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“I’m fine, really,” she said.
She stood up, and he and Amy grabbed for her when she started swaying. She fell into his lap again, biting her bottom lip as Amy felt her forehead.
“She doesn’t have a fever, but I think she should go to the hospital.”
“I agree,” Luke said as Jane shook her head fervently.
“No, I’m good now. I just stood up too quickly.”
“I’m taking you to the hospital to be checked over,” Luke said with a scowl.
“No, you’re not,” Jane said. “I don’t need to go to the hospital. I was a little dizzy, that’s all.”
He gave her a look of exasperation. “You have two choices, Ms. Smith. You can walk out of this office with me, or you can be carried out of this office by me. Either way – you’re going to the hospital.”
Jane gave Amy an imploring look, and his sister shook her head. “Sorry, honey. I’m with Luke on this one. You need to go.”
* * *
“Mr. Dawson?”
Luke stood as the doctor entered the waiting room. For a Friday morning, the emergency room was surprisingly busy, and Luke stepped past a wailing child and a man holding a bloody rag to his nose.
“Yes, I’m Luke Dawson.” He shook the doctor’s hand and followed him to a quieter spot. “How is she?”
“You’re Miss Smith’s…”
The doctor trailed off and gave him a questioning look.
“Boyfriend,” Luke lied smoothly. “I’m Jane’s boyfriend. How is she doing?”
“She’s doing okay. We took some blood and sent it to the lab, but I’m not expecting anything out of the ordinary from it.”
“Did you do a CT scan?” Luke asked anxiously. “She fainted earlier.”
The doctor shook his head. “No. I don’t think Miss Smith’s fainting was from a head trauma. She’s dehydrated, exhausted, and suffering from malnutrition.”
He studied Luke closely. “Does Miss Smith have an eating disorder?”
Luke shook his head. “I don’t think so. I’ve seen her eating.”
“People with eating disorders can be very adept at hiding it,” the doctor said. “She’s twenty pounds underweight, maybe even twenty-five. She needs to eat more than she currently is.”
“I’ll make sure she does,” Luke said. “Can I see her?”
“She’s fallen asleep,” the doctor said. “I’d like to keep her for the day, give her some IV fluids and allow her to rest. I’ll discharge her around six if you want to return and pick her up.”
“I will,” Luke said. “Thanks very much.”
The doctor nodded and returned to the ER as Luke pulled out his phone. There were three texts from Amy, and he sent her a quick text before tapping his foot anxiously against the floor. He wanted to see Jane before he left, but he didn’t want to disturb her if she was sleeping. The desire to see her was too strong to resist, and he approached the woman at the admitting desk.
“Excuse me,” he said, “my girlfriend is here, and I wondered if I could see her. I just spoke with the doctor.”
“Name?” The woman asked.
“Luke Dawson.”
“Your girlfriend’s name,” the woman said impatiently.
