“Rosebud?” Shooting to his feet from the chair, he came up and sat beside me. “Thank God, you’re awake. I was going crazy wondering why it was taking you so long to open your eyes.”

“Ace…” The foul taste in my mouth made my stomach clench. “Water,” I croaked.

He didn’t waste a second before filling up a glass from the jug that rested on the bedside table.

“Here, be careful.” He helped me sit up and held the glass against my lips. I drank it greedily.

Then memories of visiting Arthur in the jail and then throwing up on him before fainting into Ace’s arms flooded my mind.

As much as I wanted to laugh remembering his face when I threw up on him, I was confused about getting ill all of a sudden.

“How are you feeling now, Rosebud?” he asked, his tone still held alert and concern.

I gave him the empty glass back. “I’m fine now. I don’t know what happened. All of a sudden, the world around me began to spin and then I had this intense urge to puke.”

He suddenly got abnormally quiet as he placed the glass back on the table. Stormy gray eyes were anxious.

There weren’t any doctors or nurses around. We were alone in the room.

“What happened? What did the doctor say? Did I have food poisoning?” I frowned.

It could be, considering the amount of food I had last night.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, leaning in, he kissed my forehead. “You should rest now. We can talk later.”

My frown deepened. “I don’t need rest. I’m fine. You can tell me what the doctor said. Is it something serious?”

Nervousness now started to rattle inside me. Was there something wrong?

“Of course not, baby. Everything is all right. It’s just…” he trailed off, clearing his throat. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what?” I probed, getting restless.

“The doctor said you—”

“Good afternoon, Ms. Hutton! You’re finally up, I see.” A lady in her early thirties strolled inside the room flaunting a white coat. Flashing a blinding smile, she stood beside my bed. “Your man here was threatening to shut this hospital down if you we didn’t bring your senses back soon. Anyway, how are you feeling now?”

Cracking up a small smile, I nodded. “I’m good.”

“Great! I’m Doctor Hazel, by the way. A friend of Mr. Valencian.” Glancing at Ace, she checked my nerves while my smile threatened to fall.

He brought me to Leyla’s friend, didn’t he?