I've been avoiding going to the doctor because I've never been a fan. Instead, I’m still hoping that it’ll just go away and I’ll be back to normal. Besides, there’s no reason for me to be sick since nothing has changed in my daily routine, or my life as a whole.
But as each day passes, the itch seems to feel worse. It's becoming harder and harder to focus on my work and my mind is constantly wandering. And when it does, there’s only one person I’m thinking of–Charlie.
Seeing her again after all these years stirred up emotions I thought I had buried deep within me. The memory of our time together, the laughter and closeness we once shared, all of it has resurfaced with a vengeance.
It's also brought with it a heavy heart and my regret at not telling her how I felt about her has surged back to the surface even though I know it wouldn’t have changed anything. She was always destined for greater things, and I believe deep down in my soul that life was always going to take us on different paths. I just don’t think I allowed myself to hope that she’d come back eventually.
But now she is–so close yet still so far. Maybethat’swhat is driving me mad–or sick?
Now it's Friday night, the end of another long, hard working week and all of us from the ranch are in town for a diner dinner before drinks and more attempts at beating Dee at Pool and Darts. She's definitely a shark when it comes to anything competitive, but it's become our mission to beat her atleastonce.
As we gather at the Cow, we move two tables together to fit our growing tribe. Laughter and chatter fill the air and the warmth of camaraderie washes over me, thankfully distracting me from my own issues. Determined to enjoy the night, I push aside my thoughts and focus on not scratching my skin raw.
Dee saunters over to the pool table, cue in hand, ready to show off her unbeatable skills. Before he can get up, I nudge Toby with my shoulder, a smirk tugging at my lips.
"Think you can finally beat her tonight?" I say.
He chuckles, shaking his head. "Not a chance. She's unstoppable. I'm going to do it one day though. Gotta honor the Graham family name."
"Good luck with that brother," I say, watching as Dee leans over the table and makes quick work of clearing the balls from an abandoned game.
But as the night progresses and the drinks flow freely, I find myself scratching at my forearm without thinking and it's not until I feel a sting that I look down and realize that I've rubbed the skin raw.
"Dammit," I mutter, grabbing a napkin from the table and holding it over the sore. Because if there's one weakness I have, it's the sight of blood.
A wave of dizziness washes over me. I grab my glass of water on the table and down it in one go, hoping to quench my suddenly parched throat. The noise of the crowded bar dims, my vision blurs at the edges, and sweat trickles down my back.
"You OK, Austin?" Rhett asks, his brows furrowed as his gaze drifts down to my arm. "Did you cut yourself?"
“No--nope. Scratched a sore," I rasp as the copper stench of blood hits my senses and my head feels like I'm swimming underwater.
He gets to his feet and waves Cora over to stand next to me. "Let me see."
I turn away and hear my brother hiss through his teeth. "Damn, brother. You've really done a number on yourself. How long has this rash been here?"
My whole body jolts as my head snaps his way. "What rash?" I look down and see that it's not just a sore, but my whole forearm is red where I've been rubbing and trying to sate the itch. "That's new."
Rhett glares at me. "This hasn't just popped up now. How long's it been there?"
I reach my other hand up to rub at the back of my neck. "The arm is new. The itchin’, a while…”
“Austin, you've got to look after yourself."
Cora leans around me and winces. "That needs cleanin' up. Let's go," she says, taking command of the situation.
"Can't go home. I'm the designated driver." I say, grabbing the jug of water and pouring myself another glass before downing it much like the first.
"We can arrange another ride for everyone. But first, we're takin’ you to the hospital to get that arm looked at."
Reluctantly, I nod, knowing that I've let whatever this is go on for long enough. Cora leads me outside while Rhett goes to update Toby and Dee, joining us at my truck soon after.
Five minutes later, we pull into a park outside the Spring Haven District Hospital which is the only medical clinic open on a Friday night around these parts.
It’s not until Rhett drags me through the front door and toward the reception desk that I recognize who's manning it, her wide blue eyes and startled gasp telling all and sundry that she’s just as surprised to see me as I am her.
She gets to her feet, her gaze bouncing between Rhett and Cora before fixing on me. “Austin, what’s wrong?”
My throat goes dry and I try as I might, I can't speak.Am I having an allergic reaction now? Is that the problem?
