The One After [SHAWN MENDES]

Chapter 121

I fell asleep twice on the drive home from my endoscopy, and my dad had to unlock my door because I was so fuzzy. Even though I hadn't been put under completely, the light sedation hit me hard.

"I think they should have kept you in the recovery area longer," he groused after I crawled into bed.

"I'm happy they let me go because now I can sleep," I replied drowsily.

When I awoke, I looked at my phone and saw that hours had passed. I had a bunch of texts that I'd deal with a bit later. I got up to pee and realized I was actually hungry, which wasn't surprising given I hadn't eaten since dinner the day before.

"Hey there, sleepyhead!" my father said cheerfully from the couch. "How are you feeling?"

"Still a little groggy, but I'm fine. I'm going to have some soup. Want some?"

He leapt up. "I'll heat it up while you sit down and take it easy!"

Ten minutes later we were at the table eating the delicious chicken noodle soup my uncle made, though I wasn't sure which one since they were all skilled cooks.

"Did you check to see if the doctor called with the results?" Dad asked.

"I had some texts but that was it. I guess I should have my phone on me in case she calls."

"I'll go get it." He returned a second later. "A text from Shawn popped up when I grabbed it."

"Thanks. I figured I'd check in with him and my friends after I hear back about the test."

"The nurse told me that it was a really good sign that they didn't take any tissue samples to biopsy. That rules out the worst possibility," he said optimistically.

I laughed. "I don't remember her saying that. What else did I miss?"

"Not much, though she mentioned that you said you had a good dream while you were under."

What was it with me and dreams? If I had one, I didn't remember it, which was for the best given how the one I had during the coma ultimately turned into a nightmare for me. "That's funny."

I finished half my soup and made a mental note to drink one of my high calorie shakes later. After trying to persuade me that he needed to stay over, I convinced my dad to go home and promised to call him if the doctor got back to me.

After Dad left, I got in bed and Inky snuggled up against me. I quickly checked to see what was going on with Bumble, which was the only dating app I'd activated. I liked it because their mission statement said they were dedicated to promoting kindness, respect, and empowerment. More importantly, in hetero matches, the woman is the one who makes the first move, which meant my inbox wasn't flooded with dudes trying to hook up.

After the disastrous date with Liam, I was nervous about putting myself out there, but it wasn't like the perfect man was going to just show up at my door and sweep my off my feet. I could either hit up the bars that local singles gravitated to or try to meet someone online.

I looked at some matches and swiped left on most. There were a couple that intrigued me, and for those I swiped right. I had twenty-four hours to reach out to them, according to the site's policy. This was tough for me since I didn't always make decisions easily.

One guy in particular interested me because his bio wasn't all about pumping himself up to seem super impressive. He was handsome in a modern cowboy way, with messy hair and stubble. He had on flannels, jeans, and boots in every photo, and I wondered if he was a country boy who'd moved to the big city. Maybe what made him appealing to me was that he was so unlike Shawn. I set a reminder on my phone to revisit him tomorrow and if I felt brave enough, I'd send him a message.

My phone started buzzing with an unknown number, and I answered right away since I was waiting on my exam results.

"Is this Lucy Atwood?"

I recognized the gastroenterologist's voice. "Yes. Hello, Dr. Hilton."

"How are you feeling? Any tenderness in your stomach? Sore throat?"

"My throat was a little scratchy when I woke up but it's fine now," I answered.

"Very good. I don't have much to say since your exam showed no indication of a problem. No ulcers or polyps or tumors, just healthy tissue."

I let out the breath I'd been holding involuntarily. "So I don't have cancer?"

"There is zero evidence that points to that," she told me. "I'll be sending Dr. Nguyen the images and my assessment in the morning, so you'll probably hear from her after that. Best of luck uncovering the cause of your problem, but rest assured it's not gastrointestinal."

I called my dad and gave him the good news which he said he'd share with my family, who had been worried. Then I called the girls, and they insisted we celebrate over brunch on Sunday. The final person I needed to tell was Shawn, but I wasn't sure if he was free so I sent a text to find out.

You busy?

He called me instead of replying, of course.

"Never too busy for you," he greeted me cheerfully, and I'd be lying if I said there weren't some butterflies in my recently-scoped tummy. "How'd the test go?"

"I didn't love the sedation, but I just heard from the doctor and there's nothing wrong with my upper GI tract."

"Great news! What's next?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. Dr. Nguyen mentioned switching meds at my last visit, so maybe I'll do that. What's new with you?"

"I was sitting out here on the patio playing a song that I've been working on. Want to hear it?"

More butterflies. "You're going to sing for me?"

"No, because the lyrics are nowhere near being done but I've got a really sweet melody."

"I'd love to listen to it."

"I'm putting you on speaker so don't say anything you don't want Craigen to hear," he warned me before he started playing a beautiful song. It had a melancholy feel to it, which brought tears to my eyes. When he was done, he asked, "What do you think?"

"It's perfect. Did you write that on your own?"

"Yup. I've had help with the lyrics, but the guitar was all me. I've felt inspired lately."

"I'm so in awe of your creativity. I can't wrap my head around coming up with something so lovely and translating it onto the guitar strings. It's like witchcraft to me," I gushed.

"Thanks."

I remembered that someone else was there. "Hi, Brian!"

Shawn laughed. "He went inside right as I started playing. I'll tell him you said hi." He paused for a few seconds. "I'll be back in two weeks. Are you still cool with getting coffee?"

"Absolutely, but because I've missed a lot of work, a Saturday or Sunday are my only option. We could meet at your favorite place at opening when it's not as busy. Want me to look when that is?"

"They open at nine on the weekends. I know their hours after years of going there, just like they know my coffee order. Two weeks from tomorrow? Is that good?" he asked.

"It's more than good. I'm looking forward to catching up with you in person."

After the call ended, I laid back on my pillow and sighed deeply. I loved how talking to him made me feel, but the problem was that it was preventing me from moving on. That had to change.

Grabbing my phone, I went back on Bumble and sent the cowboy a message.