Page 11 of One More Chance

“You finished it, though. That woman might die as a result of a crushed sternum. You caved in her chest.” She shook her head.

“At least tell me how I managed to do that.”

The doctor frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Before you kick me off your patient list, maybe you could tell me what’s wrong with me. How I could’ve done that.”

Santorini looked at the computer screen behind the desk and tapped a few keys. “Kenna Banbury.”

She nodded.

“Everything came back normal.”

“So tell me how shoulder-checking that woman means I caved her chest in.” Desperation leached into her tone.

“There’s no need to get angry.” Santorini straightened, looking nervous.

Was she really scared of Kenna? “I’m not angry.” She shook her head. “I want to know what’s wrong with me. Because there’s nothingnormalabout this.”

Santorini looked at the screen again. “You have elevated calcium levels.”

“And my weight.” Jax had bathroom scales, and she’d stepped on them a couple of weeks ago. Now she did it every day. Trying to figure out why she felt heavy.

Because shewasheavy.

“What about your weight?” Santorini checked the screen.

“Explain how I’m thirty pounds heavier than usual, but my clothes still fit fine. I’m no bigger than I’ve been in a long time, but I weigh that much more? How is that possible?”

“Well, as we age…”

Kenna frowned. “How can I be that much heavier, but no bigger?” It was ridiculous that they had to do this in the waiting room, but given the doctor’s scared expression, she stayed where she was. “There’s no way this is normal.”

She hadn’t told Santorini about being captured by theDominatus. Probably, the doctor would think she was nuts.

Just thinking about it made her breathing speed up and her heart race. “Explain how there’s nothing wrong with me.”

“If you’re feeling anxious about changes that are happening in your life, I can give you a recommendation for someone to talk to. Treatment of a different kind.”

“You mean therapy.”

Santorini said, “I can give you a referral. There are some excellent psychologists in this area. Any one of them can help you work through your fears.”

“You mean the medical condition I obviously have. One that made me heavier. Stronger.”

“The mind can be powerful.”

“So I imagined caving that woman’s chest in?”

Santorini folded her arms. “It’s time for you to leave. There’s nothing more I can do to help you.”

Chapter Four

By the time Kenna reached Fulcher Park, the sun was high in the blue sky, not a cloud in sight. A haze of heat bubbled off the asphalt of the parking lot as she walked the path over to their meeting spot.

Clouds sounded good right now. Nice and pleasant fifty degrees, and a hot cup of coffee. She’d been drinking it iced since she got married. Jax had pointed out they both needed to makecompromises. Which was fine for now, but this winter, he’d be compromising somewhere with three feet of snow. If she had to deal with Arizona palm trees and relentless warmth at Christmas?

Nah. That was just wrong.

---