He takes the steps down, then walks backward toward his truck. “And Clara?”
“Yeah?”
“Dream about me tonight, will you?”
“Definitely,” I whisper, sure that he can’t hear me, but he smiles like he knows exactly how much my entire teenage body is buzzing.
After he backs out of the driveway, I practically skip up to my room. Once I change and lie in bed, my smile is still there like it’s glued to my face. Like the time Dax glued Froot Loops to my cheek when I was asleep—one of his many pranks.
It’s hard to sleep.
Hard to think straight.
I can’t even think about what this means for us, because I’m too consumed with how fast my heart is beating. It’s deafening here in my otherwise silent room.
A few hours later, when I finally fall asleep, I dream of Dax.
The guy I’ve been friends with for so long, but when we kissed, it didn’t feel weird like I thought it might. It wasn’t sloppy or awkward. I wasn’t embarrassed or uncomfortable like I have been with Hunter and the other guys I’ve kissed.
With Dax, it felt right.
The second I open my eyes in the morning, I reach for my phone on the nightstand.
My giddiness from last night reappears when I read Dax’s name on my phone, but there are many notifications. The sun’s barely up—why would I have so many missed calls and texts?
Frowning, I scroll down. They’re all from Dax and an unknown number in the area.
The most recent texts say there’s been an accident.
He needs me.
Please come.
Dread fills every crevice of my body.
I call Dax, but it goes straight to voice mail. I call the unknown number, and the receptionist at Sunnyville General answers.
I hang up without a word and race around my room to change. I rush through the living room with my dad on my heel, a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other. “How was the dance last night? Dax brought you home, right? I don’t need to shake down that Hunter kid with my chainsaw bit, do I?”
I barely register what he’s saying as I fling the door open and almost run off the porch.
“Where are you off to in such a rush?”
“I’ll be back later,” I manage, my mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
What happened last night? Was he in an accident after he dropped me off?
“He’s okay. Obviously. He texted me after the accident. He’s fine.” I chant these words until I pull into an empty spot by the ER.
I rush inside, scanning the waiting room until I find Dax in the corner. He doesn’t see me right away. As I walk toward him, he leans forward with his hands together like he’s praying, his elbows on his knees.
His body is rigid.
His eyes are bloodshot.
“Dax?” I whisper when I reach him, swallowing my sob. “What’s going on?”
He doesn’t immediately answer me, but when he does, his eyes are vacant.
“They’re gone, Clara. They’re gone.”
One
Fifteen years later…
Dax
“You had a heart attack.”
Ed smiles like I told him his heart is cured. “That’s what they told me.”
“I just want to make sure you understand how serious this is.” I scratch my chin, confused by his unwavering expression. “This was your second heart attack in the last year, and it was only a month ago. You shouldn’t be moving furniture.”
“What else am I going to do?” His bushy eyebrows are furrowed, and his smile quickly turns mischievous. “Besides, moving the furniture gets the old hag off my back.”
“Excuse me?”
“The wife. You got one?” Chuckling, he shakes his head. “Of course you don’t. Otherwise, you’d know exactly what I’m talking about.”
I simply nod, eyeing my nurse, Tinsley, in the corner. Snickering, she dips her head and continues typing on her iPad.
Ed waves his hand. “Relax, Doc. She’s got a nickname for me too—jackass. After fifty years together, you have to get creative, and not just by moving to a new town like Sunnyville.”
My lips twitch, and I gesture for him to stand. “I’d like to see you in another month and—”
“A month? I thought my next checkup was in three months?”
“Well, at the rate you’re going, I have a feeling I’ll need to see you sooner. One month.”
He claps my shoulder like I imagine my dad might, if he were still around. “Doc, it’s fine. You’ll see me in three months.”
His calm and clear eyes soothe me in a way I don’t expect. I sigh, shifting on my feet. “I’ll see you in three months unless something changes, and you need to come in sooner.”
“Deal.” He takes my hand, jerking it up and down in a shake. “Now that we’re done, I guess I’ll get back to my to-do list.”
“You should really rest,” I say as I lead him out into the hallway. Tinsley follows closely behind.
“My to-do list consists of nothing. Got up this morning with nothing to do and only got it half done. So, I got a full afternoon ahead.” He winks.
I can’t help but chuckle. We’re in for some fun with this new patient.
“You and I are going to become good friends, Doc.” He tips his imaginary hat at Tinsley. “You too.”
Then he walks toward a woman, who meets him at the front desk. I assume she’s his wife, as she grips his arm and kisses his cheek.
I shake my head and smile. She has her hands full.
My phone vibrates with an incoming message.
Staci: Room 417 please.
I nod to Patty, the receptionist. “I’ll be right back. Need to talk to Dr. Lennox.”
As I walk to the room number given, I rub my eyes, feeling fatigued. I always do after a ten-hour shift.
With a deep breath, I walk through the hallway from the clinic to the hospital, then ride the elevator up. I smile at the familiar faces, who watch me with dancing eyes.
That should’ve been my first clue as to why Staci asked me to come here.
I find the room number and knock, then
