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He headed for her room.
Tap. Tap.
“Pepper?”
“Come in.” Her voice sounded weak. It definitely lacked her usual pep.
He opened the door to find her in bed. He didn’t have to ask her to know that she didn’t feel well, again. This was the second day in a row. And she didn’t seem to be getting any better.
He could understand the first day, with the shock of the fire. But two days due to shock with no improvement? He wasn’t buying it. There was something more afoot.
“Get dressed,” he said, pulling his phone from his pocket. “You’re going to the doctor.”
“What? No. I’ll be fine. Just give me a bit. I promised to bake the items for the office—”
“Forget the baking.” He shook his head. “You’re not well. And this has been going on too long. I want a doctor to have a look at you and make sure it’s nothing serious.”
Pepper jumped out of bed. “See? I’m—”
Her face grew pale and she rushed to the bathroom. She sent the door slamming shut behind her.
Fine. Right. And I’m Santa Claus.
He pulled up the number of his family doctor. The man may be old now, but he’d been treating Simon his whole life. He wouldn’t trust anyone else with Pepper.
By the time he got off the phone, having arranged an appointment right away, Pepper had returned from the bathroom. “I’m fine. I just got out of bed too fast, is all.”
As though she hadn’t just made the flimsiest excuse, he said, “You have a doctor’s appointment this morning. Get dressed and we’ll be off.”
She perched on the edge of the bed. “I told you. I’m fine.”
“Actually, you got to I’m and then you rushed out of the room. So I don’t believe you’re fine. I think you need to see a doctor, because this could be something serious.”
She shook her head. “You’re making too much of this.”
“And you’re not making enough of it.”
She crossed her arms and stared at him. “I can’t go.”
He pressed his hands to his waist. He could be just as stubborn as her. “Why not?”
She didn’t speak at first. When she did, her voice was soft, as though the admission was hard for her. “Because bad things always happen to my family when it comes to doctors and hospitals.” She shook her head as though chasing away bad memories. Softly but firmly she said, “I can’t.”
His arms lowered. “I had no idea.” He sat beside her. “What happened?”
She glanced away, keeping him from seeing into her expressive eyes. “It started when I was eight.” Her voice was rough with emotion. “My mother was walking home from her baking job at the local grocery store. A car came out of nowhere.” Pepper drew in a deep breath. “It hit her, sending her tumbling over the roof—” Her voice caught. “The driver kept going. My mother...she was taken to the hospital. I—I remember being allowed to see her before surgery. Her hand was so cold. Her face was a pasty white...” Pepper shook her head as though chasing away the painful images. “She died in surgery.”
He reached out to her, hesitated and withdrew his hand. “I’m sorry.”
“My grandmother took me in. And then one day she went from being healthy and bossy to being a victim of breast cancer. She went through months of chemo before the doctors declared nothing more could be done.” Pepper turned to him. “So you see why I keep my distance from doctors.”
“But this is different. You’ll be fine.”
“Exactly.” She stood. “That’s why I don’t need to go.”
He got to his feet. His gaze met hers. They stood there staring at each other for the longest time.
He sighed. “Has anyone told you that you’re particularly stubborn?”
