Read Online Listed: Volume III by Noelle Adams - Free Book Online Page B

her.
    But
he was her husband, and there were things he wanted to know that she might not
ask.
    “Do
you think there will be any way we can predict when or how often she’ll come
down with the fevers?” he asked.
    Dr.
Franklin shook his head slowly. “You both should try to pay attention and keep
track of symptoms, particularly from the day preceding her fevers. But, at
least in her aunt’s case, there seemed to be no regular cycle or timeline. I
have to admit to having no idea why the fevers come when they come.”
    “But
they’ll get worse?” Emily asked softly.
    “I’m
afraid so,” Dr. Franklin replied. “I’m afraid they will.”
    Paul
hated the thought of it. The two fevers he’d been through with her so far had
been appalling enough. He couldn’t imagine how much she’d suffer with fevers
that went up higher and lasted longer.
    When
he shifted his eyes over to Emily, he saw she still looked pale and was licking
her lips a little nervously.  Something twisted in his chest, in his stomach.
    He
couldn’t let Emily suffer that way. There had to be something he could do.
    He
would call his investigator when they got back to the apartment and get an
update on their progress.
    It
wasn’t much, but it was all he had.
    *
* *
    Paul’s phone rang as
they were leaving the medical center. He glanced down at the caller ID, and
when he saw who was calling, he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk to pick
it up.
    Emily
stopped too, her body stiffening and her eyes wide in expectation as he had the
brief phone conversation.
    “Already?”
she asked when he hung up.
    Paul
nodded, his heart pounding nervously again, but this time for an entirely
different reason. “The jury has a verdict.” The trial had wrapped up late
yesterday, so the jury had only been deliberating for a couple of hours this
morning.
    Emily
took his arm as they walked toward the waiting car. He wasn’t even sure if she
was aware of the gesture or not, but he didn't try to pull away.
    They
didn’t say much on the drive over to the courthouse. Paul couldn’t focus on
anything except managing his nerves and emotional turmoil. He hoped—he really
hoped—that the verdict would give him some sort of closure so he could start to
move on with his life.
    He
wasn’t sure if Emily was going through similar psychological gymnastics, or if
she was just responsive to his mood, but she didn’t try to make idle
conversation or get him to bare his soul. Which was good. He didn’t want to
shut her out completely, but he just couldn’t talk to anyone right now.
    They
didn’t talk as they walked into the courthouse and went through the normal
security routine. And they didn’t talk as they made their way into the
courtroom and took their seats just behind the prosecution table.
    Paul
was so tense he was having trouble not conveying it in his stance and
expression. He tried to talk himself down—telling himself that, no matter what
happened with this verdict, he would still have options. His whole future
wouldn’t be decided in this moment.
    It
was his father’s life. Not his.
    But
he was still having trouble breathing evenly, and it felt like his skin had
broken out in a cold sweat.
    Emily
sat very close to him, much closer than she normally sat. Thinking she must be
anxious too, he adjusted so that his arm rested on the back of the seat behind
her, loosely draped around her shoulders.
    She
looked up at him and smiled, a little wobbly. She looked as pale as he felt,
and she was having trouble sitting still.
    The
reading of the verdict was not a closed hearing, so the courtroom was getting
crowded. Paul, however, was barely aware of the people filing in behind him,
chatting or laughing as if the outcome here had no real relevance on their
lives.
    It
didn’t, of course. The lives of very few people would change because of what
the jury pronounced as their verdict.
    But
Paul’s might.
    He
noticed that Emily’s hands were twisting nervously in her lap.