She told herself it was nothing more than Jake’s ego. He couldn’t stand not getting what he wanted. But now she knew that there was nothing between her and Jake anymore. And there would never be again.
She was over Jake Summit.
SUNBEAMS
THE DULL HUM in the empty doctor’s office, the soft patter of footsteps on the other side of the door, even the crinkle and crunch of the paper beneath him was grating on Henri’s nerves today. Another appointment, another hour of his life left to the wayside for the doctor to come in check his vitals and ask him how he was feeling. To check the pacemaker residing in his chest and tell him that everything looked good.
What was good about a device designed to remind his pathetic heart to beat correctly? Some would say, obviously, that it kept him alive. But Henri felt nothing more than robotic relying on a machine to keep him going.
Sometimes at night he lay in bed, staring at his ceiling, wondering how many times he had been saved from dying because of his pacemaker. And then other thoughts crept into his mind. The ones that made him feel bad for living a life that wasn’t meant for him. He wasn’t made right, his body had many flaws. He wasn’t supposed to be breathing anymore. The only reason he was—science. On some occasions he was alright with that. But days like today he couldn’t help feeling like it didn’t matter.
The door opened. Henri prepared himself for horrible news. He hadn’t been feeling all that great. He barely wanted to get out of bed this morning. He wasn’t going to deny it. He wasn’t certain if it were depression or stupidity. He rubbed the back of his neck watching Maven’s mother sift through his file, her back turned to him. She hadn’t even said hello. Maybe she was too afraid to hand over the bad news. Or maybe she just didn’t want to look at him knowing his tie to Maven was slowly drifting into the oblivion. He wanted to tell her it wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t the first time someone dumped him. He wanted to inform her that being dead last was kind of normal to him.
Jake Summit was a healthy, good looking guy. It made sense Maven would want Jake over him. His heart quickened. He just wished she would turn around and say something. His mind drifted back to Maven. She hadn’t picked Jake over him. She hadn’t even said anything like that to him. He was getting ahead of himself.
“Henri.” She took a few steps forward, her white doctors’ coat skimming past her knee. He studied her red heels. Not many doctors were so stylish. He was used to staring at running shoes or the kind to help ease a backache. The kind he expected to see today, but instead, there was Maven’s mother.
Henri lifted his head allowing her to inspect his lymph nodes. Opening his mouth for the usual peek, next he followed her pen, bored. He watched her write something down and then quickly place it in the pocket of her coat.
Instead of the usual talk about what he should or shouldn’t be doing, she pulled up a stool. Henri studied her closely, this was not the norm.
“Aren’t you going to ask me how I feel?”
She shook her head. “I have something to discuss with you.” She placed a hand on his knee squeezing ever so enthusiastically. His fingers jerked against the paper nervously. “Something good.”
Henri’s expression stayed stoic. He barely reacted to the idea anything she was going to say to him was going to be good. Things hadn’t been good for some time now.
She removed her hand, flipping the tablet open.
“I know your doctor has informed you and your family that he wasn’t willing to try any other attempts at fixing your condition.” She dropped her gaze from Henri to the tablet. “But I have talked to several of my colleagues back home and they tell me they have been very successful with a different method.”
Henri felt dizzy. He wasn’t sure if it was the usual reason or because this woman he hardly knew was trying to give him hope. “Everyone we have talked to has said the same thing.” He was growing angry that she would do this to him. “I have a heart condition,” he said.
She nodded. “I am fully aware of this.” She turned to the door as Henri’s aunt came in. A big smile on her face that only made him angrier, it was obvious she had taken the bait and believed Maven’s mother had answers to fix him. But he wasn’t so quick to believe anything anyone told him anymore. It wasn’t the first time someone tried to go to the extreme to save him.
“I have hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Maybe you should do a little more research. There are three ways to help me. And I have the scar to prove that they tried one already.” He brought his hand to his chest.
His aunt Janet moved in, grabbing up his fist in her grip. “We have talked with the doctor’s back home where Dr. Wilder works and they said they’ve had quite a few great successes with this procedure, Henri. This might be the answer.”
Henri’s gaze fell back on Dr. Wilder. She nodded, eager to explain.
“That’s not the only thing wrong with me.” He looked at Aunt Janet. “You told her the rest? About the Von-what’s it called disease?” He could see by his aunt’s face he was pushing her patience.
“Of course she knows about this, Henri. She is a doctor, and she also has your files right in front of her face.”
Dr. Wilder stood up. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, reminding him of Maven and taking him away from the futile chat bouncing around the room. He barely heard the details that his disease had been dormant lately, dormant enough to make him an ideal candidate for the new-fangled procedure where, with her doctor friend’s brilliant hands and a team of surgeons, they were sure they could manipulate his heart and body to do amazing things, restoring him to outstanding physical condition.
He blinked, coming back to reality, Aunt Janet’s fingernails digging into the skin of his hand.
“Isn’t that great, Henri?”
The two women stared at him, their smiles turning them into beaming idiots. But he couldn’t wrap his brain around it.
“Henri, Dr. Wilder believes this will fix you, that you will be able to go on living a normal life just like everyone else.” She touched his face, drawing his gaze to hers. “I know it’s a lot to take in. But be happy please. This is truly the answer to all of our prayers.”
Henri forced a smile, igniting a sob from Aunt Janet. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. Dr. Wilder smiled warmly rubbing her back. “This is great news, Henri.”
Henri nodded.
“This weekend we are going to admit you into the hospital. It’s very important you have several days of medications and all the right care before the procedure. This will guarantee your body can handle the surgery.”
He hated the word surgery. But he couldn’t deny that the idea that he might have a chance at living was an amazing thing. Better than what he expected when he first walked in the doctor’s office that morning.
“The weekend?” he asked, suddenly remembering the Hop. “This weekend?”
Dr. Wilder nodded. “Yes, this weekend, Henri. And it couldn’t happen soon enough. I have looked over your results from a few weeks ago and it’s the best thing that could happen, the sooner the better.”
Aunt Janet looked up. “What do you mean?”
Dr. Wilder’s eyebrows dropped. She didn’t want to ruin the good news by throwing bad news on top of it. “We will discuss the details about the procedure this weekend.” She dropped her gaze back to the paper. “It seems the pacemaker has been working a lot harder than before, Henri. And this indicates—”
“That things are worse.” Henri finished the sentence for her. The reason for all the dizziness was revealed, and for his lack of energy most days.