Chapter 7 Piper
Chapter seven
Piper
Oh, my god.
As I wake up, the pain behind my eyes is so intense that I can only squint my eyelids open. My body aches like I've been hit by a truck. I'm in the middle of a flare-up.
Shit.
I turn my head with effort and see Emmett behind me, snoring softly.
Slowly, I edge myself out of bed and crumple to the floor. The wave of nausea that hits me as I try to stand is enough to keep me on my hands and knees. Trying to breathe slowly, I gather my clothes, each movement more painful than the next.
Moving like a sloth, I tug my shirt and pants on and crawl to the bedroom door, reaching up to turn the knob with considerable effort. As I open it, I find myself face-first in a massive pile of fur, which spills into the bedroom.
"Hey, Zeus. Good boy," I whisper, not wanting to wake Emmett as I consider my options.
Zeus' tail thumps against the wood floor, and I try to crawl around him before he makes too much noise. He sits up and shakes, the metal tags on his collar clacking loudly.
"Shhh," I whisper.
He cocks his head at me.
A surge of pain behind my eyes has me crawling slowly down the hallway. Zeus follows me the whole way, dropping on his legs to mimic me and sneaking little licks against my cheek. This entire scene would be adorable if I didn't feel like I was dying.
I left my purse in the living room last night. If I can get to my phone, I should be able to call Aubrey and get the girls over here to help me.
When I make it to the plush rug in front of the couch, the room sways, and I have to lie down flat so I don't vomit. The pain in my head threatens to take me under.
Zeus whimpers, nuzzling his cold nose against my face.
I pat his soft fur weakly. "Give me a minute, buddy. I'm okay."
Zeus disagrees because he barks loudly, turns in circles, and knocks into the side table.
His sharp bark is like needles to my brain, and his thick tail destroys everything it comes in contact with.
It swipes the remote from the coffee table, followed by a book, which falls on my hand as I lie there helpless.
It breaks my heart that this ball of fur knows something is wrong.
He’s desperate to get help, while all I can do is lie here and moan.
"Piper?" Emmett calls from the hallway.
His footsteps pound toward me.
"Piper! Oh, God."
He gently turns me onto my back, and I stare up at his handsome face, etched with worry.
"No," I say weakly as he reaches for his phone. "It's not an emergency. Do you have a hospital nearby?"
"Yes," he says, grabbing a cushion off the couch and gently lifting my head. "But this does seem like an emergency. What's going on, Piper?" His deep voice is strained but steady.
"It's a flare-up," I say, closing my eyes against the headache. I don't want Emmett to see me this weak. "I need you to call my friends. I have to get to the hospital. Antibiotics can lessen the severity."
Emmett nods and takes off down the hallway.
"My phone is in my purse," I whisper, hoping he can hear me.
Zeus lies beside me, placing his head on my stomach.
My eyes fly open when Emmett’s warm hand grips my leg.
He's dressed in the clothes he wore yesterday.
He slides one foot into my shoe, then the other.
His strong arms cradle my back as he sits me up, and I whimper in pain as he carefully gets me into my coat.
Grabbing my purse, he crosses it over his big body and lifts me in one motion.
"No," I protest, but he pulls me closer to his chest, and I'm in too much pain to fight it.
"Good boy, Zeus. I'm calling Maxy to let you out while we get Piper taken care of. We'll be back soon," Emmett promises.
His deep voice and the affection he has for his dog cut through the fog in my brain, and I smile despite the agony pulsing through my body.
Emmett swiftly maneuvers me to his truck, buckling me in as he drapes a blanket around my legs. He runs back into the house and returns with a pillow before racing to the driver's side. When he gets inside, he smooshes the pillow against the window, and I rest my head on it gratefully.
"Hang in there, Piper. We're going to the hospital in Festival Valley. It's about a forty-minute drive, but they have better resources there. Can you manage that?"
"Yes," I say. "Thank you, Emmett."
"Hold on, baby. We'll get you taken care of."
He called me baby last night as he made me promises of forever. I try to ignore the tug on my heart, giving him a small smile instead.
He's worried about me, but nobody wants to deal with this for the rest of their life.
***
"Mrs. Chapman."
Dr. Miller's voice awakens me from a light sleep.
"It's Miss," I correct groggily, scooting up in the bed as I open my eyes.
"For now."
The deep voice to my right startles me, and I turn to find Emmett sitting in the chair next to my bed. He smiles, and I can't help but smile back.
The pain meds have helped with my headache, and an IV is pumping a hefty dose of antibiotics through the cannula in the back of my hand. My body still aches, and my head is foggy, but I'm doing much better than I was this morning.
"Miss Chapman," Dr. Miller clarifies. He raises an eyebrow at Emmett. "For now." He smothers a smile and checks the chart at the end of my bed.
Dr. Miller looks like he's in his early thirties, handsome and tall with blond hair and bright blue eyes. But doctor or not, he doesn't hold a candle to the sexy mountain man by my side.
I smother a grin as Emmett crosses his arms over his chest and gives the doctor the same look he gave Max in the coffee shop yesterday.
Was it yesterday?
"What day is it?" I ask, disoriented and panicked.
Emmett takes my hand, and his warmth calms me immediately. It's like the perfect cup of tea or a cozy blanket.
"It's still Sunday, and everything is going to be okay. You need to rest."
"Exactly what he said," Dr. Miller adds, patting the blanket over my leg.
Emmett narrows his eyes at the spot he touched, but Dr. Miller is oblivious.
"Thank you. I started a new job a few weeks ago, and..." I trail off, locking eyes with Emmett. "This weekend was a lot."
I blush as Emmett's gaze heats with memories of our night together.
"I'm sending you home with a prescription for antibiotics, but you need to rest until the flare-up passes and continue to find ways to calm yourself regularly. Your body is not giving up on you; you just have to take extra care of it. That includes your mental health with stress and anxiety."
Dr. Miller gives me a few more instructions before signing my discharge papers and handing them to the nurse.
"If you should happen to find yourself living nearby in the future, Piper Chapman, we have doctors in this hospital who can help manage your treatment."
I nod, willing myself not to look at Emmett as my cheeks heat from Dr. Miller's assumption.
"Thank you," I call as the door closes, leaving Emmett and me alone.
"Let's get you home," he says, gripping my hand and looking at me like I haven't ruined his Sunday. In fact, it occurs to me with shocking clarity that this man looks at me like he’s willing to ride-or-die for me.
Don't get your hopes up, I warn my giddy heart.
One day on deck is nothing compared to a lifetime.