“Everything okay with Jessica? I heard you took her to the ER last week.”
“Migraine,” Mark said.
“Don’t usually go to the ER for that.”
“She blacked out for a second, had me worried.” He was still worried. Jess hadn’t seemed like herself this past month, and he didn’t like it one fucking bit.
“Shit, that would have me worried too. Is she all right?” Ryan asked.
“Hope so.”
“You don’t sound too convinced.” Ryan shot him a look.
“I’m not.”
“Well, let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Thanks. Appreciate that.” He nodded, wondering at the sudden tightness in his chest. He had an inexplicable urge to give Ryan a hug, which was so completely foreign to him that he instead waved good-bye and headed up the steps to his condo as fast as his legs would carry him.
Bear waited inside, her tail swishing enthusiastically. She’d need a walk before the party. A jog maybe. Mark could use one as well. He went into the bedroom to change into jogging shorts and a T-shirt and then sat on the bed to pull on the compression sleeve he wore over his right knee when he exercised. It didn’t do a whole lot for the discomfort he felt when he ran, but it kept his knee stable, and since he was a few ligaments short of whole, that was a good thing.
With Bear at his side, he pounded out a solid three miles through the mountains, releasing the stress and tension that had been building up inside him all afternoon. He showered and fixed sandwiches for himself and Bear, and then it was time to get ready for the damn party. He’d rather tango with a grenade than go mingle with the locals at this Halloween party.
But Jess would be there. And he needed to see her, needed to make sure she was okay. Hell, he just needed her. Period.
***
Jessica eyed her reflection in the mirror. “This makeup’s not right.”
“Itisright. I’m following a tutorial on Pinterest. Have faith.” Nicole frowned in concentration as she swept more white makeup across Jessica’s face.
“I look like a clown.”
Her sister swatted her arm. “Relax, will you? This is not my first time.”
No, Jessica and Nicole’s Halloween costumes often included elaborate makeup, and they’d both gotten pretty good at painting each other’s faces for the occasion. Tonight, Jessica would go as the Corpse Bride from Tim Burton’s 2005 cult classic. Nicole was going as one of the title characters onThe Walking Dead—and Jessica’s handiwork was evident all over her sister’s garishly “undead” face.
“Almost there.” Nicole pursed her lips as she painted Jessica’s eyebrows an exaggerated black, with an upward twist like Emily, the Corpse Bride.
When Nicole had finished, Jessica had to admit she was looking rather corpse-like. Careful not to disturb her makeup, she stepped into the simple white wedding gown she had accented with gray lace to imitate Emily’s dress, complete with plastic ribs poking through the bodice. Nicole pinned a gray veil in her hair, and then Jessica reached for her gray-painted bouquet of flowers.
“Wow,” Jessica said as she spun before the mirror.
“You look stunning…in a creepy, ghoulish way.” Nicole beamed from behind her zombie makeup. “Dennis, come and see!”
Her husband poked his head into the bedroom. “Wow, babe. This might be your best work yet.”
“Thank you.” Nicole’s smile grew even wider.
Dennis was also outfitted as a zombie, in dirty, ripped clothing and similarly disgusting makeup. “You ladies ready?”
“Just about.” Nicole turned to give herself one more touch-up in front of the mirror. “How’s the head, Jess?”
Jessica flinched, reaching for her forehead reflexively before remembering she’d ruin her makeup if she touched her face. “Much better.” The headache came and went, but she’d taken a pill earlier so she was feeling optimistic about tonight.
“Did you make that appointment?” Nicole turned deadly serious, leveling Jessica with a look that would have made their mother proud.
“Yes. I go on Monday.” She’d met her mom for lunch a few days ago, and among other things, her mom had written down a list of doctors for Jessica to visit to get to the bottom of her current health problems. So far, she’d seen her general practitioner, who’d ruled out a few basic things like mono and meningitis. Unfortunately, this left her no closer to figuring out what was actually wrong with her.
