Page 89 of Would You Rather

“What are you in for?”

She said it like they were in prison, and Mia laughed. “Kinrovi.”

“Never heard of it. What’s it for?”

“I have a rare kidney disease. I’ll need a transplant at some point, but until they find a match, this keeps things under control.”

“A kidney transplant, huh? My cousin had one of those. Got it from his dad, if I remember right.”

Mia looked down at her hands. “Yeah, family members are usually the easiest way to go.” She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m adopted, so it’s not an option for me.”

Mia looked up to see the slight wince on the other woman’s face, probably from the way Mia had said it. “Ah.”

“What about you?” Mia asked, changing the subject. “I haven’t seen you here before.”

“First time. My doctor’s been wanting me to try this new drug for my Crohn’s disease for a while now, but I held out as long as I could.” She eyed Mia’s arm and shuddered. “I hate needles.”

“I understand. I did too, at first. But Natasha’s so good you’ll barely feel it.”

Barbara took a deep breath. “I hope you’re right.”

Natasha approached and introduced herself to her new patient. While they chatted, Mia sent Noah a text message.

Mia:Wings?

Noah:Sure.

Mia:They have a new flavor. Orange ginger. Wanna try it?

Noah:Nope.

Mia:Come on.

Noah:Why can’t you accept the fact I like them plain?

Mia:Because it’s weird.

Noah:Some might call it loyal.

Mia:That’s a good quality in a husband, I guess.

Noah:You guess?

Mia:Okay, it’s definitely a good quality.

Noah:Meanwhile, my wife’s out there trying a new flavor every chance she gets.

Mia:Guess you’ll have to find a way to keep our marriage spicy then, huh?

As soon as she hit Send, she regretted it. She scrambled to find something else to say, to explain she hadn’t meant itthatway. But everything she typed out seemed ridiculous, and she kept erasing it to start over. Finally, another message from Noah came through.

Noah:We’re so different.

They were. As she considered how to respond, Barbara said, “Mia?”

Mia looked up. Natasha had placed the tourniquet on the older woman’s arm and stood at the ready with the needle.

Barbara’s eyes were wide, her lips quivering. “Would you talk to me? To distract me?”

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