little bit,” she whispered, feeling ashamed.
“There’s no need to feel shame over this,” the doctor told her in a gentle voice. “Are you sure you’re happy having everyone in here for this conversation?”
“Careful, doctor,” Wolfe warned.
She saw Ethan swallow heavily. Wolfe could be pretty intimidating.
“What about hair loss? Weakness? Problems with sleeping?”
“Um, over the last few weeks, I’ve had some hair loss. And yeah, I’ve had problems with sleeping for a while.”
“Vivi? What’s going on?” Aleki asked. “Have you been trying to lose weight?”
“No. Not on purpose. I just . . . you know my stomach is tied to my mood. I haven’t had much of an appetite lately.”
“How long has this been happening for?” Ethan asked.
“Few years. Maybe longer.”
Ethan scowled. “I’ll be frank, Vivi.”
Because he’s been so shy and reticent up until now?
“I’d like to admit you to the hospital. I want you to speak with a therapist and a nutritionist.”
She shook her head. She didn’t have an eating disorder. She wanted to eat. It was just that her body wouldn’t let her.
“I can’t do that,” she told him.
“Somehow I figured you were going to say that.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered, hating that she might have upset him.
“I’m not comfortable releasing you yet, not until your temperature comes down more. I also want to see you eating and drinking. I’ll leave the IV in for at least another day. I would prefer that you were in the hospital, but if you had someone willing to take care of you, ensure that you did little more than rest, eat and drink then I could let you leave in a few days.”
Great. Someone to take care of her?
That wasn’t happening.
6
“Mr. Pierce?”
Caleb turned as the doctor called out to him. The nurse had just come in to give Vivi a sponge bath and had shooed them all out. He had left reluctantly. He didn’t want to leave any aspect of her care up to others.
But he knew he had to give her some privacy. At least for the moment.
“Yes?”
Aleki and Wolfe paused too, waiting to hear what the doctor wanted to say. He noticed he hadn’t told any of them to call him Ethan.
Asshole.
“Could we talk about Vivi’s care in private?”
“Whatever you have to say you can say it to all of us.”
Ethan sighed. “Fine. But I’m only saying this to all of you because she made it clear in there that I could. I wanted to reiterate that she really is run-down and weak. She will need a lot of care if I release her. I do think she’d be better off at the hospital.”
“If she doesn’t want to go, I can’t make her. There are other factors at play here.”
“I don’t need to remind you that we’re paying for your discretion do I, doc?” Wolfe drawled.
“You do not. I’m not in the habit of talking about my patients. She’s obviously been under a lot of stress and for longer than just the last week. She needs time to recover. She’s weak and undernourished. I’d like for her to have as little stress as possible and to slowly build up her health and strength. And I’m not letting her out of my care until I’m sure that’s going to happen.”
Caleb gritted his teeth at the clear challenge. Did he really think that he got to keep her?
“I assure you, doctor, she’ll get every possible care,” he said stiffly.
“Really?” the doctor gave him a skeptical look. “She’s not going to recover if she’s subject to a great deal of stress and uncertainty. It’s interesting that you didn’t notice she was getting so rundown.”
Caleb glared at Ethan. He wasn’t sure if the doctor knew that Vivi wasn’t really his wife or not. But he didn’t like the implication that he thought Caleb had been neglecting her.
“We’ll handle it,” Caleb said. He didn’t want to say more without talking to Wolfe and Aleki first. He needed to get them on board.
“I’ll need a list of everything she should be eating,” Wolfe demanded.
The doctor just stared at him then nodded. “I can do that. But that’s just part of it. It’s not just her physical well-being. It’s her emotional care too.”
“I’m out,” Wolfe stated, walking towards the suite of rooms they were sharing.
Caleb sighed as Ethan stared after him in surprise. “Wolfe doesn’t do emotional stuff.”
“But I do expect that list,” Wolfe called back before disappearing.
“Tell us the rest,” Caleb demanded.
“Whatever has happened over the last few years has obviously affected her deeply if she’s stopped eating properly. To get her to eat, you need to keep her emotional well-being in mind. Maybe she needs a change of scene. Something that will be a change but won’t add to her stress. Perhaps a vacation.”
A vacation, huh?
Half-awake, Vivi tried to roll onto her side, hissing in pain as she moved her injured arm.
“You can’t lie on that side, it’s injured.”
Wolfe.
She took a steadying breath and opened her eyes, staring at him. He was sitting on a chair, facing the bed, spooning lime jello into his mouth.
“You might be developing an addiction,” she murmured.
“Hmm?” he asked around another mouthful.
“The lime jello. You can’t seem to leave it alone.”
He shrugged. “I’ve been addicted to things before. I can break any need.” There was something in his gaze. Something pointed that seemed to indicate he was talking about her. But he’d never needed her. They’d only been friends.
Well, sometimes she’d wondered about being with all three of them. But those thoughts had been ludicrous and every time she had them, she’d feel guilty for weeks afterward. As though she was betraying Aleki.