Chapter Thirteen
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Allie closed the training area and glanced at her phone, knowing she missed dinner with Bryan entirely. Hemi walked beside her as she shut down the lights and left the office open for Billy. Her heart sank, knowing she disappointed him.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and Allie pulled it out, expecting Bryan. Her mama’s name appeared for the second time. “Hello, Mama.”
“You didn’t return my call. We know you don’t go anywhere and you finished work almost two hours ago. I’ve sat here on pins and needles, imagining you by yourself, curled up in a seizure. Greg agrees this silly job of yours needs to stop. I demand you come home immediately,” her mother ranted.
Allie stopped and glanced down at her best friend, Hemi. He didn’t judge her when she suffered a bad day or reprimand her when she overdid something. He stayed by her side and loved her for who she was. “No, Mother. I’m a grown adult. Last I checked, you don’t have to deal with this daily.”
“I’ll not have you talk to me this way. I worry about you all the time living across the country. It’s time you came home where we can care for you,” she argued.
Allie sighed as she walked the path back to her dormitory room. “I’m not returning. I enjoy my job and have recently met someone.”
“Have you told him about your medical issues? If you only compromised with Greg, he might’ve overlooked it and the dog,” she chastised.
“I chose not to marry Greg because he didn’t accept Hemi or me. As my mother, I hope you want me to live a full life. I’m finally happy. Can you stop reminding me about my illness daily? Hemi keeps my condition at bay and I’m sorry you don’t understand how much it helps me. I don’t want someone to overlook me, Mother. I want someone to accept me because they love me and I deserve it, too.”
“Oh, Allie. I’m sorry. I get worked up about you staying there alone.” Her mother sniffled. “I’m worried sick something might happen.”
“I’m not. I have friends, Hemi stays by my side, and my job works around me. I love it here. Why don’t you visit me to allay your fears? I want to live like I don’t have an invisible illness. We don’t have any guarantees in life. I can live right next to you and get hit by a bus tomorrow. We can’t live in a world of ‘what if’s,’ Mama. Hemi gives me the freedom to do this,” she pleaded for her mom to understand as she walked into her room, leaving the door cracked as she set everything down. She needed to breathe in the mountain air and clear her mother’s insecurities from her mind.
Silence filled the line before her mom spoke. “I’ll ask your father to make arrangements for a flight out. I love you, Allie.”
“I love you, too.”
Allie disconnected the call. A text came through, making her smile.
Way to go, Allie-Cat. I’m proud of you. Her dad praised her.
“You decided to stand me up so you can call your boyfriend?”
Allie glanced up to see a furious Bryan glaring at her from her doorway.
“Excuse me?” She shook her head, thinking she misunderstood him.
“I waited for you to show up at dinner. Whiskey informed me all about Hemsworth,” Bryan admitted.
“He did?” she asked in surprise.
“How could you, Allie?” he sounded hurt. “Everyone knows I dated Samantha for a short time. I refuse to get involved in another love triangle.”
Allie swallowed. “What did I do?”
Bryan shook his head. “You let me fall for you and didn’t tell me about Hemsworth.”
“I didn’t see any reason…” she said, confused.
Bryan stared her down. “I’m disappointed in you, Allie. I didn’t believe you capable of leading a man on.”
Her heart pounded in her ears. Steam threatened to shoot out as she glared back at him. Hemi moved closer and whined. His nose hit her hand.
“I didn’t. I may not have told the truth,” she admitted.
He grunted. “That’s an understatement.”
Hemi hit her hand again with his nose and whined. Dizziness seeped over her as she grabbed her purse. Hemi pawed at her leg as she sat down in the chair by her desk. She pulled out the medication and desperately tried to open it as the spots grew bigger.
Bryan, noticing something wasn’t right, rushed to her side. “What’s the matter?” he asked in alarm.
“I need a pill under my tongue,” she instructed sluggishly as he opened the bottle and placed it in her mouth as directed. The next thing she knew, she opened her eyes to find Bryan leaning over her on the bed and Hemi beside her.
“I don’t know. She said, put something under her tongue, and passed out,” he said, panicking into the phone. Chase’s voice drifted from the phone he placed on speaker. “Can you bring an ambulance?”
Allie shook her head.
“Wait a minute. She came to. I don’t know what to do,” Bryan exclaimed as he ran his hand through his hair.
Hemi placed his head on her, giving her the all clear.
“Let me speak with Allison,” Chase demanded.
“You’re on speakerphone. She’s right here,” Bryan said as he put the device closer to her.
“Allie, do you need medical assistance?”
She shook her head and Bryan frowned. “She says no, but she passed out. Why do you sound so damn calm?”
Chase chuckled. “I’m here until ten and you have my home number if you need anything. I’ll ask Lisa to cover the morning shift. Let me know how you’re feeling in the morning.”
Allie nodded and Bryan reluctantly hung up.
“What happened? Why do I feel like I’m the only one panicking? The dog even seems calm,” he rambled.
Allie took his hand. She felt physically tired but knew she needed to fess up and tell him everything. She had already fallen for him, and if Bryan decided her medical condition bothered him, she’d rather know now than at the altar. She already did that.
