Page 61 of Offside Attraction

Ethan’s eyes widened. “Jace is gonna be pissed.”

“I’ll tell him it was your fault.”

“Ass. Hole.”

Jordan held the door for him. “Better get well soon. Next time you’re on the ice, you’re doing extra suicides.”

Chapter

Nineteen

Rhonda

Rhonda passedexam rooms dotting the long hall and exited to the waiting area. It was only ten forty-five, but it felt like five. Not a good sign for a Monday. At least she had her car back thanks to a rideshare the day before, and now she only had one more stop to make. Medical billing on the admin side of Hilltop Medical. The staff was having issues with rebates not being applied in a timely manner, and that was the last thing she wanted to see when they were barely starting to offer Reviact to patients.

She walked past the pharmacy and glanced up, then paused when she saw a name on the digital prescription board. Claire Wheatfill. She blinked. It wasn't that “Wheatfill” was terribly uncommon, but it wasn't “Jones” or “Smith” either. She stepped forward and scanned the patrons seated in the waiting area. Her eyes landed on a woman in the corner. She had light hair, but her bone structure was unmistakable. Jordan said his sister was on Reviact. There was a chance she’d be at this pharmacy, since it was one of the only ones up north that offered it. If that wasn't her . . . then he had a long-lost doppelganger.

Rhonda hesitated for a moment, then walked forward. “Hey. Are you Jordan's sister?” She gave a smile that was more like a grimace. How weird was it that she was approaching this woman randomly in a pharmacy?

The woman looked up. Her eyes were the same blue as Jordan's. She wore knitted gloves with a flap pulled back, exposing her fingers, and a coat that looked a couple of sizes too big for her. Rhonda's heart clenched, remembering what Jordan had told her in his apartment.

"Hey, yes, Jordan is my brother." Claire's eyes were flighty, moving between the other people in the waiting room and Rhonda's face above her. Rhonda sat down in the chair next to her.

"I'm so sorry. I don't mean to bother you. I just had to say hi. Jordan is . . ." Rhonda hesitated, thinking of the right word. "Well, he's helping me make some contacts at the Rocky Ridge Medical Center where he works."

Claire nodded. "Are you the person who told him about this new medication?"

"Reviact?” Rhonda clarified.

Claire nodded her head. "Yeah. He told me about it. And I did my trial. I'm actually picking up my full monthly prescription right now." A smile flirted with the corner of her lips.

Rhonda grinned. "Oh, that's amazing. Hopefully that means it’s been a good thing?"

Claire's teeth scraped along her bottom lip. She lowered her voice. "I don't know how much Jordan has told you, but it's been years since I found anything that helped."

Rhonda nodded. "You're not the only one. I was just talking with the staff here, and there are so many people who struggle coming off their medications for a million different reasons."

Claire let out a puff of air. "Yeah. Well, struggling is a mild word."

Rhonda wanted to reach out and hug her. Instead, she clasped her hands in her lap.

"Listen. I have one more stop to make, and then I was planning to go get lunch. I know you're still waiting for your prescription, but I would love to talk to you more about this—hear your experience. I won't share anything you tell me unless you give permission, but I love hearing patients' experiences. It helps me understand how best to approach hospital administrators."

Claire seemed to sink into herself. “Oh, I can’t?—”

“My treat. This would be so helpful.”

Claire drew a deep breath, then glanced back up at the board. Her name was next. “Okay. That sounds great.”

“Perfect. I’ll be back in just a second. Meet you back here?” Rhonda waited for Claire to nod then headed toward administration.

Rhonda quickly made her way to the offices and jumped in. Since the staff members weren't waiting with bated breath to assist her with every need, it took a moment to get the account numbers and specific issues linked with each patient.

She decided not to tackle it right then and instead saved the information on her tablet to work on later, not wanting to press her luck with Claire still waiting in the lobby.

Fifteen minutes later, Rhonda hustled back and found Claire still seated on the same chair in the pharmacy waiting area, this time with a white paper bag sitting next to her.

Rhonda smiled brightly.

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