Page 54 of The Lighthouse on Plum Island
“Great! Tanner will be here in a few minutes to take Caroline to the van,” Daniella concluded before leaving the room.
It wasn’t long before Tanner walked into the room, pushing a wheelchair. “Hey, everyone.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly at Caroline. “I’ve come to collect the patient.” He bowed over the wheelchair. “Your chariot awaits, my lady.”
Jules laughed at his silliness, but Caroline eyed the chair in disgust.
“I’m not riding in the chair.” She ignored the pain and woozy feeling as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “I’ll walk.”
“No, you won’t!” Three voices chorused as their eyes pinned her warningly.
“I swear, Caro, if you don’t get in that chair, I will hoist you over my shoulder and carry you,” Finn threatened.
“You know Uncle Finn will do it, Mom,” Jules warned her mother.
“I’m sorry, but I must side with your brother and daughter on this one.” Brad held his hands up in surrender when Caroline looked to him as an ally.
Traitor!Caroline thought as she sighed and let Tanner help her in the chair.
The journey to the Newbury Port Hospital took a few minutes, but it had felt like hours to Caroline as every bump in the road felt like a hammer to her brain. She also hated being wheeled into the hospital on a gurney. But there was nothing she could do but lie on the uncomfortable bed with wheels as she was swished into a room to get ready for the scan.
A few minutes later, Caroline felt a sense of vulnerability as she lay on the hospital gurney, clad in a thin hospital gown, being wheeled toward the ominous-looking CT scan room. The rhythmic clattering of the gurney wheels echoed through the sterile corridors, adding to the surreal atmosphere. She wondered if Jules, Brad, and Finn were at the hospital and pictured them pacing the waiting room for news.
Entering the CT scan room felt like stepping into a futuristic chamber of medical wonders. The large machine dominated the space, its circular opening intimidating yet strangely intriguing. A technician welcomed her before helping Caroline off the gurney and onto the cold, hard table. The coolness seeped through the thin gown, making her shiver involuntarily.
As the technician positioned her, Caroline glanced at the door as Daniella, donned in scrubs and wearing an air of calm professionalism, joined them in the room. She explained the procedure to Caroline, her voice a steady reassurance in the face of the unknown.
“Caroline, the CT scan is a painless and quick procedure. You’ll feel the table move as it slides you into the machine, and there might be some whirring and clicking sounds. Just relax and keep still. It’ll be over before you know it,” Daniella explained, her tone soothing. “I’ll be back there talking to you through the scan. If you start to feel discomfort at any time, let me know.”
Caroline nodded, trying to suppress the rising tide of anxiety within her. The sterile room, the clinical scent of disinfectants,and the looming machine all contributed to the uneasy feeling gnawing at her core.
The technician secured a brace around her head as she lay on the table to keep it still. The alien sensation heightened her sense of vulnerability. Daniella stood by her side, a steady presence amid the mechanical hum of the CT scan machine.
The table slowly glided into the circular opening of the machine, and Caroline’s pulse quickened. Daniella and the technician left her alone in the tunnel. She lay there feeling her heart beat like a trapped bird. She nearly jumped out of her skin when Daniella’s voice came through the comms.
“Caroline, the scan is about to start,” Daniella warned her. “Lie still and remember I’m right here.”
“Okay,” Caroline stammered. “I think I’m ready.”
The whirring and clicking sounds enveloped her, creating an otherworldly symphony that seemed to echo her own internal apprehension. Caroline’s eyes moved, wondering if they should also be still. She then gave herself a mental shake for being silly. Of course, her eyeballs could move, but her head and body had to remain still.
She was so caught up in trying to distract herself from the weird sensations of the machine that she nearly screamed this time when Daniella spoke to her.
“Caroline, you’re doing great. Just a few more moments,” Daniella’s voice floated through the machine’s noises, offering a lifeline of support.
Caroline closed her eyes and focused on the rhythmic sounds, trying to find a calming rhythm within the cacophony. She tried to imagine her family and Brad in the waiting room, and knowing they were there calmed her. Suddenly, Brad’s face popped into her mind with his piercing blue eyes and sexy smile. Caroline could still feel his lips against hers as he pulled her into his strong embrace and then skidded her thoughts to a halt.
No, Caroline. Remember, he’s with Harriet!Caroline pictured herself drawing over Brad’s face with a black marker pen, but his face just reappeared clean to haunt and torment her. There was no mistaking the look of worry and a much deeper emotion when she woke up to see him next to her at the clinic. Then there was their dinner at the hotel and…
No, no, no!
“Almost done, Caroline,” Daniella’s voice snapped her out of her reverie and brought her back into the reality of her being in a weird tube that could see through her skin and bone.
Suddenly, the scan seemed to stretch into eternity, each passing second intensifying the feeling of confinement. The mechanical whirring and clicking became a relentless soundtrack, a stark contrast to the serenity Caroline sought and the pain in her brain. Caroline wondered if they would ever make a machine that could see a broken soul and find a way to mend it. That’s what she needed right now because as much as she hated to admit it, Caroline still had feelings for Brad. Feeling that deepened every minute she was in his presence, and she knew that she had to somehow get over him fast, especially if she was going to be working with him for most of the production.
Finally, the table moved back, retracting her from the machine. The sudden release from the confines of the CT scan offered a rush of relief. The technician approached, helping Caroline sit up as Daniella offered a supportive hand.
“You did great, Caroline. We’ll get the results soon, and then we’ll have a clearer picture of what’s going on,” Daniella reassured her, a genuine smile softening the clinical environment.
A mixture of gratitude and vulnerability lingered as Caroline stepped down from the table. The ordeal had been a stark reminder of life’s unpredictability, and the supportive presence of those around her provided a semblance of comfort.