Slowly, she rose and rested against her pillows. Hemi scooted closer.
“Bryan. Whiskey told you the truth. I do love him.” She glanced down at the dog. “Meet Chris Hemsworth, AKA Hemi for short. He’s my alert service dog because I have epilepsy.” She waited for the realization to hit him.
Bryan nodded slowly, then laughed. “I’m not laughing at you. Whiskey informed me Hemsworth couldn’t keep his paws off you and how he panted after you. I’m sure Whiskey got a great laugh at my expense as I stormed out of the restaurant.”
Allie laughed softly.
His gaze turned serious as Bryan watched her. “I don’t know anything about epilepsy. Can you tell me about it? What do I need to watch out for?”
“You don’t have to pretend like this didn’t scare you. Let’s face it. This became more than you bargained for,” Allie said softly. “I understand.”
Bryan glanced at her, confused. “You do? Because I don’t. One minute, I came in to confront my cheating girlfriend because I fell in love with her and the next minute, I’m grabbing my phone and calling Chase.”
Allie’s breath hitched at his confession and her heart raced. “You…love me?”
Bryan’s mouth opened and he wiped his face sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to confess it to you this soon. I know it seems fast. Allie, I can’t stop thinking about you. I love you,” he whispered as he kissed her.
She glanced at her hands in her lap. “I love you, too. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. My medical condition tends to scare guys away. My mother calls daily to make sure I’m alive and not rotting in my room. It’s not fair to put you in this position. I understand if you want to turn around and walk out, pretending none of this happened.”
Bryan stared at her without saying anything. “I’m sorry.”
Tears started to fall and Bryan gently swiped them from her cheek. “I’m sorry so many people failed you. Don’t count me with them. It may take me some time to get used to these seizures. I’ll probably age and have gray hair. How do you control them? May I ask you questions? I’m sure the more I digest this, I’ll come up with more.”
Her heart leaped as he didn’t shy away from it or make an excuse to leave as other guys did. Bryan stayed.
“Hemi alerts. I keep meds in my bag or Hemi’s jacket. They don’t last long. I’m in more danger of losing consciousness and hitting my head than the actual seizure. They rarely occur with Hemi around. I’m sorry. I lied about him and led you to believe I trained him for someone else,” she confessed as tears pooled in her eyes. “I moved here after I called off my wedding and my mama never understood my need for independence. Chase, Kassie, the security team and the staff know about my condition.”
“It explains why he didn’t sound too concerned,” Bryan said as he visibly relaxed.
“He’ll call back in an hour or have one of the nurses check on me. They try to give me the independence I need. When the dog bit me, he kept me at the hospital to ensure I didn’t suffer any issues. One of the many perks of my job.”
“Can I hold you?” he asked.
She patted the bed beside her, and Hemi moved to the opposite side. Bryan scooted up, allowing her to rest her head on his chest. “What do we do now?”
“I usually feel tired. It’s under control most of the time. My last episode happened six months ago, thanks to Hemi’s alerts.”
“Can you write down instructions for me? I want to feel more prepared if this happens again.”
“Absolutely,” she assured him.
Bryan shook his head. “You named your dog after Chris Hemsworth?”
Allie laughed. “Erin gave the organization my name. When we visited, Hemi saw me from across the room and ran to me. He chose me. They usually don’t allow you to pick your service animal, and I tried hard not to get attached. I visited several more times, and they finally introduced me to my match. Hemi became my dream man, hence Chris Hemsworth. I can’t call him Chris, thus Hemi.”
“Thank goodness,” Bryan let out a relieved sigh.
“Why? Don’t you like my dog’s name?” she asked.
“Whiskey called him Hemsworth and all I pictured was a snob. Then he called him Hemi. I pictured this hulk of a man named after an engine all the way up the mountain. Have you seen the men who live here? They’re built like Mac trucks. I prepared myself for an ass-kicking and a shouting match.”
Allie giggled. “I don’t know why he didn’t explain.”
Bryan chuckled. “Oh, I do. I dated his ex-wife, who he loved with all his heart. He finally figured out a way to get me back.”
“Whiskey wouldn’t do such a thing. He’s a sweet man,” she insisted.
“Yeah. To anyone who didn’t date the love of his life. Whiskey meant well. He got us to admit our feelings. Did you eat? Or do you need to wait?” he asked, unsure what to do.
“I will in a bit. How about you slide off your shoes and chill with me?”
Bryan kicked them off and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes, relishing the feel of him and, for the first time, acceptance. This man didn’t run, make excuses or call it quits. He asked questions and prepared himself for how to handle it the next time it occurred. They said Serenity Mountain offered the people who came here a sense of peace like never before. She smiled as she drifted to sleep in his arms, realizing the people she worked with gave her what she craved all along, independence and space to let her learn she wasn’t alone. She found a family who didn’t care about her medical condition or if she brought Hemi into their homes.
Tess mentioned a phrase that stuck in her head and she knew what her friend meant with her advice. Bryan gave her a love worth fighting for and, most of all, he accepted Allie for who she was.