Page 114 of Faking the Pass
“I heard you got married. Congratulations,” Dr. Byron said.
“Thanks. Listen, we went deep sea fishing yesterday, and she got really seasick. I’ve never seen a case this bad. I’m wondering if it might be Mal de Debarquement.”
“What are her symptoms?”
“Extreme dizziness—to the point of falling down. Nausea, cold sweats, exhaustion.”
“Yeah, sounds like it unfortunately,” she said. “MDD is very difficult to treat. Most treatments aren’t very effective. We could try Clonazapam at a low dose. It’s an anti-seizure drug that helps some people. Can you bring her in?”
I walked to the bedroom door and peeked in on Rosie. “She’s asleep right now. But I don’t think it’s the best idea to put her in the car anyway, you know?”
“Yeah you’re right,” Dr. Byron said. “I’ll put in a prescription for her, and maybe you can have it delivered to your place. If she doesn’t get some relief within a couple of days, you’ll have to bring her into my office.”
“Okay. Thanks so much. I really appreciate it.”
“No problem. Just be aware the clonazepam has a few side effects—trouble thinking, nightmares, confusion.”
“Cure sounds worse than the disease.”
She laughed. “I know, right? I sound like a pharmaceutical commercial. Hopefully it’ll keep her from falling and getting injured, though. And help her keep some food down.”
That was all I needed to hear. I’d been alarmed at Rosie’s lack of appetite.
“Okay well thanks again,” I said. “I’ll text you tomorrow and let you know how things are going.”
“Presley,” she said.
“Yeah?”
“Be careful of your collarbone, okay? Don’t try to be a hero and carry her or something. The plate and screws you had put in might make it feel like it’s healed, but it’s not.”
“Right. Thanks.”
About a minute after we ended the call, my phone rang. It was Dylan.
Naturally I’d canceled our dinner plans for last night.
My entire family had been texting me throughout the day, checking on Rosie, and my mom had dropped off some food that, unfortunately, Rosie hadn’t been able to eat.
“Hey brother,” I said, picking up Dylan’s call.
“How’s the patient?” he asked. “Or should I say, how long till I can start teasing Rosie about her complete lack of sea legs?”
“Pretty much the same. I just got her a prescription from Dr. Byron though, so hopefully that’ll help.”
“Want me to go pick it up?”
“Nah, CVS usually delivers pretty quick. Thanks though.”
“Sure. Just let me know if you need anything. Mia has Lily this week, so I’m available anytime after practice.”
“Thanks.”
“So it’s pretty weird she got so nauseous from a few hours out on a boat,” Dylan said.
“Yeah. I guess so, though I was reading up on it today—it just happens with some people.”
There was a pause, then Dylan said, “I was just wondering… I mean, do you think there’s anything else going on?”
