Page 70 of Until You Found Me

“Nah, this is bullshit. Came here because I can’t afford the other place and now you’re saying I gotta go there too.”

He’s being rude, and he knows it. This man in front of him has no control over what he’s charged. He’s just doing his job, but unfortunately, he’s in the line of fire, anyway.

“I do wish we could help further, but we’re only equipped for things like broken fingers and the flu. We can run bloodwork and do x-rays, but what you need is a specialist. You’re freeto leave. I’ll have your checkout details ready at the counter. Please don’t hesitate to address this at the clinic. It’s not something that can wait.”

He stares, dumbfounded, as the doctor leaves as quickly as he showed up.

“Fuck this,” he growls, grabbing his coat and stalking to the door.

Tessa follows silently while he checks out, taking with him the promise of a fresh bill sent to his address in four to eight weeks.

“I feel fine. I can’t afford the clinic. If I can walk there, I’m not going.”

“Logan.” She stops him from getting into the truck, her hand in his arm firm and her stare as haunted as the photo of that girl she’d been looking at this morning. “I can’t lose you, too. Please don’t make me beg.”

They both know that he’s barely getting by as it is but when he locks eyes with her he’s surprised to find that while he hardly cares about his own health anymore, he’d willingly to do anything for her, even if it means running up more debt.

She can’t lose him, she says, and while that concept alone is difficult to believe, he can’t deny her.

“Okay. We’ll go now.”

* * *

He assures himself that everyone’s overreacting, even as he’s pushed to the front of the line, which is a rarity. He’s always forced to wait unless he’s passed out in a diabetic coma and rolled in on a stretcher, but he’s walking on his own two feettoday and even so, Audrey is there to greet him.

She thrusts a clipboard his way as she leads them into the back. “Need you to sign this.”

“Not signing shit.”

The minute he signs anything, he’s agreeing to pay whatever convoluted prices they come up with.

“If you don’t, I won’t be able to push this through as emergency care. And if it’s not emergency care, then we aren’t required to treat you without payment and you can’t wait.”

“Audrey, will you stop and tell me what’s going on?” he barks, planting his feet.

Tessa’s having some sort of internal breakdown at his side. It’s evident on her face, despite her silence.

“They didn’t tell you at urgent care?” Audrey frowns.

“Just that I had to come here because the blood work on my kidneys was concerning. Not much else.”

“Shit. Fuck. I thought they told you. Useless fucking assholes. They literally have one job. I’m reporting someone today. I dunno who yet, or for what, but I am.”

He goes quiet. Audrey doesn’t rant, not like this. She might tease or joke with him because they’ve known each other for so long, but she isn’t easily upset or bothered to the point of cursing worse than he does. Her reaction now is enough to level him with the seriousness of the situation.

“Tell me,” he says quietly, all the fight gone out of him in a single breath.

“I’m taking you to get prepped for dialysis. Your kidneys are failing. It isn’t reversible. You need a transplant.”

Chapter 16

When Tessa woke up in the ground and clawed her way out, she had been overcome with fear and then swept away by numbness. She went through the motions, disconnected, as if viewing the world through a foggy TV screen, only focusing on basic survival.

It was all too much to process in any normal way. Her mind took care of her, blocking the hardest parts and giving her tunnel vision toward the most simple of tasks.

Now, when she needs that protection again, it does the same.

Logan is rushed between rooms, prodded and poked, and forced to sign unread documents as they draw more blood into small vials. This isn’t even the worst part.

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