Page 75 of Better Day

“I need a doctor. Cassie just had a seizure.” My own voice is flat and no change in tone.

“Fuck, like, you need a doctor to your house?” His question stuns me for a moment. I should be saying yes, but I’m struggling to know what the right thing to do in this situation is. My gut is telling me to throw Cassie and the kids in the Range Rover and hightail it to the nearest hospital now. But my head is telling me to slow down and not do anything crazy. Assess the situation and then make controlled decisions.

“No. She will kill me if I do that,” I say, running my hand over her cheek as I look down at her from the side of the bed where I’m still standing. “I need to talk to someone we can trust. Find them and make it quick!” Hanging up, I’m already searching the internet just on my phone to see what can cause seizures, and I don’t like what I’m seeing. I want to be in the bunker, so I have full access to everything, but I’m not about to leave Cassie on her own.

Frustrated, I grab Cassie’s laptop that is sitting on the cupboard where she must have left it this morning. My fingers are quickly trying to find answers to questions when I don’t even know what I should be asking.

My phone vibrating in my pocket has me abandoning the computer and dropping back onto the bed to sit with her. I reach for her hand with the one not holding my phone to my ear.

“I’ve got a guy who is a close friend of both mine and Mason’s on the line. Tate, meet Ghost. Tate McIntyre is a neurosurgeon, and I figured you would want the best, and that’s him.”

“Fuck yes, I want the best. This is my wife, not just anybody, Ashton!” I growl, finding it hard to control my frustration at being totally out of control.

I can hear Ashton typing on the computer in the background, working while he is staying on the line in case I need him.

“Well, then you have me,” Tate says. “Now tell me what happened.” I like this guy already. Not ashamed to claim his title as the best, and as long as it’s true, we will get along just fine.

I relay what has happened today that I know of. I wish that I could ask her more, but she’s still sleeping.

“Has she suffered headaches on a regular basis?” Tate asks, and the more I think about it, they have become more frequent and more intense. Why haven’t I realized this until now? Too busy worrying about saving other people when I should have been more attentive in my own home.

“She always said it was from the stress. Our life isn’t the normal run-of-the-mill kind.” My head drops my chin on my chest. I feel like I have failed her.

“You can trust me, Ghost, Ashton has explained some of it. I’ll sign whatever you need me to sign, but I can assure you nothing will leave these lips that will put either of you in danger. I’m on your side. Any friend of Ashton and Mason is a friend of mine. Now, let’s see if we can wake her a little so I can get you to check a few vitals for me.”

This is something I never thought I would do, but today, I know I have no choice.

“Do you need to video chat so you can see her?” My muscles are straining in my neck, and I want to be in the gym punching into the bag so desperately.

“That’s your decision to make, Ghost. I’d prefer it, but I understand if you don’t want to. Your call, buddy.” Something about this guy’s voice tells me that he is one of the good guys. And that is a shock to my system. I have never leaned on a stranger before, and there’s a reason I’ve always been a lone wolf, because I have been let down before.

There are very few people I trust in this world, but I think I’ve just found one more to add to my list.

Saying a silent pray that I’m not making a huge mistake, I flick the call over to a video chat with him. The first thing I see is guy in blue scrubs and in what looks like an office.

“Hey.” His eyes look as kind as his voice. You can tell a lot about a person through their eyes, whether they like it or not.

“Thank you,” is all I can get out. My mouth is so dry, it feels like my tongue is stuck to the roof of my mouth.

“I’ve got your back. We’re in my office alone. No one can see this call.” He doesn’t understand how much I need to hear that right now.

I just nod my gratitude.

“Right, now let’s see if we can wake your wife a little so I can talk to her.” His confident and calm voice is helping me. “I just want you to very gently shake her on the shoulder and call her name.”

Letting go of her hand and taking her shoulder, I start talking to her. “Cassie, baby, wake up for me.”

“Mhmm…” she replies the first time.

“Keep trying,” Tate’s voice comes from my hand where I’m still clutching my phone.

“Cassie, you need to open your eyes. Please, Cassie, the doctor wants to see your bright eyes.”And so do I. The word doctor is what finally gets them opening, although I can see it’s a struggle for her to keep them open.

“No doctor.” She’s looking at me, and if I didn’t know better, I would say she is pissed at me.

“You need one. No argument.”

She gives me a loud “Hmph!” My heart starts to settle. I’m right, she is annoyed at me, and I couldn’t give a fuck. As long as she’s okay, that’s all I care about.

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