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Or was Joel just not on his game?
“We’re going to keep you under observation,” my new doctor informs me. “Our top cardiologist will be in tomorrow morning, bright and early, to chat with you. But it’s not a heart attack or anything we’re deeming emergent. The best course of action is to wait and see.”
I don’t think I’d be able to handle another emergency. Although coming to the hospital in the middle of the night feels like one, I’m glad that I’m not actively dying.
How dramatic, right?
As soon as I’m alone, I sag back against the pillows and touch the scar on my chest. It used to be slightly raised, but it’s faded in the last six years. Since my last emergency surgery.
Thinking of that sends a shiver down my spine, and I screw my eyes shut tight.
“This isn’t that,” I whisper to myself.
I try to ignore the lit-up monitors behind my head. They’ve quieted the beeping, and I close my eyes…
Only for my narrow bed to dip some time later, dragging me out of my half-dream.
When I crack my eyes open, I can’t quite tell if I’m still dreaming.
Knox sits beside me, his black cap backward on his head. Gray sweatshirt, black sweatpants. He looks like he did atseventeen, the familiar worry lines furrowing his brow. He used to sneak into my hospital room and keep me company.
“Sunny,” he whispers, more of an admonishment than anything else.
And before I can say anything, he kicks off his shoes, ditches the hat, and peels back the blankets. He crawls in beside me, curling his body around mine.
“I know you hate hospitals,” he whispers.
Yeah.
“So just this once, we can call a truce.”
Just this once.
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MANUSCRIPT
CHAPTER 4
“Sunny!”
Knox catches up to me in the hallway, slipping my bag easily off my shoulder. He hooks it over his bag like it doesn’t weigh a million pounds.
“So, I did some checking.”
I eye him. “Checking on what?”
He glances around, then lowers his voice. “Insurance.”
“Okay…” I don’t get it. And my face probably says that.
It’s been three days since we kissed in my bedroom. Three semi-awkward days where I did my best to keep Knox at arm’s length. Making sure someone was always in the room with us, be it his brother or a parent.
Because I can’t stop thinking about the kiss. And kissing him again. And touching more than just the front of his shirt.
He runs his fingers through his hair. “Listen. Some insurances are better than others, and they cover more. So you leave the hospital with a bill of five grand instead of a hundred grand.” He stares at me.
“That’s great,” I offer. “I don’t really understand what you’re getting at, since my dad can’t just switch insurances. He already looked into it, and it’s way more expensive to do it out of pocket. His employer?—”
