Page 59 of Operation Annulment
The problem is that she’ll do something positive for herself, only to forget about it when Jackie returns to the picture. Their relationship sounds very co-dependent. No matter what she’s done to him, he just can’t seem to stay away from her.
She nods, but her smile falters just a little. I might not have noticed it had I not been studying her face. “We are—things are just a little complicated right now. I took an opportunity; now we just wait and see.”
She returns to smiling at me as though I’m supposed to know whatshe’s talking about. I flip through my notes again but come up empty-handed.
My office phone rings, and I silence it before asking my next question. “Sorry about that. So, last time we met, you said your doctors were still trying to evaluate lesions on your brain.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “Oh, they misdiagnosed me. It turns out that it was just shadows on the scan. They’re lucky I’m not suing them for faulty equipment. I think that the headaches might’ve been related to a new medication. I stopped taking it, and it seems to be helping.”
My phone starts ringing again before I can process the newest development. “If you’ll just excuse me for one second.”
“Hello?”
“Kate, I need you to come up to the hospital.” The male voice sounds completely distraught.
“Who is this?”
“It’s Zane. Dakota started spotting…we don’t know anything yet, but she’s really sick. Please hurry.” His voice cracks, and my heart is in my throat.
I barely register that Carla is still here as I gather my things. “I’m so sorry to cut things short, but I’ve had a family emergency come up.
She gives me a strange look. “I hope everything’s okay. Is there anything I can do?”
I shake my head and usher her out of my office. “No, I’ll call you once things are settled to reschedule. I’m so sorry.”
I need Nate.
No, I can’t call him. He’s probably in the middle of surgery, and Dakota isn’t exactly his favorite person right now.
My office is downtown, so it only takes a few minutes to get to the hospital. They direct me to a blue curtain with a black number four painted on it, where Dakota is hooked up to an IV with her eyes closed.
Zane’s body engulfs the small plastic chair beside her, making it seem like he’s sitting on a toddler’s chair.
Big Guy in a little chair.
He looks up at me. “Hey, Kate.”
I force my mouth into a straight line to keep from crying. “Is the—is she going to be okay?”
He rubs his eyes. “We’re waiting for an ultrasound. They started an IV to get some fluids in her; I think they put something in there for the nausea as well, so she’s been sleeping on and off.”
As if sensing that we’re talking about her, Dakota opens her eyes and gives me a weak smile. “Hey, Katydid.”
I can’t fight the tears off anymore, and they fall freely down my face. “Hey, kid. Are you okay?”
She shakes her head and starts crying. “No.”
Zane is on his feet and leaning over her before she can say more. “What do you need? Should I get a nurse? Tell me what you want me to do, babe?”
She reaches up and rubs his arm. “Big Guy, relax. Just sit down and hold my hand so I can get through this. Please?”
He presses a soft kiss to her lips and sits back down with her hand in his.
I sit down on the end of the bed. “What happened?”
She swallows and grimaces. “Ugh. Swallowing even hurts right now. I went to the gym this morning, just like every morning. I always get the strawberry smoothie from the juice bar, and I don’t know if it was that or something I ate last night, but within twenty minutes of drinking it, I felt awful. It was like food poisoning—I couldn’t keep anything in.”
She stops talking and wipes the tears under her eyes with her free hand. “My stomach was cramping to the point that it hurt to stand, and I realized then that I was bleeding. I was so scared that I was going to pass out alone in the women’s locker room, so I forced myself to go get help.”
