“Okay… so I’ve had a pretty constant headache. The intensity comes and goes. And then last night I had what I’d call a hot flash in the middle of the night. I was boiling even though the room was cold. It took a while to cool down, and I was covered in sweat…”
She nods slowly as she listens.
Why the hell isn’t this on speaker so I can hear him?
“Okay… right. Thank you so much for taking my call.” She laughs lightly. “Yes, I’ll try. Thanks again. Bye.”
She ends the call, and I raise a brow, surprised at how short it was.
“Well?”
She exhales slowly. “He said headaches can be common during recovery, but don’t automatically mean something serious. The hot flash could be related too, but since I’ve only had one, he wants us to wait and see if it happens again before doing anything drastic. He thinks it might just be my body recalibrating. If it happens again, I’m to call him immediately, and we’ll book an appointment.”
I nod, though my mind keeps spinning. “Did he say what it could be a symptom of?”
She chuckles softly. “No. And I honestly don’t think we need to worry, Mercs. I’m fine. You worry too much.” She nudges me playfully, which does absolutely nothing to calm the tension sitting in my chest.
Maybe I do worry too much.
But isn’t that part of loving someone?
“So,” she continues lightly. “What are we going to do today?”
Some of the tightness in my shoulders eases.
Maybe she is okay.
Maybe it really was a one-off.
I need to breathe. I need to stop expecting the worst and enjoy the fact that she’s sitting beside me, alive and smiling in my hometown.
Then a strange grating noise drags my attention left, and Effa and I both look up at the same time.
Andi and Casey are barreling toward us at an alarming speed.
Effa bursts into laughter. “It’s nice to see the cousins out and about.”
The noise finally clicks when I notice the roller skates strapped to their feet.
“Holy shit! How did I let you talk me into this?” Casey shouts as she picks up speed, her arms flailing wildly as if she has lost complete control. Andi glides beside her, laughing so hard she’s practically in tears, her aqua hair looking a hell of a lot better than the black she had not long ago.
“Effa… help!” Casey yells.
Effa springs to her feet and races down the stairs just in time to catch Casey before she plows into the bandstand. They collide in a heap of giggles, Effa steadying her friend while I head down as Andi rolls in smoothly, turning sideways in a surprisingly controlled stop.
“See? I told you this would be fun, Case. Fresh air, weird town folk… what more could you want?” Andi teases.
“It is nice to be out,” Casey admits breathlessly, clinging to Effa. “Even if I can’t get the hang of these fucking death traps.”
Effa is glowing, the happiest I’ve seen her since she woke up from the coma. Watching her laugh like that makes something inside me unclench.
“Where did you find the skates?” she asks.
Andi shrugs. “Some kid had them. I asked if we could borrow them. I wanted to get Case out of the Inn and into the sun… well, what little sun we’ve got. Plus, I wanted to explore the square. This place is cute as hell.”
Effa nods enthusiastically. “There’s an aura here, right? The energy is so…”
“Peaceful,” Casey finishes.
