He heard the water stop and put the picture back on the dresser. He walked into the living room and called his doctor’s office while he waited for Susan to get dressed. He hung up the phone as Susan walked out, braiding her still-wet hair.
“What did they say?”
“They said they could see me right now so let’s get a move on. Who’s driving?”
“I am.” She grabbed her keys from the coffee table and marched to the door before he could offer any rebuttal. Once they were in the hallway she said “I’m the safer driver.”
“I don’t know about that, but I’ll definitely give you slower.”
The two of them made their way to the hospital. When they pulled up, Darien put his hand on the door handle and froze. On one hand, it would be nice to get some answers. On the other, he was terrified to learn what could be wrong with him. Susan reached over and gave his hand a squeeze.
“Come on, let’s figure this out.”
Darien took a deep breath and opened the door. He was glad for Susan’s support as they made their way into the large glass and steel building. The receptionist gave Darien some paperwork to fill out. After he finished, the two of them sat next to each other, waiting to be called. Susan reached over and rubbed his right shoulder.
When the nurse came out for Darien, Susan stayed behind and pulled out her phone to entertain herself. Darien followed the nurse through the maze of white walls and polished tile floors to a small exam room. She ushered him inside and then reviewed his forms, asked some standard questions, and took some vitals. She took some notes and left him to wait for the doctor.
While he was waiting, Darien scanned the room. Nothing caught his eye. He was pretty sure that he had been in this exam room itself several times on previous visits—usually only for a routine physical. Then again, all of the rooms looked the same after a while. The pictures or advertisements on the walls changed, but he was pretty sure the instruments and the furniture had been the same in exam rooms across the country for the last ten years or more. Eventually, he heard the telltale quick double-knock all doctors have seemed to master just before swinging the door open.
“Good morning, Darien. It’s good to see you again. You’re a bit early for your physical, so what brings you here today? The nurse said something about unexpected blackouts?”
Doctor Gilliam walked over to sit on the stool in the room and wheeled it over next to the exam table. As he did so, he put the folder with Darien’s information on the counter.
“Yeah. I’ve had two blackouts in less than twenty-four hours. It’s a little disconcerting.”
“I can understand why.” The doctor pulled out his stethoscope and gestured for Darien to lift his shirt. As he listened to Darien’s heart and lungs he continued to ask questions. “Breathe deeply. Do you have any idea why you might have blacked out?”
“No.”
The doctor pulled the stethoscope out of his ears. “Well, your lungs sound clear and your heart sounds healthy. You haven’t had any chest pains, have you? Good. At this point, I can’t say that I can determine any cause for your symptoms. You’re healthy and young, so it’s a bit odd. As a precautionary measure, I’d like to take a blood sample and run a few tests. I’ll send it to the lab immediately. Is that alright with you?”
“That’s fine. I’d appreciate it in fact.”
“I’ll get the nurse to come in to draw some blood. Someone will give you a call when we have the results. In the meantime, I’d recommend taking it easy, and avoiding stress or strenuous physical activity. If any of these symptoms persist, please don’t hesitate to contact me.”
The doctor left, leaving the chart on the table. Shortly thereafter, the nurse returned. With practiced efficiency, she cleaned an area on Darien’s arm and filled a couple of tubes with blood. She inverted them a couple of times before putting a bandage over the puncture site and escorting him back to the front room. Susan looked up as he entered.
“As soon as we get the results from the lab, we’ll give you a call,” the nurse reminded him. “It shouldn’t be more than a couple of days.”
“Thanks.”
Darien gave the receptionist his corporate health plan card. Susan came up while he waited. “So, how’d it go?”
“Well, the good news is they can’t find anything wrong with me. The bad news is they can’t find anything wrong with me. Take your pick.”
“What did the doctor say?”
“Just a general recommendation to take it easy. They took some blood and are gonna run a few tests, but that’s about all I can hope for right now. They’ll call me to let me know.”
Susan shrugged. “Maybe it was just the stress of everything that’s going on and you’ll be fine after taking it easy. It could be that simple.”
Darien smiled at her. “Yes, it could. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the doctor didn’t find anything immediately terrible. It’s just frustrating not to have any answers, know what I mean? In the meantime, I guess I’ll just try not to think about things too much and relax.”
“That’s probably the best idea.”
The receptionist returned with the paperwork and Darien signed off on it. “Where to now?” he asked.
“I need to go food shopping, especially if you’re going to stay for a couple of days. I know how you eat.”
“I’ll go with you. You know, just to make sure you pick up the right foods.”
Susan rolled her eyes and they went to the car. She got in and drove off without unlocking the passenger door. Darien stood in place where the car used to be parked. She backed up and rolled down the window.
“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I forget to unlock the door? I must have been distracted by your lack of faith.”
Darien jumped into the car, sliding his feet through the window and making sure not to kick Susan as he slid into his seat. He laughed when he saw the look on her face.
“You always could make me smile.”
“It goes both ways. You should know that by now.”
Chapter 5
“You should get Oreos,” Darien offered, peering over Susan’s shoulder as she jotted some items down on her shopping list.
