Love at Last Sight

Chapter Seventeen

“When did the headaches start?”

            “Well, they’ve always been happening…”

            Dr. Vasquez pursed his lips at me. “Rose, you know what I mean.”

            I cracked a half-smile, the throbbing in my head too intense to concentrate on making a full one. “About three days ago. I thought maybe I was just getting sick, but it never stops. Ever.”

            “How are you feeling now?”

            “Um, imagine someone slamming a sledgehammer into your head every other second.”

            Grimacing, he nodded and jotted down a few notes. “And these are a lot worse than the last ones you came to see me about?”

            I nodded. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

            “It’s very probable that the reason these migraines have been hitting is because the disease is having more of an effect. It’s already just about halfway through November, Rose. You should be expecting your vision to decrease noticeably soon.”

            A wry smile crossed my face. “Well, don’t sugarcoat it.”

            “Rose, I’m serious. You have a month and a half before you’re legally blind. I can give you medication for the headaches, but there is no healing the resulting damage of the disease.”

            “I know,” I snapped. “After three months of hearing that I’m going to go blind, I think I figured out it’s the truth.”

            Sighing, he rubbed a hand over his face. “Rose…”

            “My boyfriend’s waiting, so I’m going to go now,” I told him, now in a crappy mood. “Guess I’ll pick up some Tylenol or something. Apparently acetaminophens work wonders.”

            “Hold on, I’ll prescribe you some stronger medicine,” he responded, snagging a sheet of paper off his desk and scribbling a quick prescription. “Come back if anything new occurs, okay? Or call. And take a package of Tylenol off my counter to tide you over for now.”

            Grunting my reply, I snatched the prescription out of his hands and then the tiny pack of Tylenol off the counter before stalking out of the examination room. On my way out of the building, I stole three dinosaur stickers, even though the sign above the sticker been clearly said take one. “F the police,” I chuckled darkly.

            Stepping outside, the cool autumn air bit at my cheeks, reminding me how close it was to winter. To when I’d be blind. Clenching my fists, I kicked at an empty plastic bottle at the ground. Lately I’d been on edge. With Chace being overcautious (against his will), with my parents being nosy and too caring (with their will), and the continuous headaches (against my will), I hadn’t been exactly Rosie the Friendly Human over the past few days. In fact, I’d been a total bitch. The other day Chace had come to take me out for dinner, but he’d held my shoulder while I was climbing down the stairs, and I’d lashed out at him. An ashamed blush came to my face at the memory. That was one of my worst days.

            Which is why today, I was going to make it up to him. We were going out to dinner at some Japanese restaurant he was fond of.

            And I was paying.

            Now grinning, I pried open the plastic covering over the Tylenol and popped the pills into my mouth, forcing them down my dry throat. It was a bit harder to do than I’d imagined it to be, but it worked. Now I just needed to wait until the effects took place.