Page 82 of Lose You to Find Me

“Avengers?” he offers when I make no point to speak. “Get a clue, Anders. They’re all teams that work together to get to a common goal. Kicking ass, taking names. What’s that one saying? Teamwork makes the dream work. That’s what we are.”

“Are you comparing us to superheroes?”

He takes another sip of his coffee before making a bitter face and staring at it. “Man, this shit is strong. But yes. Yes, I am. You could probably pull off the Captain America angle. Which would naturally make me Stark.”

“I’m not following your logic.”

DJ flattens a palm against his chest. “I come from money. I’ll have to figure out how to fake being a genius though, because I failed a couple of my science classes my freshman and sophomore years of college. Maybe I should be Batman instead. Can we switch universes? You could be my Robi—”

“I’m not going to be your anything, Batboy. If you’re sticking around, do me a favor and don’t be a pain in my ass. Including bringing Raine up or however you’d include her in this little hero dynamic. Think you can handle that for a few hours?”

The long, heavy breath he releases is dramatic as he picks up the first receipt. “I’ll do my best, boss. But I’m just saying she could be your Catwoman if you wanted her to be.”

I glare.

“Okay, okay. If you need any entertainment, you know where to find me.”

“All right. I’m out.” I shake my head at his antics and walk into the back room. I don’t want to feed into his sarcasm because I’m not in the mood to deal with it.

A few minutes later, I get a text message from my mother that breaks the tension buried in my chest and makes me chuckle.

Mom:I’ll make him share the pepperoni rolls I’m making for him. Play nice

Chapter Twenty-Eight

RAINE

Skylar holds theplastic cup full of whipped cream to Sigmund’s greedy mouth, giggling at the noises he makes as he messily licks up the dessert that we picked up from Bea’s. Usually, she doesn’t like offering things like that because it’s a waste of toppings, but I know my loving pit bull has grown on her more than she admits.

“So,” Skylar says, peeking up at me through her lashes. “How’s the project coming? Are you almost finished with the first draft?”

Leon has been sick for a few days, so he hasn’t been able to meet up for our next interview. He offered to do it over the phone, but I could hear how tired he was. I dropped off a basket of goodies at his doorstep, including some hot chocolate I made from scratch from a recipe in Annemarie’s book, and added a note telling him to feel better soon.

We may only see each other once a week, but I’ve gotten attached to the elderly man and his stories. I can only hope they continue long after my project ends.

“I haven’t really had a chance to work on it,” I admit, flinching at the impending deadline in a matter of weeks. The end of semester is quickly approaching. “I’ve gotten behind on work after taking some days off school to rest.”

Skylar’s eyes turn sympathetic. “Howareyou feeling? I didn’t want to pry, but…”

I didn’t have to tell anyone I was in the hospital because half the town knew before I was even out. I learned that after getting a few texts from Skylar, Olive, and DJ to see if I was all right. I gave them variations of the same response.

That I was fine.

Under the weather, I think I said.

“I’m better than I was. I’m on some medication for—” I stop myself, realizing I haven’t let anybody in on this new phase of life.

“We’re going to do some scans,” the doctor on call tells me after we go over my file. “Chances are if the endometriosis has become more advanced, then you’ll need to talk to your gynecologist about medication and maybe even surgical treatment options. We’ll know more when we get the results.”

There was a weight in my stomach as I was wheeled down to radiology because I had no idea what they’d find. All I knew was my worst fear when I heard the mumblings of the technicians as they were bringing me back to my room, telling me I’d hear from the doctor soon.

And I did.

“I’d call your gyno first thing in the morning to schedule an appointment,” she says with a smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. “There’s a substantial amount of scarring showing on your ovaries and fallopian tubes, which I’m sure you know is common with advanced endo. I’m not a specialist in that area, so you’re better off having your doctor go over that with you when you can.”

I knew what she was telling me without actually saying it. It was the same thing my gynecologist had warned me of the moment I was diagnosed. The more scarring there is, the harder it’ll be to get pregnant. Medicine only helps the pain, maybe slows the progression. But it doesn’t stop it.

When Caleb dropped me off from the hospital, I’d only mumbled a soft “thank you” before Mom rushed out of the house. I was grateful for her startled interruption because I didn’t know what else to say to the man behind the wheel.

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