“I hate hospitals.”
Even though her words sound simple, there’s a rawness in her voice that trips my pulse.
“D-don’t worry. It’ll be over s-soon.” I drift my hands over her soft cheeks, drying her tears with my thumb. “Th-think about something else. Wh-what’ll you d-do when you leave in a few hour-rs?”
She sniffs before lazily opening her eyes. “I told you about Tassels, right?”
I nod at her soft mumbling. After hearing so many stories of her dog on our first date, I feel like I know him well.
“Friday is usually our crime show night. Criminal Minds is Tassels’ favorite show. He’s kind of obsessed with it.”
My lips curl up. I don’t think it’s the dog who’s obsessed with the TV show; most likely, it’s Vienna’s favorite. But I don’t comment. I’m happy she’s no longer crying. I’m about to ask her what Criminal Minds entails, when Mary opens the curtain and rolls a wheelchair inside.
“Mrs. Teager, there was an additional test that we forgot to perform earlier.”
“Wh-which one?” I give her some room and take a few steps away before throwing a quick glance toward Vienna’s record.
“It’s an MRI,” the nurse replies. “But we would like to know if there’s a chance that you’re pregnant?”
Vienna gasps. “No.” My gaze is pulled from the papers to her panicked face as she cowers in the bed, trying hard to hide behind the thin blanket. “But why do I need an MRI?” The nurse looks between me and my wife with a sad smile, further escalating my heartbeat.
What the hell are they checking?
Before I can do anything, tears start to run down Vienna’s face again.
“Vienna, it’s-s okay.”
She shakes her head and clutches my forearm. “I don’t want to die, Zane.”
I’m stunned by her extreme reaction. “Hey, you ar-ren’t dying, okay?”
“I’ll give you two a minute.” Nurse Mary draws the curtain after leaving, giving us some privacy.
Vienna’s grip tightens before she glances up at me with tears brimming in her lavender eyes, making them look a darker shade of purple. She whispers, “My mom died of brain cancer, Zane. I—I can’t…go through this again.”
“Shh.” I place a finger on her lips. “You d-don’t have th-the same th-thing. I’m s-sure the doctor is doing th-this as a precaution.”
I try to smile, but an MRI is never routine. They must have seen something on the X-ray. My heart pounds, but I continue smiling as I hold Vienna’s face.
“I’m so scared.” Her cold hands touch mine as they rest on her wet face. “I don’t want to die alone.”
I wipe her tears. “No one’s d-dying and you ar-ren’t alone. I’m here.”
“You…won’t leave?”
“I’m s-sure the nurses will kill me if I do. Plus, I d-don’t want t-to be known as the jerk hus-sband.” I don’t tell her that I wouldn’t even without those reasons.
A tiny smile makes an appearance at the corners of her lips before her face scrunches again. “I’m sorry for all this. I’m sure when you brought me to the hospital the first time, you didn’t imagine all this.” She waves her hand around the room.
“It’s no pr-roblem. As s-soon as you are done here, I’ll dr-rop you home and you can s-start your crime show with T-Tassels.”
For a brief second, I imagine myself in that picture. My traitorous brain tells me that’s because I worry about her being alone.
She finally smiles. “Thank you.”
Mary appears at the very same moment. “Are you ready, Mrs. Teager?”
Vienna nods before looking back at me, relief clear on her face.