Page 97 of Cheaters: A Dark Romance Anthology

“Anise?” I looked up to see Sava walking toward me with a half-smile. “Are you OK?”

“I am. Is he?” I wanted nothing sugar-coated.

“It was just a seizure. After everything else that he’s been through, that was minor. We’ve gotten him to calm down. He’s being examined by the doctor now. The good news is that he seems to be awake. He’s still exhausted and seems out of sorts. That can be expected because of the trauma. One of my colleagues is phoning his mother to let her know. I know that she only left a few hours ago, but I think she’ll want to know that her son is awake.”

I nodded, looking toward the door to Raphael’s room.

“Soon. The doctor needs to assess the situation and find out the source of the problem. Though the seizure isn’t uncommon from everything that’s happened, he still needs to make sure that there isn’t anything else misfiring in his body. There’s been so much that he’s experienced that we have to be sensitive to everything, you know? He’s strong and whatever the cause is, he’ll get through it.”

There was probably some logic in the things that she was saying, but all I could think about was getting back in there to him.

“Let’s get you to the waiting room.”

“No, I’ll stay here.” I insisted.

“The checkup could last for a bit. You needed to get up and stretch, anyway. Let’s go for that stroll you mentioned before.”

I wanted to continue to object, but the stiffness in my back was screaming at me to listen.

“OK, but we keep it short, yeah?”

Sava nodded in response, and we strolled. We ended up in the cafeteria, where I grabbed ice water. We sat down together and Sava asked me random questions about how Raphael and I met. I told her the story of the airport as we headed back.

Back in the room, Claudia was standing outside of the room talking to the doctor. When she saw me approaching, she motioned for me to come near.

“Hi, you must be Raphael’s fiancé. I’m Dr. Wells. I was just explaining things to Ms. Dubois.”

“OK…” I shifted on my feet uneasily.

“There seems to be memory loss. We’re not sure how much. He remembers Claudia, but he doesn’t remember the accident.”

“And the seizure?”

“Probably a side effect of the surgery. There’s no actual way to know. I’ve sent off some tests and done a full scan of his head. I want to see what’s going on in there.” Dr. Wells tapped his head for emphasis.

“That’s understandable. Can I see him?”

“I don’t know why not. Just be aware that he may not know who you are.”

I nodded and headed back inside as Dr. Wells continued talking to Claudia. I peeked around the corner to see Raphael propped up a little and staring out of the window. Noticing movement, he turned toward me slowly.

I didn’t see the injuries consuming his body this time. All I could see was the life flowing through him. I moved closer and noticed that his chest rose and fell harder than before. Then, suddenly, it was like déjà vu. The spasms began just as his eyes rolled. And the beeping sounded through the room.

The doctor rushed in, followed by more nurses. Sava ushered me out again, and this time I went with little effort. The tears flowed and frustration coursed through me.

“What is wrong with him?” I asked Claudia.

“I... I don’t know. Before you came back, I saw him. He seemed just fine, minus confusion and obvious pain.”

“Did he have another seizure while I was away?” I inquired.

“No, not that I know of.”

We went through the motions again, and the doctor pulled me aside. “I think that you’re the reason he keeps seizing. Did you guys get into a fight or argument before he boarded that plane?”

“No, we’d actually had a really delightful conversation just before.”

“I’m not sure how you relate to the trauma, but you seem to be affiliated with the source. It’s for the best that you go home and get some rest. I’ll dig in and see if we can come up with some answers.”

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