CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The moment Amelia reached for her phone to turn off her alarm the next morning, she knew that if she’d been home, it was a day she would have spent a good chunk of in bed.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the option that morning. She didn’t even have the option of a slow start to the day.
They’d arrived late the night before, getting to the hotel around three in the morning. She’d fallen into bed almost immediately after being shown to her room.
The two hours she’d been able to sleep on the plane had helped, but her body was still telling her that she was asking more of it than it wanted to give.
She sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, thinking through what she needed to do and how to best accomplish it, given the pain and fatigue she was already dealing with. Once she had a plan of attack, she slowly stood up and made her way to where her suitcase sat on the bag rack.
It wasn’t a large suitcase, since they’d only be in New York for a day. She’d packed her most comfortable set of clothes that weren’t pajamas, so she lifted them out of the suitcase and carried them into the bathroom with her toiletries.
A shower might have felt good, but she didn’t have the energy. Instead, she splashed cold water on her face, then went through her morning routine.
Once she was dressed, and her hair and skincare were done, Amelia left her room. They were staying in a three-bedroom suite in the hotel that Julian had booked. She had one, and Ben and Luca had the other two. Julian and his bodyguard, Anthony, had another suite on the same floor.
The men were both in the living room, along with Julian and Anthony.
“Morning, Amelia,” Ben said when he spotted her. “How did you sleep?”
“Pretty good,” she said, which wasn’t a lie. When she’d slept, it had been good. It just hadn’t been long enough.
"Good. And how are you feeling this morning?" Ben asked, his eyes meeting hers with concern.
Amelia hesitated. She had hoped that he wouldn’t ask because she didn't want to admit how bad it was, especially with Julian and the bodyguards present.
"Eight eight," she finally said quietly, using their scale.
Ben's brow furrowed. "That's pretty high."
"I'll be okay." She forced a small smile, though the effort made her face feel tight. "I've pushed through worse."
“Hopefully it won’t be too taxing today,” he said. “But let me know if you need a break. I’ll make sure you get one.”
“We won’t know what you need if you don’t tell us,” Julian added. “So don’t be afraid to speak up.”
“Okay. I will.”
"We're having breakfast delivered to the suite," Julian said, glancing at his watch. "It should be here any minute. Then the car taking us to the clinic should be here around ten.”
When there was a knock, Anthony moved to check the peephole, then pulled the door open. Two people wheeled in carts, that they placed near the table.
Before long, they were seated at the table, eating.
Amelia didn’t have much of an appetite, but she knew she needed to eat so she had strength for the day. She chose some fruit, eggs, and bacon, skipping the bagels and toast.
There was another knock on the door, and this time, Ben got to his feet and went to answer it.
“Thanks, Darren,” Ben said. “I’ll probably need you again later, so just keep your phone on.”
Amelia heard a man say, “Definitely. Just message me, and I’ll be on it.”
Ben shut the door, then turned to come back to the table. He held a drink in his hand, and when he reached the table, he set it in front of Amelia.
“Here you go,” he said. “I had my assistant pick it up.”
She smiled up at him. “That’s perfect. Thanks.”
Amelia caught a look between the brothers, but chose to focus on her breakfast instead of trying to decipher it.
Julian and Ben discussed some business matters as they ate, which meant Amelia didn’t have to participate in the conversation.
That was just fine with her, as she was very distracted by the day ahead.
“Car’s here,” Anthony announced after receiving a message on his phone. “Ready to move?”
Amelia quickly went to her room to grab her purse, then they left the suite, stepping into a hallway with plush carpet.
The car that waited for them when they reached the hotel’s entrance was actually a limo. Ben stepped in first, then reached to help Amelia into the back.
Julian, Luca, and Anthony followed, the bodyguards taking positions at either end of the limo's spacious interior. As the vehicle pulled away from the curb, Amelia settled back against the leather seat.
"The testing facility is about twenty minutes from here," Julian explained, checking something on his phone. "They'll start with bloodwork, then move on to some imaging and other diagnostics."
Amelia nodded, focusing out the window at the towering buildings of New York City.
