Page 43 of If Only You Hurt

I know Shane has been through a lot, especially recently, finding out he is a father and missed an entire life of milestones with a daughter he had no knowledge of. Even though my sister tried to get a hold of Shane and went most of her adult life believing he had rejected her and their unborn baby, it turns out that wasn’t at all the case.

He and I turn our attention to the television, turning the volume up the moment we find a movie that catches our attention: Die Hard. I still remember when I snuck into the room and begged my sister to let me watch this movie with her. Olive was just a baby, and my sister was too tired from parenting and being a full-time student to argue one night when my mom had a shift at the hospital, and my love for the series of movies was born.

I sit back, my eyes trained on Nakatomi Plaza, but my mind is far away, thinking of my girl with the fire-red hair and bright green eyes.

I miss her, and I can’t help the question that comes out of my mouth next, “Hey, any chance you’d like to head back to the city tomorrow?”

Shane was mid-bite of a carrot and stopped, turning toward me and smiling. “Took you long enough.” I laugh at his response, and my smile is now spreading across my features because I know I’ll soon have Laney in my arms. I’ll keep this to myself and surprise her when I get back to the city. We have a lot to figure out together.

Chapter Twenty

LANEY

I wake up surrounded by students, and I can hear the faint sounds of the ambulance in the distance. What happened to me? And why am I on the floor?

Kendra is hovering over me. “Laney, you fainted. Don’t make any sudden movements.”

I turn to my side, and the moment I do, I feel a wave of nausea pass over me. I put my hand over my mouth, and another person grabs the wastebasket from the front desk and shoves it in front of me right as I vomit all the water I was downing throughout class.

I sit back, embarrassed but unable to focus on that, as I see a few paramedics come through the lobby doors. I’m now surrounded by EMTs while students make room. I can see the worry etched along those that were just on their mats, here to relax, and I’m causing the exact opposite of a calm environment.

“Ma’am, I heard you fainted. Did you hurt anything when you fell?” I move my upper body up, leaning against the front of the welcome desk in the lobby. I’m still catching up to what happened, unable to recall anything after I fainted. Luckily, Kendra chimes in.

“Laney fainted in front of me when I went to talk to her. She was pale, and it looked like she couldn’t focus on me. Then her eyes rolled back, and her knees gave out. Tad was there to break her fall.”

I look over to my left and find him standing in the distance, a look of concern etched across his face. I give him a small smile that I hope depicts my gratitude. Thank goodness he was there to help me, or I could have really injured myself by bumping my head.

I recall Tad had missed a few classes due to traveling back home for the holidays, and this was his first class back. What a way to ring in his first yoga class of the year. I internally roll my eyes at my body’s inability to do a simple hot class.

“Thanks for the information, Miss…” The paramedic is looking at Kendra.

“Miss Slezky. Miss Kendra Slezky.”

Is she fucking flirting right now? What on earth is wrong with her?

I look over at the gentleman wrapping a blood pressure cuff around my arm while another has a clipboard writing down everything Kendra and the other students are recalling.

The cuff squeezes while another device is connected to my opposite finger to calculate the oxygenation in my blood. I remember all this from when I was rushed to the hospital in Wyoming. It does not bring back memories I’d like to relive right about now.

“Dan, her BP is eighty-five over fifty. I think we should take you back to the hospital and get you checked out. They will want to monitor you to see if this was related to something more serious.”

Right then, I see Loni rush through the doors. She looks panicked, something I rarely see. She is usually what people would expect of a yogi, fully immersed in her chakras and feeling connected to her own spirituality.

“I’m the studio owner. Laney is one of the teachers here. What happened?” She looks over at me, giving me a once-over.

I hold up my hand, “It’s okay, Loni. I think my body didn’t adapt well to the change from hot to cold when I came out of the room, and I fainted. I’m okay. Really.”

The paramedic wants to say more, but he states, “We have to take her to the hospital.”

Loni nods, grabbing my hand, most likely trying to pass some spiritual senses my way to heal without the need for Western medicine. I assume this because each time I have had a cold or a headache, she gives me some really interesting homeopathic remedies.

“That’s no problem. Laney, I will take over the rest of your classes, and you let me know how you’re doing, yes?”

I nod toward her, the exhaustion hitting me again. Luckily, the nausea seems to have subsided.

“Oh, you might want to toss that trash bag.” I point over to the waste bin next to me.

“Don’t you worry about it. Nothing I haven’t seen.” She winks at me, her calm nature starting to return. She’s pushing my hair back from my face, and the comfort it brings makes me smile.

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