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Three hours passed. I counted. Not a single doctor showed up in the waiting room to talk to Nadine. I pressed the receptionist over and over again, but she kept saying the doctors were very busy and would get to Nadine when they could. Apparently, because she wasn’t passed out or convulsing on the floor, it wasn’t an emergency worth their time.
Those fuckers.
It was well past dark when a doctor finally showed up. I was half convinced they’d only sent him because we hadn’t left yet. His ID badge read Dr. Smith.
“The center is closing soon,” Smith said. “There’s no time for a four-hour treatment tonight, but tell you what. We’ll run some tests to ease some of your worries.”
“Fine,” Nadine said. Though she was clearly exhausted, she managed to sound confident. She was planning to give the doctors a middle finger with her test results. Good for her.
Dr. Smith led her to a private room, and I followed. He took her blood pressure and drew some blood, then took a urine sample. “We’ll have your test results expedited. Hopefully we’ll have you out of here soon. There’s nothing to worry about.”
He was smug about it, as if he was about to prove her wrong.
I didn’t know how long we’d sat there, but it had to be past closing before Dr. Smith returned. He wore a fallen expression, and I knew the results weren’t good. He sat down at the computer and pulled up her test results.
“Your results are a bit unusual for what we’d expect,” the doctor said. I nearly fell out of my chair, because I couldn’t believe he’d admit it. “Your calcium levels are a bit outside the normal range, and you’re testing anemic. Your Urea Reduction Ratio is much lower than we like to see. Usually we want it above sixty-five percent. Potassium levels… we definitely want to get that back into normal range.”
“So can I get hooked up already?” Nadine asked, rather harshly. I didn’t blame her. We were both quite pissed at the hospital staff.
“I’ll schedule you first thing for tomorrow morning,” Dr. Smith said. “We’ll put you down for six a.m., and you’ll be the first patient we see. How does that sound?”
Like shit, I wanted to say, but Nadine spoke first.
“I don’t have any other options, do I?” Nadine practically sneered.
“It’s the best we can do with our resources,” Dr. Smith said. “Rest assured, you’ll be back to normal in the morning. Have a good night, Miss Evers.”
I was pissed when he left the room. It was like the doctors had deliberately waited to test her until the center closed to teach her a lesson.
“This is bullshit,” I complained.
“I know,” Nadine sighed. “But what else are we going to do? I can’t exactly sneak in and hook myself up to the machines. I’m just ready to get some sleep so I can get up before six a.m. Let’s go. I don’t want to spend another second here than I have to.”
My blood boiled, but Nadine somehow managed to stay calm. I didn’t think she had the energy to fight it. I took her back to the school and led her back to my dorm room, where Oliver and Isa had been waiting for us. Grant was still in the infirmary, so we had the room to ourselves. I helped her shower and wash three days of forest grime out of her hair, then helped her into bed. She held Isa tight to her chest as she drifted off.
We woke to my alarm early the next morning, and I drove her to dialysis. After seeing her test results from the night before, the nurse apologized profusely. She kept talking like they were doing her a huge favor by scheduling her a few hours early.
This lady could go fuck herself.
Nadine remained quiet most of the morning, but I stayed with her. I noticed her wincing every now and then.
“Do you need anything?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Remind me never to miss a dialysis session again. The machine has to remove all this extra fluid that built up, and it’s making me feel awful.”
I got really worried and started to stand. “I’ll call in a nurse.”
Nadine shook her head. “No, it’s just nausea and a headache. Some cramping. But I’ll be all right.”
I didn’t believe her, so I didn’t take my eyes off her for the next few hours. She seemed to be doing better by the time she finished, though she still wasn’t one hundred percent.
“I want to visit Grant,” Nadine said.
I thought she should go back to her dorm room and rest, but I wasn’t going to argue with her. I really wanted to see how he was doing, too.
Grant was still in the infirmary, being held for observation. When we arrived in his room, Talia, Miles, and Chloe were already there.
Grant looked to be doing much better. He was sitting up in bed, nibbling on pancakes from the school cafeteria. A tiny orange kitten that couldn’t be more than eight weeks old slept in his lap.
