Chapter Twenty-Eight
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
MCKINSEY
“H ow’s her oxygen?”
“And her pulse?”
I don’t recognize the voices in my ears.
My arms and legs feel heavy, my body rocking gently against some sort of cushion beneath me.
There is something uncomfortable over my mouth. I try to reach up to grab it, but my arm will only go so far.
“Ma’am, can you hear me?”
Slowly opening my eyes, the scene before me bleeds into view. I don’t understand what I’m seeing.
“There you are,” a woman I’ve never seen before looks down at me with kind eyes.
She and another woman are hovering over me.
Moving hurriedly, one of them shines a light in my eyes while the other squeezes my arm painfully.
What are they doing to me?
I try to sit up, but again, something keeps me from being able to.
“Don’t try to move, okay? Can you tell me your name?”
“M-Mc-Kinsey.” I barely recognize my raspy voice when it hits my ears.
“Nice to meet you, McKinsey. My name is Mel, and this is Rachel. We’re going to help you, okay?”
I look between them as best I can.
“Can you tell me your address?”
Closing my eyes, I rack my brain for the answer. I know this. I can see the numbers on my house in my mind. I can visualize the name of my street on the sign on the corner. Finally, my brain and my mouth sync, and I’m able to answer.
“Bux-ton. 6-8-4 Buxton.”
“Excellent. We’ll be at the hospital in a few minutes, okay? In the meantime, can you tell us what happened?”
Hospital?
That’s when everything finally clicks. I’m in an ambulance. But why?
“I…” I think back to the last thing I remember. Draven was begging me to go to the hospital. And then Olivia was there. They were arguing. “I got dizzy, and … then… I-I don’t know.”
“Okay, no worries. When we get to the hospital they’ll get you all checked out. Try to get you some answers.”
Mel turns to speak to Rachel. They mutter a series of numbers and acronyms to one another that mean nothing to me.
“Woah.” Rachel gazes out the window at the back of the ambulance. “That guy needs to give us some more room back there.”
Mel looks out the back before cocking her eyebrow in irritation. Draven, no doubt, is tailgating us, wanting to stay close. I’m shocked he hasn’t sped past the ambulance so he can be at the hospital and out of his car to meet me when we get there.
“There was a man and a woman at your house. Do you know who they are?”
“Dr-Draven. And Olivia.”
“They’re following behind us in their car. We told them to check in with the desk when they get there and wait until you’re placed in a room before they come back. But the doctors and nurses will do their best to reunite you with them as soon as they can.”
I don’t answer, too exhausted to speak the rest of the ride.
The moment I’m wheeled into the ER, a team of doctors and nurses descend on me. The paramedics rattle off all sorts of information before transferring me into their care.
“Two rooms are being cleaned right now, so we’ll have one ready soon. Just park her—” One of the nurses begins, but she’s cut off by someone I recognize as they step into my line of sight.
“Wait…” Dr. Bennett grabs onto the stretcher, stopping the team from wheeling me any farther. “I recognize her.”
One of the nurses steps aside, letting Dr. Bennett move in closer to me.
“You were in last week. With a migraine?”
When I carefully nod, he turns to speak to Mel. “What’s going on with her?”
As Mel gives him a summary of my symptoms and vitals, I watch his face shift from mild concern to full on alarm.
“Okay, thanks.” As Mel leaves, Dr. Bennett signals for us to stay put before he walks out of view. I hear him talking to someone briefly before coming back over to me.
“Daisy, let’s get her into CT right away,” he instructs the nurse at my head. “She’s high priority, so I had them move everyone else who’s waiting back. I want those results ASAP.”
“Got it.” The nurse jumps into action.
My stomach drops.
She’s friendly as she guides me through the halls, trying to keep my spirits up. But I don’t respond to her.
I can’t.
And it has nothing to do with the sluggishness I’m experiencing after whatever the fuck just happened.
The fear I felt at my house—which has been gnawing at me for the past week—resurfaces.
Back in my bedroom, it was a what if scenario.
Now, however, I don’t think there is any doubt that there’s something very, seriously wrong with me.
I kick myself for not demanding a scan at the hospital like Draven suggested.
I hate that I didn’t take my symptoms more seriously when the pain didn’t go away completely this past week.
But mostly, I’m angry for allowing any feelings to build between Draven and me in the first place.
