Free Shocked by Casey Harvell Page A

rather than comforting. Something tells me a long talk lingers in our very near future.
    “Yeah, we’d better get going, but we’ll find you as soon as we’re done inside.” I give my best friend a big smile and a half a hug. “And I want details, missy.” I whisper in her ear.
    Brie’s grin is the last thing I see before we return into the building. B follows too now, seemingly sticking to my leg. I reach down and barely have to bend my legs to pat his head.
    Mason’s grip is relaxing now that he seems to comprehend that Lucas knows he’s my boyfriend. There’s no confusion. Lucas seems his typical self except for his rigid posture. I can’t tell if it’s because of Mason or because he’s back in a military setting. I hope it’s the latter because I really want everyone to get along.
     

    Dinnertime arrives quickly. Captain Jennings and Dr. Ford hear our story and ask a bazillion questions before they’re satisfied (for today at least.) We report back to the captain’s office bright and early tomorrow morning. Just as we’re about to leave for the mess hall Dr. Ford pulls me aside.
    “Kat, if you wouldn’t mind I’d like to give you a quick once over.” He looks uncomfortable. “It’s just right down the hall.”
    “Sure, no problem.” Honestly, I’m surprised he lasts this long.
    Mason moves to come with us, but Dr. Ford places a hand on his shoulder. “I’ll bring her to you in the mess hall, promise. This is more of an exam. It’s silly for you to wait outside.”
    “Are you okay with that?” Mason asks me.
    “Yeah,” I plant a quick kiss on his lips. “I’ll catch up with you soon.”
    His eyes are reluctant but he gives me another kiss and walks slowly in the opposite direction Dr. Ford leads me in. B follows loyally. I figure there’s surely no harm if he tags along. Dr. Ford doesn’t protest. Soon the three of us step into Dr. Ford’s lab and he shuts the door.
    Dr. Ford takes off his glasses and cleans them. This is a sure indication that whatever’s on his mind makes him uncomfortable. “I don’t really know how to say this…” He starts, confirming my suspicions. “Kat, you look like crap.”
    Something about the way he says it makes me lose it. I begin laughing: really laughing—you know, the kind that hurts your stomach and makes you collapse on the floor. Within minutes he’s laughing right along with me and B’s having a good time running between the two of us who lie on the floor.
    Once I semi-recover, I sit up and cross my legs. I pull B into my lap and he doesn’t fit that well anymore. “I know. Thanks for being honest.” I wipe away the last of the tears from my eyes with the back of my hand.
    Dr. Ford grows serious now. He knows I downplay my time at the medical facility earlier. No need for Mason to hear what went on there. “How bad was it?”
    I flinch and know exactly what he means. It takes a lot to make a healthy teenage girl look so different in less than a year. “Bad.” I pull up the sleeve of my shirt. I’m in freaking Southern California and I have to wear long-sleeves. “They weren’t very gentle.”
    He winces when he sees my arm. First sympathy then anger flashes across his face. “Are you in pain?”
    “Not anymore.” I debate telling him about the tissue samples. I’ve never been anything but honest with the good doctor before. There’s no use in starting now. Besides, only he’ll know if they actually get anything out of one. “But there’s more.”
    I can’t roll my jeans up enough to show him from the ankles. He gives me an extra lab coat and turns around until I’m ready. I’m not ready for his reaction to the scars on my leg and the stories behind them. He actually throws a clipboard across the room. (Normally Dr. Ford’s the picture of composure, so it’s no wonder I jump at his outburst.)
    “Sorry,” he says. “Kat, I’m so sorry.” I know he means because of what I went through, not the clipboard