Chapter 10

10

ALLIE

H ow can a day be both fantastic and crappy at the same time?

The heat wave kicks in full blast by eleven in the morning, then I get slammed with orders that require both the grill and the oven, overheating me to the point where I actually consider for a solid ten minutes stopping this new thyroid medication.

Thanks to Damon’s cooling scarf, though, I manage to get through it. Plus I occasionally splash cold water on my wrists and have a five-minute lull right after the rush.

I get a text from Damon, asking whether for our date I’d rather hit up a restaurant in West Stoneburg, stay in town for Jim’s Pizza, or go to his place for dinner. Of course I’d rather go to his place! It’s quieter, and I already know there will be air-conditioning. Plus I really want to be with him as much as possible. It feels like we’re truly bonding.

If he can pick me up at three, it sounds like he’s switching his work hours to be closer to mine. That’s sweet – and I’ll admit, it’ll be nice to get a ride instead of having to walk.

I scrub out a couple of massive pots, then run cold water over my wrists again.

Just another week, I keep chanting in the back of my head. By all accounts online, this wild heat blast of summer only lasts around two weeks. Considering all the incredible features of this town – even besides Damon – it’s a small price to pay. Plus, I might have been able to stop my medication by this time next year and the heat won’t affect me at all.

I’ve been through worse, and I’m sure I’ll go through worse again. It’s fine. Laughing to myself, I pull out some vegetables and get prepping for the noon lunch rush. Keeping busy and working hard is always the best plan.

Except this time, no matter how high my spirits, I can feel something rumbling on the horizon of my oversensitive nervous system.

Damon picks me up from work, and we hit the grocery store. We’ve both made Chicken Pad Thai before and decide that it’s the best plan.

We’ve barely made it in the door of his house when I stumble slightly. Damon catches my elbow. “Are you okay?”

Crap. I’m definitely feeling off. Yet there’s no way I can cancel a date this early on in our relationship. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He sets the groceries down on the kitchen counter, then guides me to the stool at the island. Tipping my chin up with his finger, he examines my eyes. “Is it that sparkle pressure thing?” He points to the side of my head.

“No. It’s just… It’s hard to describe.” The more I think about it, the darker my head feels. “I’m probably just tired, plus I overheated a couple of times today.”

“Baby, if it’s another headache, that’s okay. Please, just tell me.”

I never, ever want to lie to Damon. But I also don’t want him to think I’m a sickly girl who isn’t fun to be around. If I can just hold on a few more weeks until he really gets to know me better, he’ll realize I’m really not a whiny complainer.

I smile at him as brightly as I can manage. “I swear, I’m not usually this obnoxious! It’s just been a rough week.”

“I don’t think you’re obnoxious at all. What can I do?”

His sweet concern nearly makes me tear up. “I’m just going to hydrate and stretch out my shoulders and neck. I’m sure it’s nothing.”

Damon sets a glass of ice water and a plate of crackers in front of me, then starts putting away the groceries.

“Hey,” he says with a giant grin. “Instead of the Pad Thai, maybe we could?—”

His phone goes off with the tone for the VFFT.

“Shit,” he mutters. “Baby, if you need me to stay here, I’m?—”

I wave him off. There is no way my glitches are more important than a fire. “It’s totally fine. I can easily walk home from here.”

“No. Please.” He reaches into a kitchen drawer and pulls out a couple of keys attached to a silver acorn keychain. “Here. Front door is the green key if you decide you really want to get home, but feel free to stay. There’s fruit and cheese in the fridge, and I could cook when I get back in a few hours – or sooner, hopefully.”

He comes over to give me a kiss that sends that much different, welcome kind of heat surging through my veins. This connection with Damon makes me even more determined not to drive him away with my headache bullshit.

“It’s all good. Go.” I give his shoulder a push. “Thank you for the use of your lovely air-conditioned home. I’ll be fine.”

He still looks unsure but grabs his water bottle and takes off out the door. I walk to the front window, and he gives a quick wave before pulling out of the driveway and taking off at an urgent clip.

Staring out at his front lawn, I love the way the light flickers through the leaves of the trees?—

Wait.

No.

The flickering orange isn’t light filtering through the trees. It’s appearing just off-center in my left eye.

I go to my purse as calmly as possible and take out the blue and white bottle. It’s empty.

