“Ellie… hey.” I say after a moment. I completely forgot we were supposed to meet up tonight. “Shit. I forgot about dinner. I think I’m okay, I’m just not feeling well today.”
“What’s going on?”
I explain to her about the way I’ve been feeling, giving her a brief overview of my symptoms. “I just saw my cardiologist last month,” I explain, inhaling deeply. “Everything looked normal.”
“Maybe you should go into the hospital, just to make sure everything’s okay.”
The hospital? It’s the last place I want to go. Unfortunately, it’s the only option since it’s Saturday and the cardiology office is closed. “I don’t know if it’s worth going,” I say slowly, chewing on my lip. Anxiety knots in my stomach.
“It’s your heart, babe.” She’s quiet for a second. “Even if it’s nothing, I think you should still get checked out.”
“I don’t know,” I say, scooting to the edge of the bed to stand up. As I change positions, the same sensation happens, a wave of dizziness and the racing of my pulse. “Maybe you’re right.”
“I’ll take you,” she says without any hesitation. “Unless you think you need an ambulance?”
I pinch the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. “No, I’m not in that bad of shape.” I blow out a breath as I collect myself again. “Are you sure you don’t mind taking me?”
“Not at all. I’ll be there soon.” There’s a rustling sound in the background. “Stay on the phone with me until I get there.”
“Okay.” I sigh in relief, slowly making my way out to the living room. Ellie doesn’t keep talking, but I can hear her humming, so I know she’s still on the phone. I’ve been trying to not panic with the way my body’s been acting today, although there’s a comfort in knowing I’m not alone right now.
It’s a comfort I’ve been missing since putting distance between Matteo and myself.
I glance at the clock and grab the remote when I see it’s a half an hour until puck drop. I was never a hockey fan before, but I never really had a reason to watch in the past. This last week, I’ve had the Hillford Ice Hawks playing in the background while I’ve been working through edits on my book.
My stomach flips when I see Matteo on the ice. I should let him know what’s going on, although I don’t want to worry him for nothing. I’m only going to be safe, rather than sorry.
He doesn’t need the extra stress in the middle of the game.
It can wait until after I’m back home.
I absolutely hate hospitals.
I look away from the hockey game on the TV and stare at Ellie nodding off in the chair next to my bed. “Hey,” I say, trying to get her attention. “El.”
She stirs, lifting her head, blinking rapidly. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I say, nodding my head. “The nurse was just in and said they had a trauma come in, so it might be another hour or two until I get discharged.”
Surprisingly, everything moved quickly in the two hours we’ve been here. I was accelerated through triage since it was cardiac related, and they did immediate testing. Thankfully, they determined it was nothing serious and the symptoms were stemming from something called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome or POTS for short.
Apparently, it causes all the symptoms I’ve been feeling, not just today, but normally when I don’t feel right. It mainly has to do with blood flow and transitioning from different positions, although it can occur just with standing and activity sometimes.
There’s no cure, but they gave me fluids and some medicine to help me tonight. I have a follow up with my cardiologist and strict orders to increase my water and salt intake, along with medication just in case.
“It’s almost ten o’clock. You can go home, and I’ll just order a car whenever they let me go.”
“No way.” Ellie makes a face and shakes her head. “I’m not leaving you here alone.”
“I promise I’ll be okay.”
She purses her lips. “The only way I’d leave you is if Matty were here and,” she pauses, her eyes flicking to the TV. “Looks like he’s a little busy.”
I look at the screen, sucking in a deep breath, with my phone burning in my hand. It’s the second intermission and I’m still waiting until the game is over to say anything to him. The first and second period were a lot longer than normal with a lot of penalty calls and reviews.
Matteo’s been battling with one player in particular on the other team… Aiden Scott.
“Did you tell him you’re here?”
