Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Raelynn
My head felt heavy when I tried to lift it off the pillow, and a wave of dizziness hit me sideways. Confusion clouded my brain, and I tried to get a sense of where I was. My eyes scanned the sterile-looking room, the beeping machines, and the loud activity behind the closed door.
A hospital. I was in a hospital. What the fuck happened?
My skin tingled with itchiness. I lifted my head off the pillow, and when I looked down at my arms, they were covered in red welts. More dizziness ensued, and a wave of nausea washed over me. I groaned and lay back down, regretting lifting my head in the first place.
I closed my eyes, but the spins were still there. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I sat up quickly, grabbed the bucket beside my bed, and hurled, my empty stomach managing only to dry heave.
Between rounds of gagging, I didn’t hear the door open or see Dr. Walker inside, but as soon as he was by my bedside, I shrieked. “No, no, please. Please, just go away. I don’t want you seeing me like this.”
He leaned down and gathered my hair with one hand, holding it away from my face. He rubbed my back with the other. “It’s normal not to feel well after what happened. It’ll fade.”
“I don’t even know what happened!” I cried before setting the bucket down and sitting back up in bed. Dr. Walker let go of my hair and took a step backward. He handed me a cloth from a drawer next to the bed. He then poured me a cup of water from the pitcher on the rolling bedside table.
“You had a severe allergic reaction to a medication, also known as anaphylaxis. Thank God the ambulance was nearby when you called emergency services, or else it could’ve gone a lot worse.”
I stared at him in shock. “An allergic reaction? But I took the medication I always do.”
“Did you start the new prescription from the pharmacy?”
“Yes, I grabbed it on my way home from work. Took it before bed, like normal, and then—” I gasped, choking on the words in my throat. “Wait, I remember now. It happened so quickly. I started itching uncontrollably and felt like I couldn’t breathe. But how? How is this possible?”
“Our bodies change over time. New allergies can arise. The doctors here are running tests and reaching out to the pharmacy. We’ll figure it out.
You’re in good hands,” Dr. Walker said. He stood at the end of my bed, still looking sexy as all hell in his tight khaki pants, button-down shirt, and white doctor coat.
His beard grew out a tiny bit, almost as if the beard had its own five o’clock shadow.
“Your hands?”
He cleared his throat. “Yes. Along with the doctors here.”
I sipped my water and watched him closely. “I don’t know if I should trust you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, aren’t I here because of something you prescribed me?”
Dr. Walker’s eyes darkened, and a smirk played on his lips.
“All I did was prescribe the same birth control pill you’ve been taking for years.
That’s why we need to investigate what happened.
” His dark brown eyes pierced my soul. I forgot about how sick I felt, the dizziness and nausea fading away as we held each other’s gaze.
I opened my mouth to ask him his first name when the door opened and in walked two nurses. “Oh, Dr. Walker, hello, I didn’t realize you were still here. You should head home and get some rest. We’ve got a good team on staff today. How are you feeling, Raelynn?”
My two nurses, Leanne and Paulette, came up beside me and began checking machines, taking vitals, and typing into the laptop on wheels they kept in the room. But all I could focus on was what Leanne said.
Still here? Go home and get some rest? Just how long had he been here?
Dr. Walker stood off to the side, but his eyes never strayed. I wondered if he was going to leave or wait until the nurses disappeared.
“Dizzy, a bit nauseous, and itchy,” I said to Leanne.
“Totally normal. You’re due for another dose of allergy medication to help with the itchiness and hives.
I’ll add some anti-nausea medication, which should help settle your stomach, and it also helps with dizziness as well.
In the meantime, I’ll order you some broth and Jell-O.
We need to start slow with eating since you’re having digestive symptoms, okay dear?
” Leanne explained while Paulette typed notes into the laptop.
“Okay, thank you.”
“Let me go get the meds, and I’ll be back in a few,” Leanne said, and they both left.
But Dr. Walker didn’t. He stepped forward once more, and a trace of a smile ghosted his lips.
“What’s your name, Doctor?” I blurted the question out, curiosity getting the best of me.
“I usually don’t relay that information to my patients.”
“Considering you’ve spent the night by my side, I think we’re now on a first-name basis,” I challenged him.
“Who said I spent the night by your side?”
“Leanne.”
“You can’t just assume—”
“I’m not. I’ll still call you Dr. Walker if that’s what you want.”
“Then why know my name at all?”
“Curious minds need answers.”
“It’s Gavin.”
“Gavin, hmm?” I let the name roll off my tongue. “I like it.”
“Nah, no one likes the name Gavin. But it is what it is.” His dry humor intrigued me, and I cracked a smile.
“You really should go home and get some rest. I’m sure you have appointments at your practice.”
“I canceled the day. I’m staying until I’m confident you’re better.”
Inside, I squealed with joy. “Whatever you say, Doc.”
Gavin strode over to the side of my bed like a man on a mission. He dipped his head low, and my mind went haywire trying to figure out his next move.
His face inched closer and closer…
Until the door opened and he jumped backward. He crashed into the bedside table, causing it to roll backward and slam into the wall. The pitcher of water flew to the ground, water spilling everywhere.
“Ah! Are you okay, Doc?” Leanne asked, her eyes wide and full of concern.
“Yes, I’m fine. I misstepped is all. See to it that Raelynn has her meds as soon as possible. I’ll send a janitor in to mop the floor,” Gavin said before he glanced at me and walked out the door.
I was left there, wondering what would’ve happened if the door had never opened.