Crap. I was right there in the grocery store, where I’m pretty sure they would’ve had my usual painkillers.

I sit down and finish my glass of water, trying to breathe deeply and relax.

One of two things is about to happen. The migraine aura with its sassy disco rave centered in my one eye might possibly fade away in the next half hour. Then I’ll be left feeling a bit shaky and exhausted, but okay. Well, adequate.

Or.

(Please do not let it be the or…)

Or the flashing will get brighter for about half an hour and then fade away, leaving me with full-on migraine pain, where every single thing in the world hurts unbearably. Light…sound…anywhere my clothing is touching my body…the fact that my heart is beating too strongly…

I can’t stand feeling this fragile. It’s sickening.

Grabbing my purse, I also grab a piece of mail by the front door that has Damon’s name and address on it. A few times I’ve had a migraine so bad that I was unable to speak, so at least this is something I could point to.

I carefully get my bearings, lock up the house, and walk toward the grocery store. If I get juice and painkillers into me within ten or fifteen minutes, it’ll take the edge off. Then I can come back to Damon’s house, curl up in the basement where it’s nice and cool, and sleep it off.

This is a very solid plan. I hope. I think.

No. Let’s leave it at hope… It hurts to think.

You’d think moving one foot in front of the other would be easy – I do it every day. Now it takes my entire concentration. I refuse to let myself slow down or stop. Time is not on my side.

Come on, girl. Pick up your feet.

I’ve just passed City Hall when the orange flashing triangles in my eye get the disgustingly familiar neon green edging that pulses in a different counter-rhythm.

Lifting my head, I squint, finally able to see the grocery store. Almost there. On a fairly empty stomach, the painkillers can start working within eighteen to twenty minutes.

I can do this.

As I’m walking as quickly as I can down the sidewalk, I try to take note of the beautiful trees on this street. Even through my half-shut eyes, this is such a beautiful town. How weird that I’m aware of how happy I am during this stupid brain malfunction.

My legs are too heavy. It’s becoming harder and harder to lift my feet properly, especially when the sidewalk begins to swing back and forth slightly. Is this a rope bridge? I don’t understand how it…

“Whoah, hold on there.”

A man gently slips an arm around me, holding me steady as I stagger. I can’t focus enough to look at him properly, but he’s wearing a uniform. He must be that police officer I’ve seen walking around town, usually eating a cookie or something.

“Easy,” he says softly. “Are you Allie, the new girl cooking at Fran’s?”

“Yeah. I just…” It’s hard to focus. I don’t even know what I’m trying to say.

He slowly turns me in the direction of City Hall. “You don’t look like you’re drunk. Whatever you’re on, whatever’s happening, please just tell me. If it’s drugs, I’m not going to arrest you, but I think we should have the medic check you out. Would that be okay?”

I start to nod, then think better of it. My skull has been filled with concrete, and it’s quickly starting to set.

“M-migraine,” I manage to sputter. I pull Damon’s mail out of my purse. “There. Sleep it off.”

Just before my knees give out, the huge man scoops me up gently. “I’ve got you, Allie. We’ll go to the medic. It’ll be okay.”

There’s a break in the trees, and I close my eyes to block out the strong sunlight. It’s like fire crawling across my skin.

“You feel a bit warm,” the man says soothingly. “I know Damon. I’ll call him in just a minute. Everything is going to be all right.”

If I were anywhere other than Old Hemlock Valley, I’d be terrified that a strange man was taking me somewhere.

But here I’m not afraid. Just totally ashamed.

I didn’t want to be a bother. Didn’t want Damon to know I’m so fragile that I overheat during heatwaves. That I’m still adjusting to my thyroid meds, and I don’t know the side effects yet. That I get terrible air pressure headaches, and occasionally full-blown migraines. I didn’t want him to think I’m a bother – some child that he’s going to have to tiptoe around.

Well, that dream is shattered now. All my stupid health stuff is going to make him run for the hills. I mean, he’s so polite that he’ll think of some excuse. Like maybe he’ll say he can’t have a steady girlfriend because he’s a firefighter and his schedule is erratic. Whatever. He’ll let me down easily, since he’s such an incredible guy.

Way too incredible for a…

Too incredible for…

My head flops against the stranger’s shoulder as I stare helplessly at the flashing lights behind my eyelids as they turn from orange and green to gray, and then…

…