Page 55 of Embrace
Greg stared at me, blinking hard. It was as though he was rattled by what I had just said. I sat up taller, as if to show I was standing behind every word. It was best not to sugarcoat the truth.
“I guess you’re right,” he said finally.
“Iamright. Who I am is why Rich and I broke up.”
“Part of it,” he said. “Rich doesn’t know how to be faithful to a beautiful, smart, and classy woman like you. He’s already cheating on Court. The fucker,” he said as he opened the door. “Stay seated.”
He jumped out of the passenger seat, trotted around the front of his SUV, and opened my door. Then he held out his hand.
I hesitated but took it. “Thanks.”
He smiled as he helped me out of the vehicle. “You’re welcome. Now let’s go see what the fuck is wrong with my brain, Dr. Ross.”
Chapter Fifteen
Penina Ross
The professional staff got right to work. As Greg was prepped for an fMRI, X-rays, and a CT scan, I ran through his symptoms for my team of specialists. They asked me questions and made suggestions as we considered some causes and ruled out other possibilities. I had never considered infectious disease until Asher mentioned it earlier, so I ordered a full panel of blood tests to check for everything under the sun that could be associated with memory loss.
Three hours later, Greg and I were alone in the examination room. I’d just told him that he indeed had mild CTE, which was not enough to cause his symptoms. His CTE couldn’t be helped though, since he’d been playing football since high school. Over the course of time, his condition would climb to the higher stages. It was up to him to make a choice about whether his brain was ultimately worth sixty million dollars.
“If that’s not it, then what is it?” he asked.
I pressed my lips together and shook my head out of frustration. “There has to be something you’re not telling me. It’s not syphilis…”
He lurched back. “Syphilis?”
“I had to check. You don’t have a blood clot or a tumor. We checked for steroids that we know cause brain impairment. Your vitamin B-12 levels are high, which, from your intake questionnaire, was to be expected. You don’t have hypothyroidism. The only thing I can think of is that you’re truly faking it just to get close to me.”
He looked baffled while shaking his head adamantly. “Granted, Dr. Ross, I like being close to you, but that’s not it. Something’s fucking wrong.”
I studied him as he massaged his temples.Am I missing something?Maybe his CTE was more progressive than the scan indicated.
Sighing, I sat down in the chair across from him and crossed my legs, setting his chart on my lap. I pinched my lips together as I contemplated what to do next. I certainly didn’t want to leave the high-class facility without a final diagnosis. If it couldn’t be made at the East Lake facility, then EBHI would be our next option, only we couldn’t keep his treatment a secret from his team, the Voyagers.
“And the team doctors ran the scans on your brain?” I asked.
“Yeah, and I know those fuckers saw the CTE. I’m over it, Dr. Ross. I’m quitting.”
“You’re giving the money up, huh?”
“They’ve already paid me five million. That’s all I need.”
I nodded then narrowed an eye. “No steroids, huh?”
“No,” he said, frowning and looking off.
“You don’t sound sure about it.”
“I’ve been given vitamins. Josh said there were no steroids in them. And you said my vitamin levels looked good.”
I perked up, shuffling through my paperwork to find Greg’s intake form. “Except your B12 levels. But you said you had a B-12 drip two days ago. I would watch those if I were you. What other kinds of vitamins are you taking?”
“Multivitamins. But they’re not the reason from my episodes. They’re vitamins, for goodness sake.”
I frowned, reading through the blocks again. He’d never mentioned any vitamins other than the drip. That was a big miss by Dr. Beals, the internal medicine doctor. But as part of the diagnostic team, I should’ve followed up on the question. Normally, I would have.
“And Dr. Beals never asked you about any daily supplements that you might be taking?”
