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I glance up and find her worrying her bottom lip.
The movie?
Catherine arrives with the medicine.
“Can you sit up?” Shanel asks me.
“Yeah.”
She helps me to straighten and offers me a pill along with a glass of cold water. I knock it back, the storm quieting as I hold tightly to her hand and close my eyes.
The boat rocks gently beneath us.
A gentle wind chases the pain away.
In the silence, I find peace.
Catherine clears her throat. “I’ll give you two some privacy.”
I barely spare her a glance.
Shanel turns to me. “Better?”
“A little.”
She tries to pull her hand away.
I hold fast.
Slowly, Shanel relaxes and continues to run her fingers down my face.
My eyes are closed, but I’m not sleeping.
Worries blow through my mind.
Are these headaches pointing to a larger problem? They appear suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere. I thought I could handle them, but every bout gets worse.
Tonight, I was brought to my knees.
The next one could kill me.
“That noise in your head,” Shanel’s voice trembles, “when did it start?”
“Why?”
“Just tell me.”
“I don’t know.” I try to think past this moment in her arms. “The day we met.”
Her fingers freeze.
I open my eyes and find Shanel staring into the distance with a terrified expression.
“It’s not because of you. During the earthquake, I hit my head…” My words trail when I see the distress in her eyes. “Hey.” I lift her chin. “Look at me. I’m fine.”
She nods.
My lips curve up. “There’s no need for concern, although seeing you worry about me is nice.”
