Page 53 of Destiny

“Okay. But why don’t I keep it for now?” I insist.

“Okay.”

Then, I realized that I would have to find a way to sneak and put it back in the closet without Marco knowing that the surprise was ruined before he had the opportunity to propose.

Oh, my God. Me? A bride? The whole concept was almost too much to wrap my mind around.

“Caroline Kressly?” a small woman calls from an opened door.

“That’s her,” I say.

She comes over to start pushing the wheelchair back into the examining rooms.

“Wait! She can’t come?” Caroline asks with an arm outstretched to me.

“She can if you want her to, ma’am.”

“Oh, yes, please. My daughter can’t be here, and she feels like my quasi-daughter for the day.”

I’m really touched. And I resist giving the man who treated me poorly before a smug look as I walk by.

“Thank you for being here with me, Beatrice,” Caroline later says while we’re waiting for the X-rays to come back.

“Of course. I’m happy to be.”

“Do you think my brain is okay?”

“I hope so. They said the fact that you’ve been able to hold such steady conversations with me and the staff is only a good sign.”

“I know. I’m still just worried. It was so stupid of me to even get in that closet in the first place.”

“Yeah. Do you mind me asking why you did that?”

“Oh, you’ve seen my angel granddaughters. They kept pushing for me to play hide and seek with them—”

“They are pretty hard to say no to; I’ll give you that.”

“Exactly.”

“But maybe next time, you should try a little harder?”

“Yeah. That’s probably a good idea.” She laughs a little.

Soon after, a man who announces himself as a radiologist comes in.

“Great news, Mrs. Kressly. You only suffered a mild concussion.”

“Oh, thank goodness.” She grabs my hand and squeezes.

“So, we should be able to get you out of here soon. But I want you to focus on getting as much rest as possible over the next few days. No strenuous activity, no reading, stuff like that. I assume your daughter will be able to monitor—”

“Oh, I’m . . .”

“Yes, she will make sure I’m good.”

The doctor smiles. “Good. Please understand that minor symptoms like headaches, nausea, and light sensitivity are all common when they’re just that . . . minor. If you notice any of them persisting for a long time, I want you to contact your primary doctor right away, okay?”

“Okay.”

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