Chasing Miss Conner •OLD VERSION•

Twenty Nine

|Song: Holding Out For a Hero By Ella Mae Bowen|

Twenty Nine

"Alright Shay, we're just about to get started. You know how these are, this one hopefully won't take as long as the others you've had though." Doctor Robbins stated as she placed a cool hand on my stomach in reassurance. I fought back the urge to flinch at her cold touch.

Hospitals always made me flinchy, you never knew who's hands just killed someone or who's hands just removed themselves from someone's chest cavity.

Mom grabbed my hand, her hazel eyes staring at me intently. I smiled weakly at her, hoping to be reassuring but it probably came out as more of a grimace. "It'll be fine mom. She won't find anything." I tried assuring her.

Her face was doubtful.

Dr. Robbins cleared her throat, "Yes, well that's our goal." She stated.

She turned and grabbed a syringe, and I looked away. Needles weren't what make me queazy or anything, I just can't look at something as it enters my skin, it creeps me out. "There'll just be a little pinch-" I felt the small prick and fought not to squirm at the unpleasant pinching sensation. The area around my rib cage numbed, giving off the feeling that something heavy was sitting on my chest.

Just before she started to insert the scope, I turned to my mom. "Call Juliette." Her eyes turned hard and flinty, but she nodded stiffly and got up, walking out for a moment.

I sighed in relief. In the car ride over we'd managed to start a semi-willing conversation. She actually apologized for her words the other day and how she acted towards Juliette. She explained that she was worried for my stress level and I told her that this secret wasn't stressful, it was just necessary, like breathing or walking.

It took a little while but eventually I think she started to understand. Despite the fact that my dad was an over-bearing dick to her and sometimes me, he still loved us. But the hospital shit just scared him out of a good thing. I understand that now. My fear of a relationship with Juliette nearly cost me our relationship. But I suppose I just proved to him that it is possible to take fear and combine it with love and actually make something of it.

Mom came back a minute later and sat beside the bed again, the hard look still on her face. "She's on her way." She said stiffly. I nodded and sighed. I sort of felt bad that I was pulling her from school and her job to come and be with me, but the closer we got to the scope the more nervous I became. I just needed her here with me. And if the doc did find something bad, I wanted her to know. From now on I was going to include her in everything. She'd done too much for me to deserve anything less.

"Mom?" She raised her brows at me. "Thanks." Her eyes immediately softened and she reached over and brushed the hair from my eyes. "I know you don't like her....but it sure means a lot to me that you're trying."

She sighed and gave me a small smile. "It's not that I don't like her, it's just hard for me to understand how she could be the more mature one and get involved with a student."

I sighed, not really being able to blame her for questioning that as I had also done it before. "Well, you can't help who you fall in love with."

She replied with a tight-lipped smile. "True."

Dr. Robbins glanced between us, and I shot her an apologetic smile, honestly completely forgetting she'd been there.

"My girlfriend should be here any minute." I assured her. She just nodded and smiled at me, the look warming up her face considerably. "That's fine, we aren't in a hurry."