off. I wasn’t prepared for this kind of goodbye. Not today, anyway. I thought I had a week or so to soak up my fill. Now, I only have until the end of this elevator ride. How do you tell someone that they helped you find the brightness in a world that was otherwise dark and scary?
Why are the meaningful things so hard to say?
I cycle through a couple of options in my mind as Tyson cuts the awkwardness by telling me all about the hot dish of a doctor that’s come to pick me up. “I’m telling you, babe. He is a look. If I were single…”
I snort and shake my head at Tyson’s wagging brows. “You said that about the pizza delivery guy, and he looked like an ex-hockey player.”
“Hockey players are hot!” he argues.
“He didn’t have any teeth,” I say, chomping mine.
“Well, we can’t all be as gorgeous as you, babe,” he says with a wink.
I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but wonder if this new doctor really is nice to look at. If it’s true, maybe it’ll be a nice distraction. I haven’t gotten to see many hot dishes in my life. But then again, I’m a new patient, so even if my chaperone really is Dr. McDreamy, it’s not like he’s going to see anything other than a crazy patient that he’s forced to escort to a new mental ward.
When the elevator doors open to the main level, I follow a pleasantly chatty Tyson out. I’m still trying to activate my inner Hallmark card writer and put together some mushy things that I’ll wrap giant bows of gratitude around for Tyson and everything he’s done to keep me as sane as I could be here, but I’m not good at things like this.
“Dr. Gupta left a script for something to help you feel calm on your drive, so if you feel like you’ll need that, you just say the word, babe,” Tyson tells me as he leads me to the intake lobby of the building. This part of the facility is open to visitors, with a garden out back and a rec room, so there are a few people milling around, other patients wearing similar plain sweatpants and cotton T-shirts like me.
I take a deep breath and square my shoulders. “Tyson…” I start, my mushy greeting card ready and waiting to be voiced, but that’s as far as I get, because a large man steps forward and sucks all my attention and focus away like he’s some cosmic vacuum.
My eyes flick down to the visitor badge, and I just know this is the doctor. Tyson was right. He is definitely something to look at, and he’ll be a distraction as I ride with him to my next home. But it won’t be the tan skin and muscular physique that gets me all hot and bothered. It’ll be trying to see him without the dark brown wings and jerky black snakes for hair.
I suck in a breath, forcing myself to keep my eyes trained on his face as he smiles down at me. I’m going to have to work hard to blink away this flicker.
Feeling frozen as I stand in front of him, I try not to flinch as I hold the gaze of his white eyes, pretending not to see the black slits he has for pupils as they contract on me.
My heart kicks up a beat as all my worries for this new home come to fruition. Of course my luck would have my new doctor looking like a monster, or at least, he does until I can try to flicker the monstrous image away.
How the heck am I going to do therapy with this guy?
I breathe through the panic that ignites at the sight of him. He’s saying something to Tyson, and my nurse is looking at him with dreamy, appreciative eyes. I blink a couple of times while they’re both turned away from me, and try to convince my broken brain to see whatever it is Tyson is seeing.
It’s not real, I tell myself, as though unseeing the snake-haired man in front of me is that easy. I should know better by now.
“I’ll walk you out,” Tyson offers as they both turn toward the doors.
A few of the other orderlies notice me and wave, but I’m too struck with worry to wave back. Gritting my teeth, I turn and follow them as they begin to walk outside. My eyes widen