If I would have been more professional and put a stop to it before anything happened, I wouldn’t have let him get too close.
I wouldn’t have allowed either of us to fall for one another.
And I wouldn’t be terrified to be just another person in his life that he’s lost.
* * *
Concern bleeds from the X-ray tech’s grim face as she wheels me out of the room and into the hallway to my nurse.
“She’s all done. Good luck to you, McKinsey.”
I didn’t think they were supposed to give any kind of indication of the results of a scan one way or another. But maybe my diagnosis is so abysmal, she just couldn’t keep the emotion off her face.
The muscle in my chest constricts as I’m once again wheeled back to the ER and into a room.
“Here we are. I got a message that you have some company waiting to see you. I’ll go grab them and bring them back here.”
“No, wait…” I struggle to swallow the nerves clogging my throat.
Daisy turns back to face me, her eyebrows raised expectantly.
“Um… Is it okay to tell them that I don’t have a room yet, or that I’m not allowed to have visitors at this time? Or just, hold off going out there and telling them anything?”
The skin between her eyes furrows with concern, but she doesn’t ask me any questions.
“Sure. Are you comfortable? I can get you another pillow or a heated blanket…”
“A blanket, please. Thank you.”
I’ll use anything I can to wrap myself in right now. I’d prefer Draven’s arms, but until I know what the hell is happening, I can’t face him. It may be selfish, but I can’t bear to see the hurt and worry on his face when he looks at me.
Twenty minutes later, Dr. Bennett solemnly walks into my room.
Avoiding my gaze and saying nothing, he places his laptop down on the tray next to my bed. He presses a series of keys and clicks the mouse a few times before turning the computer so I can see the results of my CT on the screen.
I don’t look at it, keeping my eyes on the doctor. I don’t know how to read the scan, and I don’t want to jump to conclusions.
He clears his throat before finally looking at me.
“Um… So…”
“Just fucking tell me.” Dr. Bennett’s eyes widen at my exasperation.
Whatever it is, I just need to know. I can’t lay here for one more second without an answer of some kind—good or bad.
“I believe you had a seizure caused by a tumor that was putting pressure on your brain.”
Fuuuck.
I thought I’d terrified the hell out of myself just thinking about everything that could be wrong with me. But to hear him actually utter “tumor” takes my fear to a brand new level I’ve yet to experience in my lifetime.
“A tumor.” The word burns my tongue as though it were dipped in acid.
“I think there is a good chance that it’s GBM, but I?—”
“GBM? I need you to explain it to me like I’m five. Please. Otherwise, it leaves too much room for question and misunderstanding.”
“Brain cancer.”
My entire body feels like it short circuits. I’m glad to be off my feet because I’m certain I would have fallen all over again.
As my heart rate thrashes against my eardrums, I search for my next question. For another answer that could make what he just said even remotely palatable. But my mind is both numb and going a mile a minute at the same time.
“However, I can’t be certain. And we don’t have the resources at this hospital to find out for sure.”
“So… What does that mean?” My voice comes out shaky and higher than usual.
“I’ve arranged for your transport to Park Hospital. They should be here within the next thirty minutes.”
Holy shit.
Everything is moving too fast. Way too fast.
This… This can’t be happening.
“Is there anyone you’d like for us to call?”
“ No! No.” I try to take a deep breath, but my lungs feel like they’re full of cement. “Um, I’d prefer if you don’t tell anyone about this. Including the two people in the waiting room.”
He looks at me like Daisy did, but like her, he also doesn’t voice his curiosity.
“Please. The laws of HIPAA require you to keep my medical information private from anyone that I don’t give you express permission to inform.”
Dr. Bennett looks less than enthusiastic that I felt the need to explain the medical privacy act to him.
“I just don’t want them to worry until I know more. Can you have someone go out there and tell them I’m waiting for my scan? Let them know they’ll be allowed back as soon as that’s done?”
Tapping his index and middle fingers against his closed lips, he’s thoughtful for a moment.
“Okay. However, I seem to remember hearing something about the temper of the guy you had in here last time. For everybody’s wellbeing, I hope he’s not one of the people out there.”
I didn’t take that into consideration. Draven is probably already giving everyone in the waiting room an earful.
But I remain quiet, silently letting the doctor know I’m adamant that he not say anything.
Once I get to Park and I have more answers, I will get in contact with Draven and Olivia to let them know what’s happening.