Page 41 of Coast

“No. It’s just a consistent ache. Like you’d expect when you get socked in the eye.”

“Alright. Any double or blurred vision?”

“No.”

“A foreign body sensation? Like when you would swear something is in your eye?”

“Nope.”

“Your pupil looks normal. What about this,” she said, producing a pen flashlight. “Does this cause any pain?”

“Nah.”

“Okay. I’m just gonna poke around a little,” she said, putting on gloves and pressing around my eye. Then my nose.

“You got lucky. Again,” she said, pulling off her gloves. “You won’t always get lucky, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“You want some acetaminophen for the pain?”

“Nah.”

“Of course not. The whole point of this was the pain, wasn’t it?” she asked, shaking her head. “Well, mission accomplished.”

“Medical care with a side of judgment,” I said, shooting her a smile.

“I’m allowed to judge you. You’re family. And you’re being stupid.”

“Hey, that’s my brand,” I said, making my way to the exam room door. “Thanks for checking me out, Ama.”

I was only a few feet into the hallway when I saw a flash of blonde hair that had my stomach twisting.

It wasn’t her.

It was stupid to…

Wait.

It was her.

Wide-eyed and panicked, Lainey clutched to her chest.

“Zo?” I called.

“Coast?” she whimpered, eyes flooding with tears. They wasted no time pouring down her cheeks. “I need help.”

“What’s going on?” I asked, moving through the metal detector that separated the lobby from the exam areas.

“Lainey,” she cried. “She’s sick. She’s… I think she’s really sick.”

“Okay,” I said, reaching out to press my hand to the back of Lainey’s neck. “Yeah, she’s burning up. Ama!” I called, watching her jerk and turn back, striding toward the lobby.

“Yeah?”

“Pretty high fever going on here,” I said, looping an arm around Zoe’s back as she sniffled hard.

“Okay, Mama,” Ama said, tone singsong. “Babies get fevers all the time,” she said, reaching out to touch Lainey’s head. “Are there any other symptoms?”

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