Tess
Teyana stared at the lobby directory. “You’re sure he said the ninth floor?”
“I’m sure.” She knew as well as I did. She’d been standing right there when the driver Scott had sent had dropped us off and instructed us where to go next.
But I knew why she wanted reassurance. Because according to the directory, the Dysautonomia Center was located on the ninth floor, and though we hadn’t been told specifically to go there, it had to be where we were supposed to end up.
A tentative excitement bubbled up inside of me as we climbed into the elevator. What on earth are you up to, Scott Sebastian?
I pressed the nine button on the console, and as the doors closed, I hoped he’d be there to clear everything up when they opened again.
I didn’t just want answers about the strange mission he’d sent us on this afternoon. I hadn’t really talked to him since before his meeting with his parents the night before, and I was dying to know what happened. When I’d messaged him at midnight, desperate for intel, he’d sent back a short text.
Everything’s good. Will talk tomorrow. Sleep well, baby.
I responded passive-aggressively, giving him a thumbs up and a sleepy face emoji.
I didn’t know what else to say when his message had been an obvious dismissal, and though his tone was meant to be uplifting, it had sent me into an anxious fit that had me tossing and turning all night.
Why did he want me to wait to hear more?
Why had he waited until I’d nudged him to reach out at all?
Why did he feel like it was necessary to say that everything was good?
Was there a reason I would have thought otherwise?
They were stupid anxieties based on nothing, but I couldn’t help the niggling feeling that there was some reason he wasn’t saying more.
I’d finally fallen asleep around five in the morning. When I woke up a handful of hours later, I’d reached for my phone, determined to ask for some reassurance, but as soon as I’d checked the screen, I’d found another text from him.
Clear your afternoon. You and Tey. I’m sending a driver to pick you up at 2.
It occurred to me then that Scott wasn’t saying more because he was planning something good, not because he was avoiding telling me something bad.
I’d started to have my doubts when the driver had taken us toward Kip’s Bay because what on earth was on the East Side?
Now that I realized where he was sending us, I was more convinced he had a surprise up his sleeve.
“Your man is up to something,” Tey said, voicing my exact thoughts.
I could hear the hopefulness behind her words, and part of me wanted to tell her to not get too excited.
Just because Scott had sent us to a premier dysautonomia clinic, not just in Manhattan but in the whole country, it didn’t mean that he’d somehow gotten her an appointment.
There could be a dozen other reasons why he wanted us to meet him there.
Not that I could think of any of them at the moment.
“I’m just glad I had the time off so I could do this with you.
” Kendra called it time off after I’d put in so much extra work while she’d been gone, but I knew it was really about giving us both space, which was fine by me.
It was understandable that she needed to sort through her feelings about my betrayal without me around.
I had my own feelings of betrayal to deal with, feelings that I’d buried for a long time while she’d made sure to keep me on the sidelines.
Though I’d been disloyal by going behind her back, I was more and more convinced it had not only been the right thing to do, but also the only thing I could do if I had any hope of one day breaking free of her hold and having my own meaningful career.
An impromptu vacation gave me time to put those feelings in perspective.
Best part, it was paid time off.
“You fucking deserve it,” Teyana said, not for the first time, as the doors opened on our floor.
All thoughts of Kendra were abandoned as I scanned the area for Scott, not finding him anywhere.
“He’s probably waiting for us in the clinic.” Tey had forgotten her cane, but I had a feeling the reason she grabbed onto me was as much about her nervous anticipation as it was about her POTS. “Come on. Let’s go.”
There were only a few other offices on the ninth floor besides the clinic, so it only took us a minute to find the correct suite.
I pushed open the heavy wood door and scanned the waiting room, seeing a couple with a teenage daughter, an elderly gentleman snoozing by himself, a camera crew filming a man in a lab coat speaking with a woman in a wheelchair (NYC, man—there was always something), and finally, standing in front of the reception desk with his eyes trained on me, Scott.
A smile broke across his face. “That’s her,” he said to the receptionist, then strode over to us.
With the way he looked at me as he approached, I thought he would pull me in his arms, but he stopped suddenly when he got to us and put his hands on his hips, a curious awkwardness settling between us.
“Hi.” His eyes flicked from mine to my lips, and I could feel him thinking the same thing I was. Do we kiss, do we…what?
