Taste everything you’ve never eaten before.
Create the most beautiful garden in the world.
Walk across hot coals.
Maybe there’s something I can talk him into. While we’re doing it, he might start to realize that he has to keep his promise to Lilly. And that he needs the clarity the examination will give him in order to be able to do exactly that.
Maybe. Or not.
A wild mix of fear and longing takes hold of me. Maybe I was wrong and everything is fine. But what if he really is sick?
Agitated, I walk toward the exit.
I need help, I can’t get any further on my own. Maybe June is at home, we could go over everything together again. Turning up at Jaden’s parents’ place doesn’t make much sense. After everything he’s told me about them, they’d hardly advise Jaden to get checked out.
What else could I do?
The carousel of my thoughts is giving me a hellish headache. I massage my temples, remind myself to breathe calmly, and deliberately walk slowly toward the door.
Then I hear a deep growl. A motorcycle coming closer, way too fast for the clinic forecourt. I stop and watch the black bike through the glass doors, which are now closing in front of me again.
The rider is sitting upright, his shoulders tense. He’s not wearing a helmet. What the hell is wrong with him?
The motorcycle comes closer. Something about the sight makes me suspicious.
Dark hair, five-day stubble.
Damn, that’s Jaden!
My heart skips a beat, even though he isn’t looking in my direction. He probably doesn’t even notice that I’m standing here staring at him, even though we’re so close to each other.
Behind him, judging by the build, crouches a woman. She’s wearing a helmet, her long hair falling in soft waves down her back. Her ankle is wrapped with… what is that… a jacket?
Jaden brakes carefully and comes to a stop. With a focused expression, he helps the woman take off her helmet and get off the motorcycle. The moment her foot touches the ground, she lets out such a shrill scream that it sends a shiver down my spine.
‘I need help!’ Jaden calls.
I quickly grab a wheelchair and ask a male nurse to come with me. We hurry over to the two of them, and I can’t take my eyes off Jaden, who’s talking calmly to the woman and supporting her until I reach them.
‘Thanks,’ he says, still fully focused on the woman, and helps her sit down.
‘Patient, female, thirty-five. Fell while hiking. Severe swelling…’
Now he looks up.
Sees me.
I hold my breath for a split second, and that brief moment feels as if the world stops turning.
