"No, I don't . . . I don't feel so good." Standing, she started around the desk, but the room spun. She tried to focus on Daniel, but as she moved forward, the walls closed in and the floor came up to meet her.
****
Daniel had never been so shaken in his life. Laura had just collapsed in a dead faint at his feet. It was the kind of thing you saw in movies, as was the switch to slow motion as his numb limbs moved forward to catch her before she smacked her head on the desk or the floor on the way down. He only just made it.
She wasn't out long, but when she came round she was pale, clammy and hot, and she wasn't making much sense. Cradling her head on his lap where he knelt on the floor, he reached for the phone, punched the button labelled "casa," and gabbled at Maria in Spanish until she put Teresa on so he could explain in English. Both were in reception with him in less than a minute.
Daniel lifted Laura like a rag doll and carried her to her room, where Maria helped him make her comfortable on the bed. She was awake but her eyes were glazed. Teresa came down a few moments later, having phoned their doctor friend. He would be with them in an hour or so, she said, as soon as he finished his morning surgery. He didn't think it sounded like there was any need for an ambulance.
Maria efficiently applied cold cloths to Laura's forehead, and after a few minutes she looked a little more human, much to Daniel's relief.
"Your meeting!" was the first coherent thing she said. "You'll be late!"
"Then I'll be late," Daniel told her gruffly.
"I feel so stupid," she said, smiling wanly. "I'll be fine. I just had a little too much sun yesterday, or maybe I ate something. Maria and Teresa will take care of me. You need to go."
Daniel didn't want to leave her, but the idea that she was causing him inconvenience seemed to be making her more stressed than she needed right now. In the end, he acquiesced—but only after making Teresa promise to ring him on his mobile the minute the doctor had given his verdict.
He got to his first meeting ten minutes late, apologising profusely, and when it was done, he cancelled the rest. His mind wasn't on the job at hand. Laura was probably right about the sun, maybe the food—although he hadn't had any problems with it—but he needed to get back and see for himself that she was okay. Teresa called him as he was about to set off to tell him the doctor had prescribed minimal plain food and plenty of rest for the remainder of the day. Daniel told her he was on his way and that he would ensure Laura rested if Teresa took over her evening stint in reception.
As he drove, he pushed questions as to why he was doing this to the back of his mind. He'd cancelled a meeting yesterday just to spend time with her. And now he'd cancelled two more to sit by her side when he knew Maria and Teresa could take care of her perfectly well.
Daniel told himself the two women were busy enough running a business; that he would be helping them out. Besides, he had a ton of work and planning to do before he went south to Porto in a couple of days' time. An afternoon catching up wouldn't be such a bad thing for his own sake.
When he reached the hotel, he fetched his laptop and briefcase from his room and took them next door to Laura's. She was fast asleep, watched over by Maria, whose face was etched with worry lines. Dismissing her involved a great deal of gesturing and whispered multilingual arguing—and a painfully knowing look from her when she gave in.
Finally, he had peace. He opened the window to let more air into the room, settled himself in the armchair, spread out his papers on side tables around him, and tried to occupy himself with work. Not an easy task when his head was filled with worry for the woman sleeping just feet from him in her bed.
Chapter Nineteen
Laura woke mid-afternoon feeling groggy but much better, although it startled her to see Daniel, not Maria, sitting in her armchair. As she came round, she felt pretty fuzzy about what was going on, but she certainly wasn't fuzzy about her newly realised feelings for him. They hit her like a steam train the minute she surfaced from sleep.
"What have you done with Maria?" she asked him crossly.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "She had plenty to do. So did I, but I could do mine here."
Laura took in his scattered papers and laptop. "That was kind of you," she said grudgingly. She struggled to sit up a little, realising too late she had a nightshirt on, and clutched at the sheets.
Daniel raised an eyebrow. "For goodness' sake, Laura, I've seen you in a bikini. A nightshirt is hardly any more risqué!"
He was right. Laura gave up and allowed the sheet to drop. It was too hot to bother. She frowned as a dreadful thought crossed her mind. "You weren't . . . you didn't . . .?"
Shaking his head, he walked across to her. "Maria and Teresa must have undressed you while I was out."
She nodded. "Okay. Good."
He handed her a glass of water. "Keep sipping. The doc thinks you may be a little dehydrated."
Laura frowned. She wasn't quite sure what had happened. She remembered feeling unwell and then . . . "Did I faint?"
Daniel gave her a lopsided smile. "Yes, you did. Gave me the fright of my life! You're lucky I caught you—you nearly smashed your head on the desk on the way down." He frowned. "Good job I was there, actually.
