River shrugged. “I feel fine, now. More anxious than anything.”
“Your heart was beating super fast?” Skye said, the growing concern evident in his voice. “Like actually beating super fast?”
“Yeah, like it was painful. And scary, if I’m being honest.” He put his hand to his chest and let out a breath.
“God, River, what the hell?” Skye ran his fingers through his hair, his anxiety palpable.
It was several hours later when they arrived back home after having tests run, blood drawn, an EKG, and an echocardiogram done, along with a chest x-ray, and being told that the doctors couldn’t find any issues with River’s heart, and his blood work was fine, but that they recommended he follow up with a cardiologist as soon as possible.
River knew they were right. But he was So. Sick. Of. Doctors.
“I wish you would let me come with you to your appointment,” Skye said, as he slid his coat on, frowning.
River gave him a small smile. “I know. But it’s a short trip, and I’m just getting hooked up to a monitor. You don’t need to be there.” He’d done a stress test, and passed that with flying colors. He’d done another EKG, and another ultrasound, and more blood work. Now he was going back in to get a heart monitor that he would wear for a few days and would give the cardiologist real time information about his heart, and hopefully give them some answers, because so far they had none. Everything else had come back normal. But there was nothing normal about this, and they both knew it.
He hadn’t passed out again yet, but he had had several more episodes of his heart rate spiking, and feeling simultaneously lightheaded, seemingly for no reason. The doctor had asked him if it happened more when he was active, which it didn’t. It actually happened when he was sedentary, and had even woken him up a few times in the middle of the night. It was scaring him, and Skye, but he’d found a way to manage it somewhat, too. If he wasn’t already laying down, he did that as fast as he could when it started so he wouldn’t pass out. And then he took a deep breath, and held it for a second or two, and his heart would calm down and go back to its normal rate. Sometimes it worked the first time and other times he would have to do it three or four times before it stopped racing, and the longer it raced, the more painful it got, sometimes causing pain in his jaw and even in his temples. The episodes could last anywhere from a couple of seconds to a couple of minutes, and those were the worst.
“I just don’t like the idea of you driving yourself,” Skye said, concern in his eyes as he rubbed his hands up and down River’s arms. “What if it happens while you are on the road?”
“Then I pull over and wait for it to stop,” River said. He knew it wasn’t ideal but Skye couldn’t be taking off all of the time to drive him to all of his appointments. This had been the fourth one in three weeks. And the Uber rides were getting expensive.
“Let me know how it goes,” Skye said, leaning in and giving him a kiss on the forehead. “I love you. Be safe.”
“I love you, too,” River said, and watched his boyfriend walk out the door.
“So, how was it?” Skye asked when River got home that evening. He kissed him at the door.
“It was fine. I’ve got a bunch of electrodes and wires hooked up to me, and a device sitting in the middle of my chest in this little pouch. The fun part is going to be taking it off and putting it back on every time I shower, ‘cause I have to wear it for three days.”
“Can I see it?”
River raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Is this just an excuse to get me to take my shirt off?”
“What if it is?” Skye’s eyes twinkled as he stepped closer to River.
River grinned. He unbuttoned his coat and took it off, and then lifted his T-shirt so Skye could see the device strapped over his shoulders, the electrodes stuck to different areas of his chest and the rectangular device in the center.
Skye reached out and ran his fingers over it. “Looks fun.”
“Well, if that’s all,” River said, and began to lower his shirt.
“Not so fast.” Skye reached over and grabbed the hem of River’s shirt as River grinned at him knowingly. Skye’s pupils were blown wide and his voice was low and husky.
“You’re so predictable,” River said, low and soft, stepping closer and allowing Skye to pull the shirt up and over his head. The shirt fell to the floor, and then Skye had one hand on the back of River’s neck and the other around his bare waist and was kissing him fervently.
River felt his back pressing up against the cold door and grunted. Then moaned as he felt his boyfriend’s tongue sliding into his mouth, claiming him. He returned the kiss, running his fingers through Skye’s hair and sliding his other hand around, pressing it against the small of Skye’s back.
Then Skye was gripping River’s thighs and pulling him up and River went willingly, wrapping his legs around Skye’s waist as he slid his tongue into Skye’s mouth, deepening the kiss. Moans escaped them as their tongues tangled and their hands roamed, feeling along each other's arms and chests, and cheeks, and running through each other’s hair.
“Crap,” River said, suddenly breaking away, his breathing heavy. He looked at Skye, his boyfriend’s face flushed, his blond waves a mess, green eyes blown wide with desire and affection. He didn’t think Skye had ever looked sexier.
“What?” Skye asked, breathing heavily. Then a frown appeared on his handsome face and his eyes widened. He loosened his grip. “Shit, did I overstep?”
“No, no, you’re fine,” River assured him. But he removed his legs from around Skye’s waist and slid out of his grip. “I just realized we can’t really do that while I have this thing on.”
“Oh.” Skye looked down at where the heart monitor was on River’s chest. “Why not?”
“‘Cause they’re recording my heart rate in real time, and I have to log when it starts to act up, and what I was doing at the time. So if we start making out and that makes my heart go crazy for some reason…” he bit his lip. “I don’t really want to be recording that.”