Whatever we were supposed to do, I couldn’t stop grinning. “Hi.”
I was suddenly worried about how I looked. Was I having a good hair day? Did my lip gloss need refreshening? Why hadn’t I worn something more flattering?
The way Scott looked at me, though, I got the feeling my appearance was just fine. He looked at me like a man who’d seen me naked. Like a man who wanted to see me naked again. Like a man who wanted to look at me period.
Teyana, who’d been standing patiently to the side like a third wheel while Scott and I ogled each other, cleared her throat.
His gaze shifted toward her, and his posture changed, as though he’d just remembered she was there. “Teyana, thanks for coming out on such short notice. I’m sure you’re wondering what this is all about. How are you feeling, anyway?”
She started to nod, then shook her head. “That can wait. Let’s address this first.” She moved a finger rapidly in the air between me and Scott. “She likes you.”
“I...like her too,” he said, and my heart did a little flip.
“You’d better not hurt her.”
“I have no intention of doing any such thing.”
“Uh-uh. Not good enough.” She stood to her full height, and though that was still several inches shorter than Scott, she gave the effect of looking down on him. “You’ve got to actively not hurt her. You get me?”
I wanted to die.
Scott hesitated, and who wouldn’t? Whatever he had planned for today, he certainly hadn’t expected a full-on interrogation.
Of course, after all the shit I’d had to go through with him and Kendra, a few moments of unease wouldn’t kill the man.
After a brief pause, he pinned his eyes on me and raised his hand as if taking an oath. “I solemnly swear to do everything in my power to actively not hurt Terese Turani, so help me God.”
Tey considered. “Okay. I’ll buy it. But I’m watching you.” She relaxed her posture. “Now, let’s talk about me. I’m feeling tired after being trekked across the city but better than I did a couple of days ago. I’m guessing you didn’t bring me out here just to let me know this clinic exists.”
He chuckled. “No. I would never attempt to educate you on any aspect of your condition. I am, however, a man with certain connections, and full disclosure—this is as much about working to actively not hurt Tess as it is about you. I know she cares deeply about you and wants you to have every advantage you can, so I’ve gotten you an appointment with Dr. Steenburgen. ”
I gasped. Dr. Steenburgen was a world-renowned dysautonomia specialist. Even when dreaming of who Tey could maybe see one day, he wasn’t on the list. “I didn’t think he took new patients anymore.”
“He doesn’t,” Scott confirmed. “He’s too busy heading up the Tisch Dysautonomia Research Department to add to his current patient load, but he’s agreed to make an exception.” He looked toward Tey. “If you’re interested.”
Tey and I exchanged a glance. I could sense her reining in her excitement. “There’s no way my insurance would cover this. The whole clinic is out-of-network.”
He swatted his hand in the air, as if her comment was an insignificant fly. “Cost is not your concern. Whatever you need for treatment will be covered as well.”
It was my turn to be cautious. “Um, I don’t know if I can let you pay for this, Scott. It’s impressive, and I appreciate the gesture...” But it was too much. Way too much.
Teyana crossed her arms over her chest and glared at me. “Is this really where your morality line is going to get crossed?”
Considering I’d spent the weekend sleeping with an engaged man, she had a point, and I really didn’t want to be the one who snatched this opportunity away from her.
But it wasn’t just the ethics of it all.
It could take years to get a working treatment plan for a POTS patient.
What happened if we broke up? When we broke up, because odds were it would happen eventually.
Where would Tey be then? Surely he wouldn’t continue to pay indefinitely.
Turned out my concerns were moot. “I’m not paying for this,” Scott said. “The DRF is.”
Well, that was more palatable.
Except, the DRF couldn’t afford…
“SIC is going to sponsor them?!” It was the only possibility. The foundation was struggling right now as it was. They needed the sponsorship to make a commitment this grand.
Scott nodded. “Yep. And we’re writing into the contract a stipend that is specifically to be used for Tey’s treatment.” He shifted to her. “Again, if you’re interested.”
“Of course, I’m fucking interested.”
I hadn’t seen a grin that wide on Teyana’s face since before she’d been diagnosed. Hell, I hadn’t seen her smile that wide ever. I was grinning right along with her.