Every Day (Brush of Love 2)

“Bryan, seriously. I’m okay. Stop worrying so much.”

But even as I lay there and curled into his body, I knew something was no longer right.

I continued to conceal my heaves from him until I could make an appointment for that afternoon. I didn’t actually have one scheduled for today, but I could tell Bryan was becoming very worried. These migraines were becoming more and more intense, and if I wasn’t careful, I’d end up getting sick everywhere. I slipped into some comfortable clothes and kissed Bryan’s cheek, and then I headed out for my appointment after lunchtime.

The doctor gave me a physical before he even started to address my migraine. He had to turn the light off overhead, and he had to whisper to me, and even still my body continued to heave. The doctor felt for nodules in my breasts and even gave me a pelvic exam, and all the while, I wished Bryan was holding my hand. He would’ve been tracing mindless pictures with the pad of his thumb on my skin, and it would’ve helped to calm my nerves while I was poked and prodded.

“Miss Ryan, I know you’re not going to be up for it, but I need to take some blood. I’m going to send you over to the hospital for some scans before they give you anything for your migraine as well.”

“The hospital? Is everything all right?” I asked.

“It’s just precautionary, but if these have been going on for this long, migraines can sometimes cause fluid build-up the brain doesn’t release. That could account for how bad this one was when it came on. If that’s the case, it requires a couple of different scans to diagnose before the doctors over there go about draining it.”

“What?” I asked.

“It’s a simple procedure, my dear,” the doctor said. “Much more painless than it sounds.”

I was beginning to get worried, and that worry kicked up another round of heaving.

“Should I call an ambulance to get her there?” the doctor asked.

“That won’t be necessary,” I said. “I got myself here. I can get myself there.”

“Well, can you walk and follow me? I want to take some blood samples and get them running. It’ll be one less thing the hospital has to be responsible for.”

I felt myself being levitated by my wobbling legs as my eyes lobbed closed. This migraine had rid me of all the energy I had waking up this morning., and now I was cursing myself for not bringing Bryan. I was so tired, in fact, that the prick of the needle didn’t even startle me. I curled into myself, wishing Bryan was here to hold me close, and I took deep breaths to steady my growing nerves.

All I wanted to do was go back to his house and lie down in bed with him.

All I wanted to do was move my things in and create a home with him.

I rushed over to the hospital, and they took me back immediately. It was concerning, to say the least, but Bryan seemed pleased. He asked me if I wanted him to be there, and I told him to just have dinner ready, that I was coming in hungry and would want to gorge myself on all his tasty food.

He seemed pleased with that answer while the nurses set IVs.

They put me up in one of their emergency hospital rooms with the curtains that blocked out the sound, and I fell in and out of sleep while I was there. I’d wake up when they were moving me for another scan or another test, but other than that, I took the time to sleep. But even though the doctor had promised me medication for my migraine, I still hadn’t felt the pinprick of a needle delivering my relief to me.

“When can I go home?” I asked the nurse.

“Soon,” she said. “I promise.”

It felt like I had been there all day. Bryan was texting me for updates, and all I was telling him was that the tests were coming up negative. In truth, I had no idea what all these tests and scans were saying, but I wanted him calm.

One of us had to be calm since I was shaking with nerves.

Just when I thought my migraine was dying down, another one kicked up. That had never happened before, and I rolled over and started crying as the nurse came in to check on me.

“Hailey. What’s wrong? What do you need?”

“Help,” I said, sobbing. “I need help. Please.”

“Coming right up.”

I heard her barrel into the hallway before he started yelling for a doctor. I didn’t know how long I’d been here, and I had no idea what was going on, but I finally knew what I wanted. I wanted someone to shoot my body up with morphine, so my head no longer felt like it was splitting into fourths. Then, I wanted to go home and eat.

“All right, Miss Ryan. The doctor’s about to come down with your test results. I’m going to give you a shot in your upper arm, and within a couple of minutes, you should feel some sort of relief.”

I felt the cool alcohol swab against my skin before the prick of the needle, and I sighed with relief as my eyes fluttered closed.