Mind Games Read Online Free Page B

computer and surfing the net wasn’t appealing either. A cup of chamomile tea might make her drowsy. Rats. She couldn’t very well heat a kettle of water on the stove or a cup of water in the microwave without him hearing her. Not being able to sleep was the absolute worst. Normally, this wouldn’t be a problem, but she was feeling jumpy about facing Derrick in the morning.
    From the snoring sounds coming through the wall, she wondered how long he might sleep. He’d surprised her earlier when he made the decision to take the night off. She worried about his reaction when he woke on her couch. He didn’t like to miss his rounds. He never missed a night serving kids from the Mobile Health Clinic RV. But he needed sleep. Or maybe he was making slight adjustments to spend more time with her? She shouldn’t second-guess his decision. He wasn’t Dana. He wouldn’t wake up and go into a rage because he didn’t go out in the Mobile Health Clinic RV.
    She took a deep breath and slowly released it. She’d try some relaxation exercises. She found her thickest yoga mat in the walk-in closet and rolled out the rubbery surface. Relaxing was difficult. Her mind drifted back to Derrick. Now she wished she’d stayed curled up next to him on the sofa. It could be days or even weeks before he spent the night again. She wanted to wake up next to him with his arm wrapped around her and gaze into his sleepy eyes in the morning.
    Sitting on top of the yoga mat and fantasizing about Derrick was not helping her sleep. She lay down on her back and got into the common corpse pose; she turned her legs in and out, let her arms relax with her palms up at forty-five-degree angles, and gently rolled her head from side to side and back to the center. Mentally, she scanned her body from head to toe, releasing the tension; she concentrated on her breathing, listening to the sound of each inhalation and exhalation, pausing after each exhale. She imagined herself melting into the floor. She focused on the color blue. The dark blue mat was her ocean. The buoyancy carried her away.
     
    *               *               *
     
    Derrick rolled over onto his side, pulling the soft, perfume-scented blanket with him. The damp, drafty room and gust of salt-tinged air snuffed out his perfume-laced dream. He opened his eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room then glanced down at the pink blanket with smiling dolls, confirming he wasn’t in his own bed.
    He ran his tongue across his teeth, the thick taste of Chinese food evident along the recesses of his mouth. His neck had a kink in it and the rest of his achy body screamed he’d slept in the same position for hours. He rocked himself forward, swinging his legs around to a seated position. He pushed his hand through his hair and rubbed at his tired eyes. He’d slept longer than he’d anticipated.
    Way to go, Dr. Sloan. How’d you ever get through med school?
    Before he could berate himself any further, he realized two things. Sparrow was gone, and her front door was wide open. He tossed the blanket to the side and went to the front door, pushing it shut. The wind could have blown the unlocked door open. He walked to Sparrow’s room. His back and shoulders ached from sleeping on the couch. He couldn’t blame her for tiptoeing off to bed. He peeked inside. No Sparrow.
    Had she gone out for an early morning jog and not properly closed the front door?
    He looked at his watch again. It was nearly six o’clock. The sun gradually started to rise. Maybe she’d left him a note in the kitchen. He checked for one on the glossy marble-topped breakfast bar and then glanced over the kitchen countertops. Nothing. He rounded the corner of the breakfast bar, thinking she’d left a note on the dining room table. It was vacant. The wind could have caused the note to fall on the floor. He crouched down and looked under the table, forcing his hand under the raised claw-foot legs. His effort