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"Ms. Wilkes, I think there's a very good chance you have something called Myasthenia Gravis."
Holly gripped the armrests of her chair. "What is that?"
"To break it down, it's an autoimmune, neuromuscular disease. It causes muscle weakness like the kind you're experiencing with your eyes, legs, and arms. Even your swallowing is part of it. Usually what happens is that it gets worse after you're active, but then the symptoms fade after you rest."
"Can it be cured?" Holly asked.
The doctor shook his head. "To be clear, life expectancy is normal. But the answer to your question is no. However, there is treatment. There's medication we can give you to improve your symptoms significantly. Some people have even gone into remission."
"Is it ever dangerous?" Eli asked, leaning forward in his chair. "Is she at risk?"
"Some people can have their breathing affected during what's called a Myasthenic Crisis. This is where the muscles get weak and you can't breathe. It doesn't happen to everyone—only about twenty percent of people with the disease. Sometimes surgery or other stressors like respiratory illness and pregnancy can cause a crisis. If this ever happens, you will have to stay at the hospital for a period, and you'd need a ventilator to breathe during that time. Have you had any difficulty breathing?"
"No," Holly said, shaking her head. "None."
"There are ways to help lower your risk of having a crisis, and if your results show that you do have Myasthenia Gravis, we can go over everything you need to know. And there is a wealth of information online."
"A doctor that encourages his patients to Google?" Eli asked. "I'm surprised."
Dr. Walston laughed. "Online resources can be very helpful, but yes, we encourage people not to self-diagnose. But for information gathering, it's a great tool." He glanced at Holly. "I'd like you to go next door and get some blood taken. I’m fairly certain that it will confirm what I already suspect. I should have the results back tomorrow. When you check out, one of my staff will give you a pamphlet on how to register for our patient portal online to see your results. However, I'll call you if the blood test indicates Myasthenia Gravis, just in case you have any questions. If the test confirms MG, then we will start you on medication immediately."
"Okay. Thank you, Dr. Walston." Holly said, getting up from the chair. She was surprisingly weak after doing those tests. She tested lifting her arms above her head to tighten her ponytail, but thankfully, she had no issues.
Eli shook the doctor's hand, and they exited the office.
The anger she felt hit her suddenly, and she was almost vibrating with rage. She was too young for this to be happening. And how would this disease affect her life going forward? Would she have to take a lot of medication? Would she be able to lead a normal life?
Right now, all she had were questions and no answers, and it totally sucked.
* * *
Once Holly had completed the necessary blood work, they walked back to his car in silence. When Eli placed his hand on the small of her back, she stiffened immediately.
Frowning, he dropped his hand and opened the passenger side door for her.
When he was behind the wheel, he started the car and turned up the air conditioning, but didn't pull out of the parking lot.
"Holly?" he asked gently. "How are you feeling?"
"I'm tired," she said irritably. "All I want to do is go back to the penthouse and take a nap."
"Yeah. That was a ton of information to digest. I can't imagine what you're feeling."
"No, you can't." She crossed her arms. "Eli, can we leave, please? I want to go home."
"Okay. I just want you to know that you're not alone in this. We're going to get this figured out."
She gave him a sideways glance. "We? What do you mean,we? There is no "we," Eli. There's me, and that's it."
He sighed. "Holly, come on. You know what I mean."
"No, I don't. We're just..." She waved a hand. "We're fuck buddies, okay? That's it. This is my life, and I'm the one who has to deal with this. Not you."
Her words stung, but she was overwhelmed and upset from what she'd just been through, so he tried not to take it personally. Having this conversation, or any conversation right now, was a bad idea. She had to sit with the information, and nothing he said would help.
"Okay." He kept his voice even as he started the car. "Whatever you say."
After they arrived at the penthouse, Holly went straight into her room and shut the door without a word.
