by J. L. Berg
Careful of the hep-lock buried in the crook of my arm, I slowly got up and made my way to the en-suite bathroom.
I brushed my teeth and attempted to throw my long blonde hair into a ponytail. I then gathered all my toiletries and placed them in the bag my mom had brought. After returning to the room, I threw the small bag into the suitcase by the bed. Several other items also went in, and after a few minutes, I was ready to go.
I could hear my bed calling out for me, whispering my name. Uninterrupted sleep was something that was seriously taken for granted by those who were lucky enough to enjoy it. Right now, I was exhausted—probably more exhausted than I should be, but I ignored that because I was going home.
After everything in my room had been tidied up, I settled back down to wait out the day. Whenever a nurse told you that the doctor would be with you in a bit, she really meant that the doctor would be in sometime today, so you shouldn’t hold your breath. Seeing as it had been less than an hour since Grace disappeared from my sight, I was quite surprised when Dr. Marcus suddenly appeared at my door. Clad in blue scrubs, he ran his large hands through his salt-and-pepper locks.
Having adjusted back to teaching day classes, my mom had finished teaching her one summer course for the day, and she was now sitting in her usual spot in the corner. She was deeply immersed in her book from earlier, scribbling down notes, but she instantly perked up when my longtime handsome doctor came in.
He took a few steps, hesitated slightly, and then walked the remaining distance to the bed. He seemed uneasy, and his eyes were roaming around the room as if they were desperately trying to lock on to anything but me. Finally, he met my gaze, and immediately, I knew he had bad news.
“Hey, Lailah,” he said.
“Hi, Dr. Marcus.”
“Listen, kid—” he started.
I interrupted him, “I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Right. I keep forgetting. Twenty-two. Crazy.”
Dr. Marcus had been caring for me since I was a child. I’d gone to other hospitals for more complicated procedures, and other doctors and specialists had seen me over the years, but I’d always been under the care of Dr. Marcus. Besides my mother, he was the closest thing I had to family.
“I’ve looked at your levels, and it’s not happening today, Lailah.”
“Why?” I whispered.
He arched his brow, giving me a pointed stare.
“My breathing,” I answered my own question.
He nodded. “Yes, your breathing isn’t good—I can tell you that standing across the room and your heart is beating irregularly. I’m sorry. I know you wanted to hit the road today, but until we get you in better shape, I can’t let that happen.”
I turned to my mother, who was staring at me with a sad, concerned expression. Our eyes met, and she gave me a hesitant smile. She wouldn’t fight him. I knew that from experience. She followed all doctor instructions to the letter. When it came to my health, she wasn’t willing to take even an iota of a chance.
“Okay,” I said, turning back to Dr. Marcus, as I tried to fight back the tears. “I guess it’s time for bad food and daytime TV for me once again.”
“I’ll make sure they send up extra dessert,” he said with a wink.
His focus then went to my mother and I watched her rise from her chair to join him across the room. Huddled together, I could hear very little of what they were saying, but from what I managed to catch, I was going to be stuck within these walls for quite a bit longer.
Freedom had suddenly vanished before my eyes.
Back to jail I go.
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This August, I hit the big five. Five years as a published writer. It still blows my mind to even type that sentence. Looking back at everything I’ve accomplished, I know I couldn’t have gotten here if not for the support of everyone around me.
My biggest support system has been and always will be my husband and two girls. These three motivate me, inspire me and are my unending source of joy in this world. I love you guys.
Jill Sava—Thank you for everything you do.
Ami Waters—I love you. That’s all.
Sarah Hansen—Thank you for making yet another beautiful book cover. You are beyond talented.
Jovana Shirley—Thank you for another beautifully edited book.
Stacey Blake—You are the formatting queen.
To my beta readers, Katy Nielsen, Carla VanZandt and Jill Sava, thank you for once again being my guinea pigs.
And once again, thanks to Katy Nielsen for proofing. You’re an angel.
Berg’s Book Reviewers—Thank you guys! You are awesome!
Berg’s Bibliophiles—I love you crazy ladies!
Bloggers—Thank you for all that you do!!
READERS—As always, thank you a hundred times over.
J.L. Berg is the USA Today bestselling author of the Ready series, the Walls series, the Lost & Found series and more. She is a California native living in the beautiful state of historic Virginia. Married to her high school sweetheart, they have two beautiful girls and two pups. When she’s not writing, you will find her cuddled up, watching a movie with her family, obsessing over fandoms or devouring anything chocolate! J.L. Berg is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency, LLC.
Website: www.jlberg.com
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