Free Going Long by Ginger Scott Page B

to
follow their movement.
    “I’m Nolan,” I said, quiet and
mortified.
    “Nolan, nice to meet you,” he
smiled again, that fake smile someone gives when they’re suspicious of you and
trying to unravel your mystery. “Your pulse seems okay. Can you tell me, have
you ever fallen like this before? Do you know how much water you’ve had today?
Were you feeling dizzy before you started your workout? Did you trip? Do you
feel nauseous…?” Chris was hitting me with question after question before I
could even answer. My head was bobbing back and forth, like I was watching a
tennis match just trying to respond and keep up with him. I was hearing his
words echo, and my heart rate was racing again when I had a sudden break.
    “I just had a miscarriage,” I
said, slapping my hand over my mouth and closing my eyes tight trying to force
the reality back into hiding.
    I felt Chris’s hands on my wrist
again, pulling my hand from my face and forcing me to look at him. “Okay.
That’s definitely what led to you passing out. And it’s okay, Nolan. Do you
hear me? It’s okay. You probably shouldn’t be working out now, though. You are
likely extremely dehydrated, and your body is exhausted. Do you…I mean have
you…talked to anyone?” Chris was being careful with me. I didn’t like feeling
so weak, so I straightened my posture and shook my head with my last vestiges
of confidence.
    “No, I’m fine,” I said, forcing
myself to stand and dry my tears. My legs still felt wobbly, but I wasn’t going
to let anyone here see that.
    “Okay, well…you really need to
see someone. It can help. What happened…it’s not something that’s uncommon. But
it’s also not something that is easy to deal with always,” Chris seemed
uncomfortable. So was I.
    “I’m fine, really,” I forced
again, giving him a flat smile and willing him to drop it.
    “All right, I hear you. I’d just
feel better if you at least met with one of the physicians at the health center
today. Hmmmm?” Chris nodded at me, begging me to consider.
    “I have an appointment Tuesday,”
I was defensive now, even my false pleasantries gone.
    He just stared at me in silence
for a few seconds, considering his move. “I’m not trying to be intrusive. I’m
only looking out for your health here. You shouldn’t wait until Tuesday. Maybe
just drop by for an urgent care visit, huh?” he was really trying. I gave in
and nodded.
    I saw Gavin walking up with the
bottle of water, and I reached out to shake Chris’s hand. “Thanks. I appreciate
your advice,” I forced a closed mouth smile then grabbed the bottle of water
from Gavin. “Can you walk me to the Health Center, and then home? It seems I’m
dehydrated and need some rest.”
    “Sure,” Gavin said, pulling my
arm over his shoulder once again, letting me lean most of my weight on him.
“Let’s go. Thanks for looking her over.”
    Chris the trainer just smiled
tightly, nodding, and packed up his small, useless box. I made eye contact with
him and could tell he had thought he’d put my puzzle together. But he wasn’t
even close.
     

Reed
     
    I’d managed to sleep hard last
night after going a few rounds with Jason. He was already bitching about having
to take my dad to an appointment next week in Tucson, like it was some major
inconvenience—never mind the fact that he’d be driving into town to take
care of business at the Tucson dealerships anyhow.
    Sometime over the past year, I’d
started challenging my brother. I don’t know if it was something that changed
inside of me, maturity perhaps, or if my brother had just managed to become yet
an even bigger asshole.
    Dylan stopped by my pop’s house
on her way from Tucson to Phoenix to run through a few scenarios with me and to
pass along some messages from her father. We sat at the counter and went over
some things and Jason—not to miss out on the attention from a hot
blonde—pulled up a seat to join us, quickly taking over the