Page 10 of Home Run

MILLIE

SIX WEEKS LATER

“Yes,Mom, I’m at the doctor now.”

“Tell her you think it was the shrimp from the Fourth of July.”

“I never had the shrimp.”

“You’ve been sick for two weeks. It’s not going to be anything else.”

Another wave of nausea passed over me. I didn’t want to talk about shrimp. I didn’t want tothinkabout shrimp.

“Do you want me to come up to the city this afternoon?”

“No, Mom, I’m fine. I just have a bug. I have to go. They’re calling me.”

“Okay, bye, sweetie. Love you, call me straight after and let me know what she says.”

I grabbed my stomach and sat back in the chair, waiting forthe churning in my belly to subside. I hadn’t been called, but I couldn’t stay on the phone any longer talking to my mom about the Fourth of July party, which may or may not be the cause of my current upset stomach.

But nearly every morning since then, I’d woken up feeling like I was about to vomit.

Radley had floated the possibility that the thought of Doug moving in was making me sick, and I seriously considered it for a second. However, she’d glossed over the fact that I didn’t get sick when I first found out about them, so in all likelihood, the fault didn’t lie with Doug and my mom. And the only thing nausea-inducing about them was how happy they were.

I still hadn’t quite come around to the idea that the remainder of my dad’s stuff that I hadn’t brought up to New York had been relegated to some boxes in the garage, but I also wanted my mom to enjoy her life.

“Millie?” I glanced up to find the receptionist looking at me. “Doctor Scott is ready for you.”

“Thanks,” I replied and headed down the carpeted hallway to where Doctor Scott’s office was.

Doctor Scott had only been my physician a year, since I’d moved to New York to study, and during that period, I’d only seen her a couple of times. She kind of reminded me of Julia Roberts, with her big smile and curly auburn hair, someone who put you at ease while they were telling you to eat more vegetables or handing you a pot to pee into.

She looked up from her computer as I entered. “Hey, Millie, one second, please take a seat.”

Her office was on the third floor of a large brownstone next to a modern apartment block. It was still early enoughin the morning that people were getting ready to start their day; across the way, a lady was walking around with a towel on her head, while another looked like they were trying to break a record on an exercise bike.

“Okay, Millie, what’s the issue?”

My eyes flicked from the window to Doctor Scott. “It’s probably nothing, but I’ve been feeling a bit sick for a couple of weeks. Since July fourth. My mom thinks it’s food poisoning.”

Doctor Scott’s brows raised. “From two weeks ago? That’s rare. Have you been sick?”

I nodded.

“And you were sick July fourth?”

“The next day, I thought maybe it was a hangover.”

“Did you drink a lot?”

“Not really. Just some coolers, and beers.” I shook my head, remembering that I hadn’t felt like drinking. All I’d wanted to do was lay around the pool.

“How much have you been sick since?”

“Most days, but it comes in waves and then I feel better.”

She was typing up notes as I answered her questions, but whatever I’d just said had her pausing for a fraction of a second.

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