Page 108 of Promising You
“Yes. Absolutely.”
“What about overnight? Can someone stay with her? Does she have a roommate?”
“I’ll stay with her.”
“Then I’ll give you this.” He hands Garret a sheet of paper. “Look it over and let me know if you have questions.” He turns back to me. “I’ll send you home with some crutches. You’ll probably only need them for a couple weeks, if that. But even if your knee feels better, don’t run on it. Walking only for now. Do you have any questions for me?”
“Um, am I supposed to come back here to get the stitches out?”
“No. I’ll see you at a clinic near campus. Garret knows where it is. We’ll call you to set up an appointment. If that’s it, I’ll let you two head out.” He starts to leave.
“Wait. Can I ask you something?” My palms get sweaty as he walks toward me again. I’m sure I shouldn’t be asking this and I consider chickening out, but I feel like I owe it to Frank. I need to know the truth.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SEVEN
“What is it, Jade?”the doctor asks.
“What are you doing to Frank?” I blurt it out.
The doctor glances at Garret, then back at me. “I’m not sure I understand the question.”
“I mean, are you helping him?” I realize how bad that sounds and quickly try to fix it. “Sorry. I know you’re helping him, but how? Do you have some kind of cure?”
He shakes his head. “No. We don’t have a cure for MS. I wish we did. I’m just taking a more individualized approach to treating his condition. Modern medicine tends to take a one-size-fits-all approach, which is cheaper than a more personalized approach but isn’t good for the patient. The medications he was taking weren’t right for him. They were actually making his condition worse. He’s doing much better now.”
“Well, thanks for everything you’ve done for him.”
He nods and smiles briefly, then walks briskly out the door.
“You ready to get out of here?” Garret asks.
“What did the doctor give you?” I point to the paper in his hand.
“Instructions for caretakers of people with head trauma. I’m supposed to watch for all these signs.” He reads them off. “Nausea, vomiting, confusion, memory loss, slurred speech . . .”
I take it from him. “My head is fine. You don’t need to watch me.”
He snatches the paper back. “Hey, this is my job and I take it very seriously.” He leans over to kiss my forehead. “If your head doesn’t get better, it’ll be all my fault. And I can’t have that on my conscience. I’m going to keep watch on you every second of the day.”
“Oh, really? What about Monday when you’re at class?”
He thinks for a moment. “I’ll make you call me every 10 minutes and I’ll ask you questions to see if you’re confused or losing your memory. Like I’ll ask if you know what day it is. Or if you remember who I am.”
It makes me laugh. “If I can’t remember who you are, I definitely need medical attention.”
He gets up and takes my clothes out of the closet. “Need help getting dressed?”
“No, I can do it.” I smile as he hands me my clothes. “Besides, you’re better at undressing me.”
He smiles back. “That’s true.”
After I’m dressed I practice walking a little on the crutches. As we’re leaving the room, he stops to kiss me.
“What was that for?” I ask him.
“For finding Lilly. I just realized I didn’t thank you for that.”
“You don’t need to thank me.”
