Page 72 of Chasing You

“A surgery that is very, very expensive, and many women don’t have access to it, which means there are millions of cases ofsuspectedendometriosis.”

“And you think I might have it?”

“You have the standard symptoms, Marina.” I chew on the inside of my cheek, my hands cradling my stomach. “I’m not trying to scare you, okay? Only help you maybe find the reason why your periods are so depleting.”

Now it’s my turn to nod, but I can’t get one screaming question out of my head. “Can it affect your fertility?”

I couldn’t imagine going through life, finally finding someone to have children with, and then not being able to make the family I’ve always dreamed of. The thought cuts deeper than I care to admit. All I’ve ever wanted was to create something of my own, to create a family, to be a mother.

This can’t steal my chance.

Sofia’s eyes soften with sympathy. “In a few cases, it can.” My heart falls, I swear I hear the thud when it hits the bottom of my stomach. “But many women with endometriosis have fallen pregnant and had healthy babies, okay?” She reaches across the table, holding her hand out for me and I don’t hesitate to grab onto it. This is a woman who knows this fear, knows this pain and she’shere. “There are ways to manage this, you have options, okay?”Why are my eyes getting misty?“I can arrange an appointment with the doctor for you in the next few days while you’re already here if that’s something you want.”

All I can do is nod. Sofia squeezes my hand before booking me an appointment on her computer while I sit here with a bouncing knee and another wave of nausea rolling through me.

chapter thirty

MILES

PRESENT

The soundof footsteps shuffling past my room has become some kind of odd comfort to me in the last few days. But today is the last day I’ll hear it, I’m being discharged and can go home to rest. Right now, the home I’m heading to is the Lost and Found.

When my mom called telling me to go home, I froze. Not because I was thinking about going back to the States, but because it hadn’t even crossed my mind to do so, and I hadn’t even realized it until that moment.

I didn’t imagine myself flying there, being with my parents, or anyone else. I had only imagined myself here, surrounded by this family, in this town. All I could think about is that I have more time. Six weeks to show Marina just how much I regret what happened between us. Six weeks to mend things. And even if nothing changes for her, I’ll know I tried.

I think Marina took my silence as my consideration, but that’s not what it was at all, it was introspection. She hasn’t come back since then. I’ve tried calling her over and over but she won’t pick up. Every moment she’s not here chips away at my worry. The worry that she doesn’t trust me at all.

She has no reason to, but I hoped she would anyway. Now that hope is dwindling.

“Alright, pretty boy,” Leo’s voice echoes through the room as he saunters in. “You ready to bust out of here?”

“Don’t know if I’ll be doing much busting but I am so ready to get out of here and breathe in some fresh air. I hate hospitals.”

“Me too, man, get changed and we can get you out of here.” He chucks a duffel bag on the end of my bed before slouching into the chair.

I’m sort of surprised that Leo is the one here to pick me up, considering he would've had to fight my sister to get her to stay at home. But I'm slowly realising just what kind of a person he is. One that shows up for people when they need it, like now.

I slowly swing my legs off the side of the bed. “Can you get the nurse?”

“Why? What’s wrong?” He sits upright.

“Nothing,” I shake my head. “But I’m gonna need a hand getting this shirt on safely.”

He stands up. “I can help you, man.”

“No, it’s fine,” I wave him off. “The nurse can do it.”

“So can I,” he says. “It doesn’t have to be weird unless you make it weird.”

I chuckle, but wince at the movement. “Yeah, alright.”

I go into the bathroom and take the gown off, switching into a pair of sweatpants Leo brought before walking out into the room with the T-shirt in hand.

I carefully remove the sling, keeping my arm in the same position once it’s gone.

“Okay,” Leo mutters, his eyes assessing how he’s going to do this. “Right, I’m going to slide the sleeve over your arm,” he says, doing exactly that, following the angle of it and doing his best not to bump it. Once it reaches my shoulder, he’s pulling the neck hole over my head, and I’ve just got to thread my left arm through and we’re good.

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