“Partners,” he said with a nod. “I love you, Ava.”
“I love you, Alex.”
As Ava leaned forward to kiss Alex, a sudden wave of nausea hit her. It was faint, barely enough to register, but enough to make her pause. She forced a smile, pushing the feeling away. Not now, not while everything was finally feeling right. She couldn’t let herself fall apart again. But the lingering discomfort stayed, a quiet reminder that her body was still fighting its own battle.
As she straightened, though, the room spun around her. Heat washed over her, blood rushing into her ears. The edges of her vision darkened.
She swallowed hard, grasping his arm tightly. “Alex?”
“Avs?” His forehead wrinkled.
“Call Doc. Something’s wrong,” she said before she slumped to the ground.
CHAPTER 5
ALEX
Alex’s heart stopped for an instant as Ava cut their kiss shorter than he’d hoped. His brow furrowed as he opened his eyes, his gaze fixing on Ava. She didn’t look right.
Her features pinched as she licked her lips, squeezing her eyes closed. She grabbed hold of his arm. “Alex?”
“Avs?” he asked, his pulse quickening as concern welled within him.
“Call Doc. Something’s wrong.” She barely got the last word out, her voice breathy, before she slumped over.
He caught her before she hit the floor, panic rocketing through him as he held her limp form. His chest constricted, making breathing difficult. “Ava,” he cried, his voice weak before he shifted to pull his phone from his pocket.
He cradled her against his chest as he dialed Kyle’s number and pressed the phone to his ear.
“Mav? Are you seriously calling me from upstairs?”
“Doc, it’s Ava, she passed out.”
“I’m on my way,” the man answered, his voice turning serious in an instant.
Alex dumped his phone on the desk, wrapping both arms around Ava. What would he do if she woke up and wasn’t herself? Could he get through to her? Could he stop her from running on pure emotion?
Footsteps pounded toward him, and a second later, Kyle burst into the office. “What happened?”
“She just passed out. We were talking, and she suddenly went stiff, said to call you because something was wrong, and she went down.” Alex’s voice quivered as he recounted the tale.
“Lay her on the floor.”
“Okay,” he answered breathlessly as he shifted to slide Ava onto the hardwood. He pulled off his hoodie and stuck it under her head before he grabbed her hand. “Do you think it’s another blackout?”
“It could be,” Kyle answered as he checked her pulse. “Did she mention any of the symptoms or did you notice any?”
“No. We were talking, she kissed me, and then she pulled away and just went down.”
“Okay, so, you didn’t notice her getting clammy or uncomfortable, like her heart was racing?”
“No. And she didn’t say anything either, but then again, that could be because she was afraid to upset me. We were having a conversation about me being upset, so maybe she didn’t mention it.”
Alex shook his head, chewing his lower lip as he kicked himself. If he hadn’t been so needy, she probably wouldn’t have passed out again. It was his constant doubting of their relationship that was piling more stress onto her plate. She would probably have been fine if she hadn’t had to pander to him.
How could he stop himself from being this much of a pain to her?
“Did she seem frustrated or upset by the conversation?” Kyle asked. “Were you arguing or…”
