Forbidden Prescription 4 (Forbidden Medicine 4)

If Terry was capable of inducing an episode in me, I didn’t know what he would do if I began seizing. I didn’t trust him to get me the medical attention I needed. In fact, I worried he would go out of his way to make sure something bad happened to me.

I grabbed my phone and staggered outside, my vision getting worse by the minute. I managed to hail a cab through a carpool app and it came around the corner in the nick of time.

“You’re going to 244 Vine Street?” the driver asked.

I nodded weakly. “If you could get me there quickly, that would be great.”

The man eyed me through the rear-view window. He must have noticed I was in distress because he managed to get me to the clinic in just ten minutes.

“Do you need help inside?” he asked.

“I think I’m okay,” I said as I staggered out of the car. “Thanks.”

I don’t know how I managed to get inside the office building with how limited my vision had gotten. Then, my memory got a little hazy. I remember seeing the receptionist and telling her that I needed to talk to Dr. Malone immediately, but I have no idea how I got up to the third floor. The receptionist must have wheeled me upstairs as I tried to explain what had happened.

When I came to, I was laying on an examination table. Daniel’s face was hovering above me. It was the only face I wanted to see.

Chapter Eleven

Daniel

“Ariana,” I said, holding her hand as she lay on my exam room table. “Can you talk to me?”

I stroked her hand with my finger, trying to get a response out of her. I had just injected her with a medication that could stop a seizure if administered soon enough.

I had been so surprised to see her being wheeled up to my office. The receptionist looked petrified to be dealing with an emergency scenario. My office didn’t handle many of those.

Ariana was pale and clammy. I rested a hand on her forehead and her eyes blinked open.

“I’m so happy to see you,” she said dreamily.

“I’m happy to see you too,” I replied. “I just wish you were in better health. What the hell happened?”

She sighed, tears coming to her eyes. I ran my hand down her hair, trying to comfort her.

It tore me apart to see Ariana so sick and upset. I wanted to do whatever I could to make her feel better.

“I was in the kitchen, washing dishes,” she said, her voice shaky. “Your dad came inside the house and was making a mess.”

“What?” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down. “He shouldn’t have been in there. I’m so sorry.”

“That’s what I thought, but I didn’t know what to do. I was trying to get things cleaned up, but he kept getting in my way and making things worse. I was starting to get stressed out. I started to get a headache.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Is that what caused this?”

“It probably didn’t help. But then, he turned the TV to a channel with flashing lights and got me to look at it. I think he did it on purpose.”

I knew he did it on purpose. I knew that his warning to me was a threat. I just didn’t think he would put an innocent person’s life at risk.

“Did I have a seizure?” she asked.

“No,” I sighed. “Thankfully, you got here just in time. I gave you some medicine that will hopefully keep you from having a seizure. I want you to stay here for a while so I can monitor you. What symptoms did you have besides a headache?”

“I had that weird aura and the sense that something terrible was about to happen.”

I nodded. It was smart for you to get help. How did you get here?”

“I got a cab.”

I shook my head. “I’m glad you made it in time to see me, but next time, call an ambulance.”

She smiled softly and rested her head back on the table.

“I hope this doesn’t change anything between us. I’m going to make sure my father packs his things tonight. If you don’t want to, I completely understand, but I’d really like you to continue staying with me.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. Apparently, she thought she had become too much trouble.

“It’s probably best for your health,” I added, coming up with excuses. “If you start feeling sick again when you’re at my house, I can give you the right medication.”

“I’ll come back to your place,” she said. “Just as long as that never happens again.”

I sighed. It would probably be difficult to kick my dad out of my house, but it was a long time coming for him in the first place. At least now, I finally had a concrete reason for him to go. What he had done to Ariana was probably illegal in some regard. I could hang that over his head until he split.

“He’s gone. I’ll contact him as soon as I can. You don’t need to worry about him anymore.”

I expected to see a relieved look on her face, but instead tears started dripping down her face.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, grabbing her hand. “I’m going to take care of it. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“That’s the thing,” she blubbered. “You’re way too good to me. Why do you go so far out of your way to help me? I tried to understand it, but it just doesn’t make any sense to me.”

I bit my lip. There would never be a good time to tell her how I felt about her. I could tell her now, or I could keep it a secret for as long as she was my patient.

“Listen,” I said. “We need to discuss something. This is really hard for me to do.”

She grimaced, sitting up a little. “Oh no.”

“It’s nothing bad,” I said quickly. “I mean, I don’t think it is.”

I took a deep breath. It was now or never.

“You’re my favorite patient. I think you know that, too. Ever since I met you at that first appointment, I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. There’s just one problem.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m afraid my feelings for you have become more than a doctor should feel for a patient. My feelings are more than a friend should feel toward another friend. I’ve been trying to control my attraction toward you, but it’s becoming too much to suppress. I have romantic feelings for you, Ariana, and I don’t know how to move forward.”

“Oh,” she said, her eyes wide.

I balled up my fist. I knew I should have kept my mouth shut. I had a weakness for grand gestures.

“I’m sorry,” I said, “I should have kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to make this weird for you.”

“I think that’s inevitable,” she smiled. “We both know that this is wrong. If we did start a relationship, it would probably end in disaster. We have way too much personal baggage. Not to mention, I really don’t want to find another doctor. You’re the best one I’ve had so far.”

“So, what do I do?” I asked. “You’re smart—give me a solution to my problem that will work out for the both of us. If you don’t want to see me anymore, I understand.”

She furrowed her brow. “What makes you think that I don’t want to see you?”

“I don’t know. The fact that your doctor admitted his feelings for you might make visits a little awkward.”

“But you never asked me how I felt. All this time, you could have told me the truth, and we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve had a huge crush on you for a while. Why didn’t you ask me out?”

“I didn’t know,” I sputtered. “Besides, it would violate some ethics, I’m pretty sure about that.”

“Screw ethics,” she said, staring me straight in the eye. “No one has to know.”

The next thing I knew, Ariana was on her back and I was leaning over her. She grabbed onto my face and pulled me in close. Her lips mashed against mine and we were finally kissing. Endorphins rushed through my bloodstream. I hadn’t felt this good in years.

My hands wandered down her body. I slid my hands up her skirt, feeling her long, smooth legs.

“Are you sure this is okay with you?” I whispered. “Are you feeling up to it?”