The sheer size and density of the metropolis were overwhelming after the quiet familiarity of Serenity. People hurried along the sidewalks, their pace quick and purposeful compared to the relaxed stroll of folks back home.
"It's been a while since I was last in New York," she said, trying to ignore the jolts of pain coursing through her body from each small bump in the road.
She gripped the edge of the seat, focusing on her breathing to maintain her composure.
"I was here for a skating competition about five years ago. "
"Did you get a chance to enjoy the city?" Ben asked.
"Not really." She watched a yellow taxi cut across three lanes of traffic. "I was too focused on the competition to see much beyond the rink and my hotel room. I've never been much of a tourist when I traveled for competitions."
The limo slowed as they approached a sleek glass building that towered above the street. It looked like any other high-rise, with nothing to indicate it might be a medical facility rather than just another office building.
"Burke Medical Research," Julian explained, noticing her gaze. "We own the building but lease out space to various medical enterprises. The testing facility is on the tenth floor."
As the limo pulled up to the entrance, Ben's hand found hers. "Ready?"
Amelia nodded, trying to ignore the way her heart fluttered at his touch. "As I'll ever be."
The bodyguards exited first, scanning the area before Julian stepped out. Ben followed, then turned to offer his hand to Amelia. She took it gratefully, wincing slightly as she climbed out of the car.
"You okay?" Ben asked quietly.
"I'll manage," she murmured, straightening her shoulders.
Ben kept hold of her hand as they entered the building and made their way to a large desk.
The woman seated there greeted them with a smile, then listened as Julian explained that there should be security badges waiting for them.
Julian and Anthony already had badges, but the woman handed over an envelope that contained badges for her, Ben, and Luca.
After they had them, Anthony led them to a scanner where they each placed their badge on the screen before passing through a metal detector.
“Security is paramount here,” Julian explained as they walked toward a bank of elevators on the other side of the security entrance.
He used his card on a scanner, then pressed the up button.
“Given that this is a research facility, there are things that must be kept secure. The security cards track a person’s movements, and they are also keyed to give or limit access to different parts of the building. ”
When the elevator arrived, they stepped into the car, and once again, Julian swiped his card before pressing another button indicating the floor they were going to.
Ben had kept hold of her hand through it all, and Amelia tightened her grip on it as the elevator car began a rapid, silent ascent. When it came to a smooth stop, a bell chimed, and the door slid open.
“We’re this way.” Julian motioned to the left as they moved out of the elevator car.
“Are there many people here today?” Amelia asked. “Given it’s the weekend?”
Julian chuckled. “There are no days off in this building. There are always people here working.”
Another card swipe, and they were in a long, stark hallway. When they reached a door on the right, Julian used his card again, then opened the door and stepped through it.
Ben guided her through the door, and Amelia looked around the room. There was a cluster of comfortable-looking chairs in one corner, and another door on the far side of the room.
“Good morning, Julian,” a man said, walking through the door. He was a middle-aged man, wearing a white coat. “Good to see you again.”
The two men shook hands, then Julian introduced her and Ben. Luca and Anthony had taken seats near the door.
“I’ll just have you come into the office here,” the man said. “I’d like to have a little conversation with you before we begin the tests.”
Amelia glanced at Ben, who gave her a nod of encouragement. “We’ll just wait out here.”
She felt a little apprehensive as she followed the man into the office. Would he believe anything she said? Especially when she struggled to describe the pain and exhaustion she dealt with, along with the other less significant issues she’d experienced over the past couple of years?
“Please, have a seat,” he said, motioning to the chair in front of a large desk.
Once they were both seated, he gave her a reassuring smile. “As Julian said, I’m Michael Donner, and I’m a rheumatologist. When Julian presented the symptoms you’ve been dealing with, we decided that I might be the best person to meet with you and evaluate your symptoms and test results.”
For the next little while, Amelia answered questions about her past and when the decline of her health had begun. When they moved on to her symptoms, Amelia felt a bit of encouragement. He asked questions that made sense to her and told her that he understood what she was dealing with.
“So will the blood tests show what I have?”
“Potentially,” Dr. Donner said. “They can also be used to rule things out as well.”