Beyond These Walls (The Walls Duet #2)(46)

“And he didn’t leave you in that street all those years ago,” I reminded him.

“It wasn’t like it was a public street,” he retorted, chuckling, before bending down to tenderly kiss my mouth. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right without me?” he asked, our lips still nearly touching.

“I’ll manage.” I said. “Finish getting ready. I’m going to hop in the shower.”

“Yet another reason to hate my brother this morning,” he said gruffly, watching me, as I turned toward the shower.

“Let it go!” I hollered from the bathroom.

“Are you naked?” he asked.

My nightgown dropped to the floor, and I laughed. “Yes!”

“Then, I still hate him!”

“Go to work!” I yelled, giggling. I turned the faucet toward hot and waited.

Life couldn’t get more perfect than this.

The wind hit me like a punch to the face as I exited the cab, making my way into the hospital where my doctor’s office was located. When I’d moved from Southern California, Marcus had made sure I would be in good hands. It wasn’t quite the same as having my uncle, now stepfather, care for me, but Dr. Hough was a close second.

As I stepped through the glass doors, I suddenly felt uneasy. The familiar scent of bleach and chemicals filled my nostrils, reminding me of my childhood spent in similar washed-out hallways and drab rooms.

I nearly turned around, the single piece of toast I’d managed to eat that morning feeling like a lumpy ball in the pit of my stomach.

Why hadn’t I brought someone with me?

Why did I feel like something bad was about to happen?

A nurse walked past me, wheeling a patient in a gurney. An IV was hanging from a pole at the top of the bed, reminding me of the countless surgeries and procedures I’d had over the years. My fingers immediately went to the top of my chest, etching out the scar that I bore from the many hardships I’d endured, the many battles I’d won to get here.

Feeling a bit more confident, I moved swiftly, stepping eagerly toward the elevator that would carry me to the correct floor. I knew every visit to a hospital would bring back memories—good ones and bad ones. Today was just a visit into the dark days, and it was something I needed to move past—quickly.

Nothing is wrong, I reminded myself.

That is all over now, I chanted in my head.

Everything is perfect, I silently screamed.

The elevator dinged, and I nearly jumped. A woman standing next to me held out her hand, urging me to go first. Her warm smile calmed me as I went on my way, down the hall toward the correct suite number. Pushing the door open, I took a deep breath and tried to center myself.

Everything was fine. The air inside was less harsh, giving off a more pleasant aroma, and I felt the muscles in my shoulders relax slightly from just this tiniest adjustment.

Logically, I knew I was still in the hospital, but mentally, it suddenly felt less intimidating. I signed in before relaxing in a comfy chair in the waiting room I’d grown accustomed to, and I pulled out my phone to read, feeling my panic fall away like the leaves on a blustery autumn day.

Soon, I was called back, and after my weight and blood pressure had been checked, the nurse began writing down my other vitals.

“So, what brings you in today, Lailah? We didn’t expect you for another few days,” she said pleasantly as she cradled my wrist to find my pulse.

“I haven’t been feeling all that well for the last two days, and I figured, better safe than sorry, I guess. So, I decided to come in early. I could have gone and seen my primary doctor, but—”

Her hand covered mine. “No need. We’re here when you need us. You know that. Now, tell me what kind of symptoms you’ve been having, and we’ll go from there.”

I went over the bouts of nausea and the weak and tired feeling I’d been having.

“Classes have started back up, and it’s flu season.” She sighed. “I’ll go check with Dr. Hough, but we’ll probably do a few tests to check for a variety of infections.”

I nodded as she finished typing a few things into the laptop before making her exit.

My feet dangled beneath me as I shifted around on the uncomfortable exam table. The sound of paper crinkling beneath me took care of the awkward silence as my erratic breath whooshed in and out of my lungs.

Flu. That’s not terrible. I could deal with that.

A few missed classes. Maybe a week if it’s really bad, and then everything would be back to normal.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a knock. The nurse reappeared with several items in her hands.

“Okay, I managed to catch Dr. Hough in between rooms. He wants me to swab your throat for the flu, and we’re also going to do a few blood tests and a urine test just to cover all our bases. We won’t get back the results from the blood tests for a few days, but everything else, we’ll have immediately.”

“Okay,” I responded.

She grabbed the giant Q-tip-looking thing and had me open wide before swabbing the very back of my throat. I tried not to gag. My eyes watered and burned, as my throat constricted involuntarily.

“Sorry. So sorry,” she apologized, her eyes filled with empathy. She swiftly pulled back and capped the test. “We’ll let that sit for about ten minutes. In the meantime,” she said, handing me a clear container, “you’ve got work to do.”