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“Any idea why her therapist didn’t order this test? Or suggest she see her primary care physician sothatdoctor could order it?” With the severity of the symptoms Ellie alluded to, one of her doctors should have taken the situation more seriously. It bothered him that they hadn’t.
“No,” Sofia responded. “She hasn’t mentioned anything about her primary care doctor, and she’s only been seeing her therapist for nine months. And only intermittently within that time frame. I’m not making excuses for her. But maybe she felt she didn’t know Ellie well enough to recognize that the behavior was so out of character.”
That sounded like Sofiawasmaking excuses, but Asher let it slide. The important thing was that Ellie was getting what she needed now. And once they had the results of the tests, he could help her make a plan to move forward. Which hopefully meant getting a new therapist. Regardless of what the tests showed—or didn’t—she’d need one. Thankfully, she seemed more than willing to do what it would take to get healthy, which was often more than half the battle.
He glanced at the digital images as they started appearing on the computer screens. As each one rendered, a little tension left his body. He wasn’t an expert, so he held his tongue. But so far, he saw nothing that he shouldn’t.
Several minutes later, he sent the file of images to the head of radiology while Ellie changed back into her clothes.
“Have any plans tonight?” Sofia asked.
“Ethan and Kara invited me over for dinner. Chad and Sabina might be there, too.” Not only did Ethan and Chad work together, but they’d married sisters, too. Twins, no less. The four of them spent a lot of time together. Especially now that Sabina was expecting.
“What about Charley and Joey?” Sofia asked, referring to his and Ethan’s twin sisters. Yes, with Kara and Sabina marrying into the Warwick family, they now had two sets of twins. With genetics being the way they were, he anticipated a few more in the next generation.
“Joey may be there, but Charley gets back late tonight from a snow-packing trip.”
“Because she’s crazy. You know that, right?” Sofia said.
“You better not be talking about me,” Ellie said, walking into the room. Asher chuckled at the look of horror on Sofia’s face.
“My sister,” Asher answered.
“Which one?” Ellie asked, rummaging in her purse. He’d forgotten she’d mentioned meeting them on one of her prior visits to Mystery Lake. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Ellie already had a small community of friends—particularly women friends—in his hometown. A couple of ladies’ nights out during her visits ensured she’d met all the Warwick women—both those who’d married into the family and those born into it. And that motley crew tended to include both Olivia Rodriguez and Ava Jones. Olivia had grown up with the Warwicks and now taught at the high school. Sabina, Ava, and Sofia volunteered regularly with the Hedy Project, an after-school club Olivia ran that encouraged the girls to consider careers in technology. As for Ava, she was a member of Sabina’s cyber team at HICC, but she’d grown up in the entertainment industry. She’d known both Sofia and Ellie for years before moving to Mystery Lake.
“Charley,” he answered Ellie’s question. “She’s leading a three-day snow-packing trip.”
Ellie froze with a tube of lip balm halfway to her perfectly bowed lips. “As incampingand hiking in thesnow?Forthreedays?!”
Asher nodded.
“See, cray-cray,” Sofia muttered.
Asher liked being outside in all seasons. But he had to agree with Sofia on this one. Charley took things to the extreme. And loved every minute of it. She was a good foil to Joey, who preferred to run the business side of their company.
Ellie shivered. “More power to her, but I’m glad it’s not me sleeping out in the cold.”
Sofia’s phone rang, and she stepped away to take the call as he shut the equipment down.
“Thank you for doing this,” Ellie said. She stood close to him, her voice quiet in the confines of the observation room.
He flashed her a smile then turned his attention back to the computer. If he looked at her for too long, he might not be able to look away. “I’m happy I could help. The radiologist will read them tomorrow morning, and I’ll give you a call as soon as I know anything.”
He could feel her eyes on him as he double-checked everything. It was crazy, but he could. He didn’t know what it meant, though. If anything.
Finally, with nothing more to do, he turned around and faced her. His gaze snagged on her eyes and held. Her impossibly dark, almost black, eyes. Eyes lined with thick lashes and elegant brows.
“Can I thank you somehow?” she asked.
A thousand and one things came to mind. None of which were appropriate. And all of which were likelynotwhat she meant. He shook his head and smiled again. A strained smile, but a smile nonetheless. “No need. Like I said, I’m glad I could help.”
A look flickered across her face. Maybe disappointment? No, that couldn’t be right. He was usually good at reading people, but she had him off-kilter. As he imagined most mere mortals felt in her presence.
“Josh ordered us a pizza,” Sofia said, walking back into the room. Her gait slowed as her gaze bounced between them, then she smiled and turned to Ellie. “All the fixings, of course. And he picked up some of that local beer you like,” she added.
Ellie returned Sofia’s smile. “Sounds great,” she said. And for the first time, Asher caught a hint of insincerity in her voice. An underlying inflection that made her response sound more forced than untrue.
“We should go,” Sofia said, her eyes once again darting to him.
