Do I just wait here?
Yes, the technician will bring Harper back once the X-ray is done, then the doctor will be in to go over the results.
She reaches out her hand to Harper, wiggling her fingers playfully.Harper doesn’t move, her eyes darting to me.
You got this, Moose.Just a quick picture, and then you’ll be back with me.Maybe then we’ll plan out all the junk food we’ll pick up on the way home, huh?Sound good?
She looks skeptical for a second but gives in to the bribe.A second later, Harper is sliding off the table and taking the nurse’s hand.I stand with them and watch as they walk down the long hall.
The second she disappears around the corner, my stomach drops to the floor.I rub the back of my neck, pacing a tight line in the curtained space.
I hate this part.The waiting.The helplessness.The breathing that suddenly feels too loud in my own ears.
A few minutes.She’ll be fine.She’s always fine.
Closing my eyes, I begin box breathing, focusing my mind on each breath instead of dwelling on the things I can’t control currently.Eventually, my heart rate normalizes, and the tension in my neck is only a slight ache.
By this point, I’m thinking at least thirty minutes have passed, but when I look down at my watch, I see it’s only been fourteen.
Son of a bitch,I hiss out in a sigh.
The curtain rustles.I look over, expecting to see Harper and the nurse again, but…
It’s not the nurse who’s with her.
Harper stands beside another nurse, clutching a tiny hospital gown in one hand…and staring up, wide-eyed, like she’s seeing something magical.
I get it.I totally get it.Because all the air has been sucked out of me, too, at seeing this woman.She’s knocked the wind out of me.
She doesn’t see me at first, her warm eyes focused on Harper.They’re in the middle of a discussion, but I can’t hear a single word they’re saying.I can barely comprehend what I’m seeing, let alone absorb their conversation.
She’s dressed in dark scrubs, similar to the previous nurse, but there’s something a bit more formal about her outfit.I can’t place it, but it’s there.Soft brown curls escape her bun that have my fingers itching to tuck behind her cute little ears.
Goddamn it.I’m even noticing how cute her ears are.What is happening to me?
Then, finally, feeling as if I’ve been waiting a hundred years to catch her attention, her eyes, warm and sharp all at once, turn to me.
I’m struck again.She has the kind of face that makes the fluorescent lighting look flattering, which should be impossible.
My world tilts, just slightly, like I missed a step.
Hi,she says, voice calm and steady as she looks right at me.You must be Uncle Sid.
And for one ridiculous second, I genuinely forget how to speak.
Harper releases the woman’s hand and comes to me.She nudges me with her good hand when I continue to silently stare.Uncle Sid.Say words.
Right.Words.
Hi,I manage, sounding absolutely nothing like a functioning adult.Hello.Yeah.I’m—Sid.Sidney.I mean, yes.The uncle.
Her lips tip at the corner, amused.
A pressure I wasn’t aware of in my chest dissipates—warmth slipping in where panic usually lives.With just one look, one smile, this mysterious woman has calmed me like no breathing technique or cold plunge ever has.
I should be confused about my reaction to her.The fact that she’s affecting me so viscerally should have me in a panic, not in this Zenlike, mute state.I’ve been in plenty of relationships and met a lot of women, but I can’t recall ever being hypnotized like this.
Well, Uncle Sid, Harper here has been exceptionally brave today.Her X-rays were a breeze, and the doctor should be in soon with the final results.
