The Mighty Quinns: Eli by Kate Hoffmann Page B

hard choice, never learned what sacrifice or compromise was.
    Hell, for the past ten years, he’d wandered from adventure to adventure, searching for that one thing that might catch his attention, that piqued his passion. Wouldn’t it be the ultimate irony if he’d found that here, on Trudie’s mountain? If he found it with Lucy?
    â€œHello!” he called as he approached the cabin. “Lucy?”
    A few seconds later, the cabin door opened a crack and Riley peeked out. But he didn’t approach Eli. Instead, he sat behind the screen door, watching and waiting, his tail beating on the rough plank floor.
    â€œHey, buddy,” Eli said as he climbed the porch steps. He opened the door and patted the dog’s head as he stepped inside. Eli stopped short as he took in the mess that was the interior.
    â€œLucy?” It was not like her to leave everything in such a state. A flare of panic gripped him. If she wasn’t here, he had no idea where to look.
    Riley ran over to the far side of the bed and whined softly. Eli crossed the room and was stunned by the scene in front of him. Lucy was curled up on the rough plank floor, a quilt wrapped around her naked body, her hair damp and tangled.
    Eli squatted down. “Lucy?” He gently shook her shoulder and her eyes fluttered open.
    At first she didn’t seem to recognize him. Then she reached out and touched his cheek. “Hi. You’re here.”
    â€œI am.”
    â€œIs it really you?”
    â€œWhat are you doing on the floor?”
    She frowned, then smiled sleepily. “Am I on the floor?” Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep again.
    Cursing softly, Eli scooped her up and set her on the bed. She was sick, that much was obvious. But how long had she been suffering? And what had caused her illness? Eli pressed his hand to her forehead, but it was cool to the touch. “No fever,” he murmured.
    Purple shadows tinged the skin beneath her eyes and her usually lush lips were dry and cracked. He grabbed a fresh bottle of water from his pack and returned to the bed, remembering his paramedic training from search-and-rescue.
    He slipped his hand beneath her shoulders and sat her up. Reaching for her wrist, he gently pinched the skin on the back of her hand for a few seconds, then observed the response. “Lucy? Sweetheart? You need to drink something. Right now. You’re dehydrated.”
    Eli opened the bottle and held it to her lips, then gave her a gentle shake. “Come on, honey, drink something for me.”
    She opened her eyes and looked at him. “Is it really you?” she asked again.
    â€œIt is. And I want you to drink this for me.”
    She groaned softly and shook her head. “I can’t. It will just make me throw up.”
    â€œIf you don’t drink this, I’m going to call the helicopter and they’re going to come and get you and take you to the hospital.”
    That seemed to get through the haze of her illness and she took a small sip. Over the next hour, he gently cajoled her into finishing the whole bottle, sip by tiny sip. She seemed to improve remarkably and when he left her to grab another bottle, she watched him from the bed.
    He sat down beside her and she lifted the quilt and groaned. “I’m naked,” she said. “Did you take my clothes off?”
    â€œNo, you did that on your own.”
    â€œWhen?” she asked.
    â€œI don’t know. How long have you been sick?”
    â€œI’m not sure. How long have you been here?”
    â€œA couple of hours.”
    She blinked in surprise. “That’s all. It seems like days.”
    â€œMaybe you’ve been hallucinating. You must have had a fever.” He cursed softly. “Why didn’t you call for help?”
    â€œI didn’t need help,” she said. She sighed. “It was just a stomach flu. Or maybe something I ate.”
    â€œWhen?”
    â€œTuesday