Page 62 of This Is Love (The Light to My Darkness 3)

“Fast it is then.” He pulled off the rest of the stickers.

“So…how were the results?” I asked.

“Fine. Not great, but fine. Your heart is functioning normally which is good. But I might have been wrong about your brain.”

“Excuse me?”

He tapped the side of my head. “I told you to take a few deep breaths. And you only gave me one medium breath. I should have taken your vitals before I wasted my time with a fast-breathing EKG.” He wiped his stethoscope off on the front of his plaid shirt again and then pressed the dirty thing to my chest.

“I was taking deep breaths.”

“No, you were most certainly not. Try it again for me.”

I breathed in slow and exhaled even slower. Then another. And another.

“Medium. Medium. Medium.” He looked so disappointed in me. “Are you stressed out about something?”

“Of course I’m stressed out.” I swiped his stethoscope away from me. “My wife was in a coma for weeks and then didn’t remember me when she woke up. My son was born too early and can’t breathe without all these machines attached to him. We don’t even know if we’ll ever be able to bring him home.”

“And your heart. You're worried about your heart.”

“And my wife’s heart.”

“Oh, why didn’t you say so? I can tell you whether or not you need to worry about that. Penny, dear. Come over here too, will you?” He fiddled with his pager as Penny joined us at the exam table. She didn’t look weirded out at all by Dr. Young’s tucked beard or enthusiastic table patting. She sat down next to me and whispered in my ear while Dr. Young was still playing with his pager. “Medium breaths, huh?”

“Medium breaths aren’t a thing.”

“James, you need to relax," she said. "Remember when I almost lost you before? That doctor warned you about your stress levels.”

“I can’t get this thing to work.” Dr. Young tossed the pager down onto the floor. “Excuse me real quick.” He walked out of the room without looking at either of us. Before the door swung closed, he yelled, “I need Penny Hunter’s medical records!”

I laughed. “You want me to relax around that psychopath? Seriously, where did you find this guy?”

“He’s the best of the best. And the best sometimes means…eccentric. Besides, what does it matter how he looks? He knows what he’s doing.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“Positive. He knew you were stressed out.”

“Anyone can tell that I’m stressed out. Penny, I’ve been going through all of this on my own and I didn’t have time to think about myself when…”

“You’re not alone anymore. I’m right here. You do this thing where you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. But I’m right here. I can carry some of it for you.”

I smiled down at her. “I know. It’s easier now that you’re you again. But I just…how am I supposed to relax at a time like this? Any minute now Dr. Hughes will be available to discuss Liam’s future. It’s all I can think about. And you. You brought me here to focus on my health and I’m way more concerned about yours.”

She shook her head. “You’re worried about me? James, you don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine. Please, please stop worrying about me.” She placed her hand on my chest. “I need you to think about yourself for once. I need your heart to keep beating. I can’t lose you. I just got you back.” She shook her head. “I mean, I know I already had you…but I wasn’t myself and…”

“I know. I get it.” I grabbed her hand and held it in mine. “So what do you suggest I do to relax?”

“Pretend we’re at the beach.” She smiled at me hopefully.

I laughed. “The beach, huh?”

“Yeah. Pretend we’re at the beach with Liam and Scarlett. And everyone else too. Rob, Daphne, and Soph. Mason and Bee, Melissa and Josh, Tyler and Hails, and Matt. Jen and Ian and our parents.”

“I can’t imagine my mother on a family vacation.”

“Yup, she’s there too. Smiling and laughing. Everyone’s happy and healthy.”

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