“I tried once when I was a kid, but I couldn’t do it.”
“So, you know it’s going to be very loud?”
“Yes.”
“Just breathe and try to relax. I will do everything on my end to get you out of here as soon as possible, alright?”
“Yes, thank you.”
I placed my hand on her ankle. “Just keep singing in your head.”
“Quick, give me some other songs to think of,” she asked. “My mind is going blank, and I’m very close to panicking right now.”
“‘Night and Day’… the song we’re learning our dance to.”
“Oh yeah. That’s good. I can imagine our dance steps to it.”
The technician’s voice filled the room through the intercom. “We’re going to start now. Are you ready?”
Vivian hesitated. “Okay, I’m ready.”
I kept my hand on her ankle, gently massaging it. The boom and click of the machine started, and Vivian tensed.
“Night and day, you are the one,” I sang loudly over the noise. “Only you 'neath the moon or under the sun. Whether near to me or far, no matter, darling where you are, I think of you night and day.”
Vivian relaxed under my touch, and I continued the song for her. When I was finished, she lifted her foot as if to nudge me to keep going. I picked another Fred and Ginger classic, “Heaven.”
About ten songs later, my throat was beginning to get sore and my mouth parched. The noise in the machine stopped, and my head throbbed through the welcoming silence. The technician slid down the bed and removed the mask. Vivian instantly sat up, rubbing at her forehead.
“Are you feeling alright?” I asked.
“Yes, just thankful the clanking stopped.” She reached for my hand. “Thank you for staying with me. I don’t think I could’ve gone through with it if you hadn’t.”
“My pleasure.”
She laughed. “I’m sure there are thousands of more pleasant things you could be doing right now than being here.”
“Funny, I can’t think of one.”
Her lips parted, but before she could say anything, the orderlies were in and helping her back on the stretcher.
“I have to get my things,” I said. “I’ll meet you back in your room.”
“Okay.”
Dr. Kassad was at the nurse’s station when I returned. He smiled my way and walked up to shake my hand. “I’m taking over, and I will let you know the results as soon as I get the report from radiology.”
I sighed in relief. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Not a problem. Would you like me to discharge her?”
I shook my head. “I’d rather wait and make sure everything is okay.” My heart sat like a brick in my chest. “Time is everything if there’s an emergency.”
He patted my shoulder. “I’ve marked the results as urgent, so you won’t have to wait too long.”
When I got back to the room, Benny, Crystal, and Isabella were by her side. Vivian looked up at me. “Can I go home now?”
“There’s a doctor here I’m friends with, he’s going to take a look at the results. If—I mean,whenhe clears you, I’ll take you home.”