She ignored him, pushing him out of the way as she went to the fridge and checked to see what she needed to restock. Darien wrote Oreos on the list under her last item. She closed the door, and he stood up, turning away from the counter. She grumbled and crossed the Oreos off before adding a few more items. Darien walked behind her to the fridge and jerked open the door to the freezer.
“You’re out of ice cream. You should get some.”
Susan reached behind her and slammed the freezer door shut, almost catching Darien’s face in the process. “Get! You’re in the way. Go sit down and play with your phone or something.”
The tone in her voice was one that Darien knew well, and he knew how serious she was. He went to the living room and jumped onto the couch, picking up his phone and paging through his recent messages. He saw Ellen’s name and paused. The storm of her rage had hopefully settled by now. He wasn’t sure what he was going to tell her, but he did owe her an apology. He called her number and waited for her to answer.
“Hello?” Ellen’s voice was groggy.
“Hi, Ellen. Did I wake you up?”
“Darien?” she asked, recognition cutting through the fog in her voice. “Yeah, but it’s okay. I needed to get up anyways. What’s going on?”
“Sorry about waking you, but I thought I’d give you a call and see how the gala went. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to make it.”
“It went better than I thought. I was worried about not knowing too many people, but they were all friendly. I’m sure the open bar helped with that.”
“I know you wanted me to introduce you to people, and I’m sorry about that. I knew you’d be fine though.”
“What happened?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out. I blacked out after coming home from work. It happened again later that night.
I just came back from the doctor’s office.”
“Are you all right? Did they find anything?”
“Not yet. According to the doc, I’m a modern example of being healthy. They’re running some tests, but so far there’s nothing to indicate why this might have happened.”
“I’m sorry I snapped at you. Do you need anything?”
“I’ll be alright. I’m at Susan’s, and she makes a habit of keeping me from doing anything too stupid.”
“I’m glad someone is doing it. Are you going to be in the office on Monday?”
“I think so, but it’ll depend on what the doc says.”
“Alright. You take care of yourself and give Susan my best.”
“Will do.”
He hung up the phone and looked into the kitchen. Susan had finished making her list and was standing at the edge of the living room, leaning against the wall and waiting for him. He scrambled up off the couch and they made their way to the store.
As they walked up and down the aisles, Darien tried to put junk food in the cart like cookies and doughnuts. Each time, Susan would remove them and remain resolute in her desire to eat healthy. Despite the light-hearted nature of their game, Darien had to force a smile on his face. Too much had happened over the last couple of days. Long before they finished, he lost the willpower to keep up the act. Susan left him to his own thoughts. It wasn’t long before they finished and had the groceries tucked away at home.
“Now that that’s taken care of, how about we go for a hike? The fresh air and exercise will do you a world of good.”
It would also keep him distracted when his lungs were burning from his effort to keep up with Susan. Darien agreed and they drove out to Mount Si. The parking lot was empty when they pulled in. Darien got out and stood next to the car, enjoying the fresh air as Susan fished a backpack and water bottle out of the trunk. She slung the backpack over her shoulders and tossed the bottle to Darien.
They walked onto the marked trail and Darien was reminded of his dream. It seemed almost as real as the trail did at this moment. He reached out to touch a tree, reassuring himself that they were actually there. Susan stopped and looked back at him, a questioning look on her face. Darien offered a weak smile and picked up the pace.
As he anticipated, Susan set a pace that he found difficult to keep up with, even though she was carrying the backpack. He considered asking her to slow down, but decided to take deep breaths and power through it. He dropped his gaze, focusing on the ground immediately in front of his feet. His awareness of his surroundings faded as his sole focus became putting one foot in front of the other.
When Susan pulled to a stop, Darien put his hands on his knees and took several deep breaths. After a couple of seconds, he stood up and gulped down some water. He looked over at Susan, lounging on a boulder. Her cheeks were flushed from the exercise, but her breathing was normal.
After a short break, they continued their hike. Darien was thankful for the distraction, even if his lungs and legs both burned. It was easier hiking back to the car, but he had to stay focused to keep from sliding down the trail. More than once he stumbled and caught himself on a tree. Susan slowed her pace, which Darien mentally thanked her for.
On the route back, they passed a couple of other hikers. They offered a quick greeting before continuing on their paths. When Darien and Susan got back to the parking lot, there were a couple of other cars there. Darien leaned against Susan’s car and drained the water bottle. It took him a while to recover before he crawled into his seat. He was still breathing heavily as they pulled away.
“I told you that the exercise would do you good. You know, it’s like taking out the dog for a long walk so they sleep well.”
“Very funny.”
Chapter 6
Darien woke the next morning from a thankfully dreamless sleep. His mouth opened in a wide yawn, and he kicked his feet onto the floor. He curled his toes in the carpet, enjoying the sensation of the soft fabric sliding between his digits. He arched his back and stretched his arms out to either side. With a final fierce shake of his head, he stood up.
Susan was up. He could hear the shower running so he decided to treat her to breakfast, bachelor style. He fished out a couple of bowls and set the table. He grabbed her cereal and put them out with the bottle of milk. When Susan walked into the main room, Darien gave an extravagant bow.
