Page 70 of True Blue

Always thought they’d end up together.

Some connections never go away.

What a beautiful couple!

A couple.

They do look like a couple.

And Teddy isn’t doing anything to correct that narrative. He’s not standing up to his mother. He’s not setting firmer boundaries with Lily, and when she or Dawn or her mother or his aunts says backhanded compliments that cut like insults, he pretends he doesn’t hear.

A new text comes through.

TEDDY

Hi honey. Mom’s not doing well after dinner. I’m going to stay here tonight.

“Fuck it,” I mutter, putting the phone down. I look back at the hotel booking and click Book Now.

Your reservations have been confirmed!

See you soon!

Leaning back in my chair, I hate that I don’t feel excitement.

All I feel is dread.

13

INDIE

JUNE

Between the relentless cramping in my lower abdomen and the effort it takes just to lift my head enough to aim for the toilet, I’m a complete fucking disaster.

My sundress sticks uncomfortably to my body from the sweat, the fabric damp and clinging and awful against my skin, making me want to tear it off just to breathe.

But I don’t have a change of clothes, and I’m in the guest bathroom at Dawn’s house, emptying my guts into the toilet like some tragic after-school special—stupid enough to eat food I didn’t watch being made, foolish for lowering my guard around people who’ve never earned my trust.

Teddy presses a cold compress to the back of my neck. It feels like relief for one second before my stomach tightens again, violently, and I lurch over the toilet and throw up once more.

I dry-heave after, my whole body trembling with the effort, my stomach spasming painfully until tears sting the corners of my eyes.

Blindly, I reach up and flush, then fall back against the side of the tub, shaking. The porcelain is cool against my shoulder, but not cool enough to soothe my overheated body.

“Oh, baby…” Teddy gently pushes my hair back from my sweaty forehead. “Jesus Christ.”

My brain already feels sluggish, my joints already aching, and the rash on my fingers keeps itching. I’ve had these symptoms before—not for a while, because I’m always careful—but I know exactly what this is.

Teddy’s mother specifically requested my presence for dinner tonight. I didn’t want to go, but I couldn’t use the excuse that I had work, since my residency is complete.

I’m officially an oncologist.

Boards passed.

Bluewater is waiting for me.

It’s been months since the dinner incident in February, where I snapped at Dawn. I haven’t seen her in person since then, but Teddy said she wanted to apologize to me. That alone took me off guard. I have never heard Dawn sincerely apologize to anyone for anything.