On Friday, Ryan and I take Frank back to the hospital. He has an appointment with the new doctor Ryan told me about.
After an hour of sitting in the waiting room, a nurse finally comes up to Ryan. “The doctor will be out shortly to take you back to his office. He’ll be going over your father’s test results.”
“Okay, thanks.” Ryan turns to me. “You can wait out here. It shouldn’t take long.”
There’s a stack of magazines on the table next to me and I’ve already gone through all of them. They’re celebrity gossip magazines that are mostly pictures with really short articles.
The person next to me gets up to leave and I snatch her magazine before someone else gets it. My eyes stop at a photo on the top right corner of the cover. I instantly recognize the smiling brunette with the fake boobs and overly white teeth. Next to the photo it says,Ava Hamilton returns for a Prep School Girls’ reunion!Details inside!
Ava was Garret’s fake girlfriend last semester before I ended the fake girlfriend tradition. Ava was on Prep School Girls, some reality show on cable. It was a year ago, but apparently she’s doing a reunion show. Like the girl needs more attention. Who would want to watch her on TV anyway?
I flip to the article about her. It’s just one page, mostly photos. My stomach drops when I spot a photo at the very bottom next to a caption that says,Will they get back together?The photo shows Ava and Garret at a charity function last fall. Garret has his arm around Ava, and even though I know it’s all for show I still cringe seeing them together.
I quickly scan the article.It’s rumored that Ava is getting back together with Garret Kensington, a prep school classmate of hers. Some say they’re already a couple again.
Already a couple again? What the hell? Who’s saying this? They were never a couple. She was just his fake girlfriend. I keep reading.Garret is the son of billionaire Pearce Kensington, owner of Kensington Chemical.
Billionaire? I thought he was just a millionaire. Everything I’d read about Garret’s dad said he was worth millions, not billions. But I suppose several millions make a billion.
The article continues.Garret and Ava are currently attending Moorhurst College in Connecticut, an exclusive private college attended by several of their prep school classmates. Fans of Prep School Girls are hoping Garret will make an appearance on the reunion episodes. Ever since photos of this hottie were released last year, Garret has developed a large fan following with girls begging to get another glimpse of those famous swimmer abs. Check our website for more photos of Ava and Garret along with updates about the Prep School Girls’ Reunion episodes.
Photos? What photos? And since when does Garret have fans?
“Jade.” Ryan is nudging my arm. I’m in a complete daze. The magazine falls out of my hand onto the floor. Ryan picks it up and sets it on the table. “I’m going to meet with the doctor.”
My mind comes back into focus as I see Ryan standing there waiting for my response. “Yeah. Okay. I’ll wait here.”
Ryan walks off and I hear him talking to the doctor. The man’s voice sounds familiar. I glance up and realize that I know the doctor. The gray-haired man with black-rimmed glasses standing next to Ryan is one of the doctors who took Garret the day he was shot by Royce Sinclair. I’m 100% sure of it. I remember Garret’s dad talking to him while Garret was being carried out on a stretcher.
What is he doing in Des Moines? And what is he doing to Frank?
CHAPTERTEN
I race up nextto Ryan. “Do you care if I sit in?”
“Um, no, I guess not,” he says, giving me an odd look.
The doctor glances at me. Does he remember me? I’m sure he does. The incident with Sinclair was just a few weeks ago. He extends his hand. “I’m Dr. Cunningham. And you are?”
“This is Jade,” Ryan answers for me. “She’s my younger sister.”
“I didn’t realize Frank had other children,” the doctor says.
“He doesn’t. She’s more like an adopted sister.”
“I see. Well, she’s welcome to come back with us if it’s okay with you.”
Ryan agrees and we all go to the doctor’s office where Frank is waiting. My heart is beating really fast and I’m tapping my foot on the floor. I need to calm down and act like everything is normal.
The doctor goes over Frank’s lab results which are all improving. Then he tells Ryan that he’s reducing Frank’s medications, saying that Frank will continue to improve when he doesn’t have the side effects of all those meds he was taking.
By the time the doctor is done talking, it sounds like Frank is doing really well. So is this doctor helping him? Or is he lying about Frank’s test results? I think back to what Frank said about the doctor who took care of my mother for all those years. He said Sinclair paid the doctor to give my mom pills that made her hallucinate so people would think she was crazy. What if this doctor is doing something bad to Frank? But Frank seems to be getting better. He definitely looks better.
Ryan and Frank ask the doctor some questions before we leave. Then the doctor escorts us back to the waiting room.
“It was nice meeting you, Jade.” The doctor smiles at me. He seems like a nice guy. So maybe he’s actually helping Frank. But he’s part of that secret medical group that only works with rich, important people, so what is he doing here?
As we’re walking out, I go over and take the magazine that had Ava on the cover. I know it’s stealing, but I have to show this to Garret.
