She sighed, and her shoulders sagged as she rested her head against the wall.
“Nurse Luis, is everything okay?”
She immediately straightened up and turned to the young nurse who'd just asked her the question. She mustered a smile. “I'm fine, just a little tired,” she informed the young woman. The woman, seemingly satisfied with her response, nodded and went on her way. Tessa turned and headed for her office.
Every now and then, she feigned a smile so that none was the wiser, and when it became unbearable, she would rush to her office to break down in tears, with her hands over her mouth to muffle the sobs.
By afternoon she felt extremely worn out, and her back and sides hurt something fierce. It hit her with such force that she had to take a seat at the nurses’ station. Sweat beaded her forehead, and her stomach pitted into tight coils. She noticed Dr. Myers walking in her direction and tried to get to her feet, but the pain was excruciating. She had to settle back on the chair.
“Nurse Luis, I need you to— are you okay?” he asked with concern, noting her unfocused stare, her grimace each time she took a breath, and her pallid complexion. “Nurse Luis, did you hear what I asked?”
Tessa tried to speak, but no words came, so she opted to nod in reply, but her head felt so heavy that she felt herself tipping over. She began to free-fall but could do nothing to prevent her impending impact with the hard floor.
“I've got you.” Justin's strong arms caught her just before she hit the floor. As she looked up at him through hooded eyes, she could see his mouth move but couldn't hear what he was saying. Her eyes fluttered shut, and everything went black.
Tessa woke with a start to the sound of beeping machines all around her. Her eyes glanced around the room, trying to figure out where she was. They finally fell on the IV sticking out of her arm, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Why was she in a hospital bed hooked up to machines?
“Good, you're awake.”
She looked across at the door to see Dr. Myers walking toward her with a chart in his hand.
“What happened? Why am I here?”
Dr. Myers glanced up from the charts to look at her. “You don't remember?” he asked, watching her carefully.
“I don't,” she confirmed. “It's all a bit fuzzy.”
“You fainted,” he revealed.
“Oh,” she responded in surprise.
“You need to take better care of yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked defensively.
Dr. Myers quirked a brow. “When we brought you inside, you were severely dehydrated. When was the last time you had even a glass of water?”
Tessa thought about it. “It’s been a while,” she confessed, looking up at him from under her lashes with a sheepish expression.
“We also need to do a scan to figure out why your tummy looks bloated and is tender to the touch.”
Tessa looked down and realized that she was in a hospital gown. She touched her side, and sure enough, it was tender. “Do you think it’s my kidneys?” she inquired, locking eyes with Dr. Myers.
“It is a possibility, but we’re not ruling anything out. That’s why we need to do the tests.”
At the sound of knocking, the two turned their attention to the door. Janet poked her head through the door.
“Can we come in?”
“Hi, Janet,” Tessa greeted her friend with a smile.
Janet entered with two other nurses. “You gave me a scare back there,” she said, clasping Tessa’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” Tessa replied, giving her puppy eyes.
Janet chuckled. “Just don’t do it again.”
“Nurses Smith, Jones, and James are here to take some blood and urine samples, then take you to get a CT scan and an ultrasound,” Justin informed her.
