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“Keep your eyes open for a moment.”
She tried but they fell shut again.
“What do you think is wrong?” Thomas hovered over us. “Is she okay?”
His tense energy was rubbing off on me.
“I can’t tell here. It’d be best to take her to an exam room and do a thorough checkup.”
“Okay, anything you need.” He backed away, watching as I helped Ava up.
If he wasn’t present, I’d have swung her into my arms and cradled her against my chest. But wrapping my arm around her waist would have to do.
I led her on gently, allowing her to take small steps so I didn’t rattle her and make it worse.
“You’re doing great, Ava. Just a few steps and we’ll be at the clinic, okay?”
I didn’t miss how her body leaned against mine and her breathing became steady and calm.
“I’ll wait here,” Thomas called, reminding me of his presence.
“This shouldn’t take long,” I threw over my shoulder.
The hallway connecting the house to the clinic was mercifully short. Each slow step Ava managed shone the light on her weakened state, and worry crowded in my stomach.
I wanted to fix what was wrong so she returned to her usual cheery self. It gutted me to see her suffering.
It was dark in the clinic, so I flicked on the lights as we headed to the exam room. We saw only outpatients, and we were closed on Sundays.
But I didn’t mind opening for Ava. I was glad Thomas had brought her to me. I would help her in any way I could.
I assisted her onto the exam table. Her hands hit the surface, straining as she settled onto it.
“Can you sit up?”
She nodded, then stopped, pressing a hand to her forehead.
“Headache?” It was hard to pry my hands away from her.
“Feeling dizzy,” she murmured, then her eyes cracked open. “Wait, no, I’m fine. It’s nothing.”
“Ava, it’s not nothing.” I frowned, stepping away.
Why was she so against getting help? Was she worried about Thomas finding out about us?
“Your dad’s not here. We can talk freely.”
Her eyes went to the door. “Yeah, um, I guess.”
“We’ll check your blood pressure first, okay?” I grabbed the equipment and brought it to her side.
She sat still as I wrapped her arm up, then pumped the device. It took a minute, then the numbers were displayed on the small screen.
My stomach turned liquid. What the fuck?
“What? What is it?” Ava leaned in, looking from me to the monitor.
“Your blood pressure is low.”Too low. But I wasn’t about to frighten her.
