39. Hunter

I've been to this ER once before. After I got hurt at cheer camp in seventh grade. Another girl fell during a stunt, and my body cushioned her fall. My neck and shoulder immediately ached, but I shook it off and kept practicing.

This was an elite cheer camp that was invitation only, and my mom had made a very big deal about how much it cost. My parents had no trouble affording it, I realize that now, but my mom has always made a big deal any time I wanted or needed something that cost a lot of money.

I came home from camp a few days later and diligently iced my shoulder, but by day three, I could barely use my arm.

My dad finally brought me into the ER. Turns out I had broken my collarbone, and I had a greenstick fracture in my humerus. Thankfully, the breaks weren't near growth plates, and surgery wasn't required. I didn't even need a cast because of the locations of the injuries.

We spend just a few minutes in triage in the emergency room before they take us to a more private space. People stream in and out of the room for the first twenty minutes or so, asking me to recall what happened, looking at the spot on my temple that I now realize is both scraped and bruised, and checking my vitals.

Levi has a chair pulled up so close his knees are pressed to the bed. He hasn't let go of my hand since we arrived.

Finally, a young woman breezes in and introduces herself as Dr. Jones.

She logs into the computer on the counter nearby and refers to all the notes that have already been added to my chart. Thankfully, she doesn't ask the questions I've answered half a dozen times already.

"Tell me more about the fall," she says. "What do you remember?"

"Not much, honestly. It was early, and I was still sort of out of it. My head was pounding, and I thought a shower might help. It was still dark outside, and I was in a communal shower I've never been in before."

She chuckles, keeping things lighthearted. "I remember having to shower in the dorms. Anything else?"

"I turned on the water, then sort of jumped back to avoid the cold spray. The next thing I know, I was doubled over in pain. It was…" I pause, searching for the right way to describe what I experienced. "The pain was everywhere."

"Do you think you slipped," she asks, typing away on the computer. "Or is there a chance you passed out?"

"I honestly don't remember." Everything about the last several hours is fuzzy around the edges.

"You're eighteen, is that correct?"

I nod carefully to keep from making my head pound. "Correct."

"Is there anybody else you'd like us to call for you?" she asks, glancing at Levi.

"No," I say, squeezing Levi's hand. "My dad has been in France for several months."

I'll text him later to fill him in. The last person I want to see is my mom, and Greedy promised he'd be here as quickly as he could.

"There's no one else," I repeat as a surge of sadness wells up inside.

Levi rubs his thumb over my knuckles, silently soothing me.

"I have a few more questions, and then we'll run some tests. Who's with you here today?"

I note, and appreciate, the open-endedness of the question. For a split second, I'm tempted to tell her Levi's my brother, but I don't want to catch him off guard.

"This is my best friend," I tell her.

"Hi, best friend." She gives him a quick nod, then turns back to the computer to add a note to my chart.

"Levi," he clarifies.

"Levi. Nice to meet you." Dr. Jones smiles at me warmly, then turns to him. "Would you mind giving us a few minutes?"

Panic erupts inside me at the suggestion.

If I felt alone before…

"No, Levi can stay. I need him to stay." I sit up quickly, wincing from the pain of the motion, and cling to his hand more securely, like I can physically hold him in place.

He shifts his chair so our forearms are touching as well as our hands.

"Easy," he tells me under his breath. "I can stay."

Then he looks to the doctor for confirmation.

"Do I have permission to ask medical questions in front of him?" the doctor asks, her tone overly professional.

I nod.

"You'll have to fill out a form saying that," she says, typing once again. "I'm going to order a number of blood tests, check your vitals, look for things like iron or vitamin D deficiency. The exhaustion you're experiencing gives me concern. Have you had mono before?"

"No," I reply.

"It's common in young adults. We've been seeing an uptick in cases this summer. It's highly contagious and can be spread by kissing or even sharing drinks."

That all makes sense. But just the thought has dread forming in my stomach. Clarissa on the cheer team had mono last year. She was out of school for a solid month, and even after she returned, she was sick all the time. Feeling this tired for days or even weeks as the semester is getting started would be rough.

"Can you tell me the date of your last period?" Dr. Jones asks.

Instantly, I blush from head to toe. This is probably one of the reasons she suggested Levi leave the room. "Can you hand me my phone?" I ask him gently.

Once he's passed it over, I open up my app and scroll to the current month. I haven't logged a single symptom in weeks, according to the calendar. I'm usually pretty diligent, but I've been preoccupied with college preparations and Greedy and the drama with my mother.

I scroll back and find the date of my last period.

It was more than a month ago—the very last week of June. I tell her the date, but then remember the blood in the shower this morning.

"No, wait. My period started this morning."

"And before that," she asks, "the first day of your last month's birth cycle was June twenty-third?"

"Yes," I confirm, double-checking my calendar. I quickly log today as day one of this cycle and set my phone down by my side.

"Have you been experiencing any nausea, vomiting, lightheadedness, or sensitivity to smells?"

"I don't think so," I hedge. Aside from feeling anxious about orientation, I've felt mostly the same.

"Are you sexually active?"

"Yes," I confirm, my cheeks heating once again.

Dr. Jones presses her lips together and regards me with an easy expression. "Hunter, when you think about your sexual encounters over the last few months, is there any chance of pregnancy?"

"No," I'm quick to answer. I'm on birth control, and my period started today.

She bows her head and goes back to typing, this time for longer than before. All the while, I watch and anxiously await her next line of questioning.

"We need to draw several vials of blood for the tests I'm ordering. I'll put in an order for them to send up a food tray as well." She smiles sympathetically. "We don't need you passing out on us."

"Levi can stay with me?" I ask as she gathers her paperwork and logs out of the computer.

"He can stay," she confirms, looking from me to Levi. "You'll be here at least a few more hours, so if there's anybody you need to contact, you might want to do that now."

A pang of loneliness hits me once again.

Levi's here. Greedy will be here as soon as he can. There's no one else, but that's okay.

I drift in and out of consciousness for a couple of hours. The smallest sounds cause me to stir: The buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead. An alarm sounding in another patient's room a few doors down.

Each time my eyelids flutter open, Levi is here.

Holding my hand, his full attention fixed on me.

"Rest," he urges.

"You're okay," he promises.

I know I am. Because he's by my side.

He stays put, holding my hand for hours.

That is, until Dr. Jones comes back into the room wearing a tight-lipped smile.

She regards me, then Levi. When she looks at me again, sympathy shining in her eyes, my heart sinks.

"I'm going to ask you to step out of the room for a moment, Levi. If you'd like to stay just outside the door, I'll fetch you as soon as I'm done."

Though her expression is soft, her tone is firm, and this time, I don't ask him to stay.

With a kiss to my forehead, he whispers, "I'll be right outside if you need me." Then he walks out the door and pulls it closed gently behind him.