Jack regards me sympathetically, and something twists in the pit of my bruised abdomen.
Something was actually wrong, wasn’t it?
I don’t know how to process that. I want to cry while simultaneously laughing bitterly at the ten-plus years I’ve gone to appointments only to be dismissed.
“Alright, you go snuggle with your love. She could use it, and I’ll get her some apple juice and crackers.”
“Thank you.” Jack slides his hands into his pockets, coming to my side at the bed.
“Hey.” I smile softly. “Fiancé? Don’t take this the wrong way, but did I miss something?”
He blushes and rubs the back of his head. “Yeah, I had to tell a little white lie because Gus wasn’t in the area, and they wouldn’t tell me anything.”
“Should I play along? I mean, will you get thrown in hospital jail if you’re found out?”
“I don’t know that it matters now.” He shrugs. “I might just get my ass handed to me by the check-in nurse.”
“Well, we wouldn’t want that.”
“She does look like a bruiser.”
“Guess we’ll have to pretend we’re madly in love then. However, do we keep finding ourselves in this situation?” I smirk. My heart somersaults in my chest. If Jack peered at the machine over my right shoulder, he’d see my heart rate spike.
I don’t mind pretending that we’ve promised each other forever. The idea of drifting off to sleep with the steady beat of his heart beneath my ear and waking up in the warmth of his arms is far too tempting. So is the idea of being with someone who cares for me, who balances me out with how he advocates for me, and burrowing myself in the smiles he reserves for me. If he was mine, I’d slowly peel away the layers to what he’s hiding, learning more about the soft, sweet, romantic side he’s shown me lately without fear that he’ll run away.
No, that doesn’t sound so bad at all.
It sounds heavenly.
Jack brushes my hair behind my shoulder. A soft smile spreads across his face, making me feel safe for the first time today. “How are you really feeling, Dessy?”
“Honestly?”
“That would be my preference from now on, yes.”
“Everything hurts, and I feel like I’m dying, but at least something’s actually wrong with me. I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“After what Vi said, it’s starting to.”
I try to laugh the situation away, but my shoulders deflate as the realization slams into me.
Something was wrong with me.
And no one listened.
I was at the doctor’s not too long ago, and he told me to see a therapist and take probiotics. I almost lost an ovary.
What the fuck?
There’s no way I’ll get my blood pressure under control if I keep focusing on this, and while Jack would like to keep me here, I’d much rather sleep in my bed tonight, thanks.
“Are Gus and Emy here?” I ask, hoping I can get my brain to stop cycling over the new reality I woke up to.
“Emy went home to set everything up for you, and Gus is in the waiting room. He didn’t think he could handle seeing you in a hospital bed.”
“He’s such a roll.” I snort. “I swear sometimes he’s the baby brother. You didn’t have to wait here, though. I know you don’t like hospitals, and six hours must have been terrible.”
My fingers intertwine with his.
