So, it was all just in my head. Even my dad’s voice–it was nothing more than an illusion.
They’d been gone for ten years. How could I have possibly heard them?
I stood there, feelingpletely lost. Thest rays of light disappeared, and the room was
swallowed by darkness. The weight of losing them–of never seeing them again–hit me hard, and
the tears finally came, unstoppable.
That night, I barely slept. My dreams were filled with shes of my mom and dad, haunting and
bittersweet.
When I woke up, I felt like I’d been hit by
a truck. My body was heavy, aching, like I’d spent the night doing
Belonging ? N?velDram/a.Org.
hardbor. I tried to drag myself out of bed but couldn’t manage it.
That’s when it hit me–I was sick. I touched my forehead. Warm. Fever, probably.
“Kiki, you up?” Hayden’s voice came from outside the door.
I opened my mouth to answer, but all that came out was a raspy whisper. My throat felt like I’d
swallowed ss.
I grabbed my phone and typed out a message: [I’m sick. You cane in.]
He had a key–I’d given it to him a while back.
Within seconds, the door creaked open, and I heard his footsteps rushing over. His cool hand
pressed against my forehead, and for a moment, the relief was so good, I almost leaned into it.
But then he pulled away. “You’ve got a fever. We’re going to the hospital.”
I was too out of it to argue. I just grabbed his hand and pressed it to my face, needing thefort.
A secondter, I felt his lips brush my forehead. “I’m here. Don’t worry. We’ll get you to the
hospital.”
My throat hurt like hell, but I forced out, “Medicine. I just need medicine.”
”
“Okay, we’ll do that first,” Hayden said, his voice soft as he stroked my cheek. “But we’re still going
to the hospital.” Then he headed off to find the meds.
A little whileter, Hayden came back with water and medicine, gently helping me sit up. After H
swallowed the pills, he let me settle for a moment before saying, “Okay, now let’s head to the
hospital for a check–up.”
I started to shake my head, but he pressed a soft kiss to my forehead, firm but gentle. “Be good.
You spiked a fever out of nowhere–we need to figure out why.”
I knew Hayden was super careful about health stuff, especially after everything with Yuna.
I sighed, not wanting to argue anymore, and let him take me to the hospital. By the time we got
there, the meds had kicked in, and I could already feel my fever dropping.
“I’m feeling better. No need for tests,” I said, trying to avoid the inevitable–because 1 hated needles,
especially blood tests.
“Let’s just see the doctor,” Hayden insisted.
There was no winning with him, so I went along with it. As expected, the doctor rmended a
blood
test.
This was the part I dreaded, but I’d almost forgotten Hayden was with me. As the nurse prepped the
needle, hisrge hand covered my eyes, blocking my view. Leaning close, he whispered, “I’m taking
you to dinner tonight. Mr. Shane invited us.”
Wait, a dinner? Out of nowhere? Ron invited us?
Before I could even question it, the nurse spoke up, “All done.”
Hayden’s hand moved from my eyes to lightly press against my arm.
I blinked, ncing down at my arm and back at the nurse. Had it really just happened? I didn’t feel a
thing. Sure, the nurse was skilled, but I knew Hayden’s little distraction worked better than anything
else. Having a boyfriend who truly loves you makes even the crappiest moments feel just a little
easier. “You just gave a lot of blood. Let’s get you something good to eat,” Hayden said, guiding me
toward the café across from the hospital while we waited for my results.
As soon as we stepped inside, I spotted someone familiar.
Lena.
I was about to head over and say hi, but Hayden tugged at my arm, stopping me. He gave a small
nod in another direction, signaling for me to look.