Page 100 of Memories By the Shore
“Ow,” I grit out, slightly bent over.
Helen jumps to her feet, rushing over to me. “Are you alright?”
“Yes—ahh.” It hits me again. Similar to a period cramp, but much worse. The deep pain sends a wave of nausea through me.
She’s hunched over, meeting me at my level. “Avery, are you okay?”
“I think so. I don’t know what’s wrong,” I manage to say before falling back into my chair. Suddenly, I feel a wetness in my panties.My period? It can’t be.I took four tests three weeks ago.
“Avery, honey, you’re bleeding!” Helen’s frantic voice causes my head to spin. I barely see her bend down and wipe the blood off the inside of my leg with a napkin.
“The pain is getting worse.” My breath is labored. I lay over the chair’s armrest, unsure how I will get up.
“We need to get you to the doctor right now,” she tells me. “Stay right here. I will get you a pad and shorts.” The cramps are increasingly getting worse while panic zips up my spine.
“The doctor?” I ask, worried. “Everything is okay, right?”
Her expression hides more emotion. “Just stay right here.”
She’s back quickly and slides both items on under my dress.
“Thank you,” I whisper. “What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.” Helen slides her arm underneath mine, lifting me from the chair. “It’s a short walk to the car, honey, so don’t worry. Just stay focused on getting there.”
In a daze, with my vision blurry, I barely remember making it to the car—or throwing up in there on the way to the emergency room.
A quick flash of two nurses sprinting around the check-in desk to capture me as soon as my legs weaken is the last thing I see before I make contact with the cold, tiled floor.
Then everything went black.
Chapter Thirty-One
Then
Jasper
The pounding of my heart pulses inside my ears. It blocks out everything else as I sprint down the stale, empty corridor of the hospital. Helen called me less than fifteen minutes ago. The second I heard her say the wordsAveryandemergency room,I ran out of the surf shop. My mind was spinning the entire way here. In my state of panic, I barely made out when she tried to explain that Avery was bleeding and they needed to find out why.
“Excuse me, sir.” The attendant at the desk stops me. “Can I help you?”
Out of breath, I say, “I’m here to see Avery Thomas.”
“Are you a family member?” she inquires, prepared not to let me behind those double doors.
“No—” But then it dawned on me.We’re married.Smiling with pride and relief, I answered confidently, “Yes, I’m her husband.”
“And your name is?”
“Jasper Collins.”
Just then, Helen emerges from behind the automatic doors. “Jasper, honey. I’m so glad you’re here.”
I give her a quick hug. “Is she okay?”
The puffiness around Helen’s eyes tells me this is something serious. “A little shaken up, but the worst is over.”
She leads me into a long, sterile hallway. “What happened?”