“Your cereal is served.”
Susan smiled and sat down. “I thought we could run to my office. I want to grab some patient records to review before going into work tomorrow. Plus, when we’re there, we could use the gym. It’s a lot cheaper and a lot less crowded than going to yours.”
“Sounds like a plan. I don’t know if I could handle another one of your ‘light’ hikes.”
As they were getting ready to go, Darien’s phone rang. It was his doctor’s office.
“Hello?”
“Hello. This is Sherry and I’m calling for Doctor Gilliam’s office. Is this Darien Yost?”
“It is.”
“Hi, Darien. The doctor wanted me to call and let you know that we have the results back from your blood test. Your CBC was normal, your blood sugar was good, and all other tests came back in the normal range. According to the tests, you’re perfectly healthy.”
“That’s great. Does the doc have any idea why I’m having the blackouts?”
“It’s hard to say. The doctor did ask me to see if your symptoms returned or if you had another incident. If so, he strongly recommends you consider coming back to the hospital and staying overnight so we can monitor you during one of these episodes. If not, then it could just be stress related.”
Darien wasn’t sure if he was relieved, frustrated, or resigned at the news.
“Thanks for letting me know. I appreciate how quickly you got the results. I haven’t blacked out since I came into the hospital, so I should be good on my own.”
“Well, if your symptoms do return, please come right in. There’s no need to call ahead. Have a nice day, Darien.”
Darien hung up the phone and tucked it into his pocket. He turned to face Susan, knowing she was anxious to hear the results as well. She leaned forward on the counter and supported her weight on her arms.
“The blood work came back clean, officially stumped as to why I was having issues. I guess that means I’m a mystery. A modern marvel of medicine.” Darien shrugged and the sarcasm dropped from his voice. “They think it might be stress related, but they really have no clue and are just guessing at this point.”
Susan nodded and then grabbed two water bottles out of the fridge. She carried them past him to the front door. She sat down on the carpet and began putting on a pair of shoes. “Come on. You need a good, hard workout. You can shower after you’ve sweated out some of your worries.”
Darien smiled and followed her example. “Alright, but this time I’m driving.”
The two of them finished getting ready and then left the apartment. There were a few people in the lobby as they walked out, but no one that Darien recognized. Susan offered a brief nod of recognition to one couple, but that was the extent of their interaction.
As they stepped outside, the sun beat down on Darien and forced him to unzip his jacket even before they had taken a couple of steps. It was a surprisingly warm day given how far along they were into autumn. The air had the musty smell of fallen leaves soaked through with morning dew. It invigorated him as they walked down the sidewalk to his car.
The roads were filled with standard Sunday traffic, but they cleared up as Darien and Susan crossed the I-5 bridge and left the city. Her physical therapy office was located in Northgate and was part of a larger business building. The parking garage was nearly abandoned, with only a handful of other cars. The suite where she worked was completely empty, and Susan had to disarm the alarm when they went through the doors.
Darien had been in this office many times, both recreationally and as a patient. There was a small desk near the fr
ont entrance and then a line of medical tables against the wall where the therapists worked their craft. Next to the tables was a line of treadmills, stair climbers, and exercise bikes, all facing the third story window—providing a less-than-exciting view of the parking lot and highway. To the left of the entrance sat several different weight machines for working on just about every major muscle group. Scattered in various places against the wall were collections of the tools used for therapy: medicine balls, exercise bands, wooden steps, and more. Every few feet there was a spray bottle of disinfectant that was used often enough to give the office a permanent bleach-like odor.
They both stretched and began to work out independently. Susan pulled an iPod out of her pocket and slipped the buds in her ears while she worked out. It wasn’t long before Darien was building up a heavy sweat and relishing the sensation. As long as he was preoccupied with his breathing and whether or not he could finish a set of reps, his mind stayed focused on the present. After a little over an hour, he was toweling himself off and heading to the showers. When he finished cleaning up, Susan had finished her workout and was ready to go as well.
“Like you said, just what a puppy needs to sleep well, right?”
Susan gave him a playful punch in the arm as they made their way back to the garage. They exited the stairwell on their floor and could hear the echo of their own footsteps. A few more cars had pulled into the garage since they entered the building, but it still looked abandoned.
“Is this where I tell you I told you so?”
“How could I possibly doubt you? I mean, you’re always right, aren’t you?”
Susan laughed. “I’m glad you finally learned that. It took you long enough.”
A car was parked next to his that wasn’t there when they went into the building. Darien could see several men sitting inside, watching the two of them as they approached. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. As he turned around the front corner of his car to get to the driver’s side, they got out of the car. There were four of them, all well-dressed and each one bigger than the last. Darien turned and pressed his back against his car, making room for them to pass by, but the first man reached out for him. Darien turned to run, felt a strong hand grab his shirt and pull him back. He felt something hard and small pressed against the back of his ribs. He heard Susan gasp.
The Shadow Chaser (The Sheynan Trilogy Book 1) Page 4