Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 594(@200wpm)___ 475(@250wpm)___ 396(@300wpm)
A woman appeared in front of her, dressed in a white coat, like the others she had seen running down the hall. “Hi, Palmer, I’m Dr. Molina. I was just going over your chart. It says you fell at work. Did you hit your head? Can you sit up for me?”
Palmer sat up and then shook her head. “I don’t think I fell. It was more like a collapse.”
Dr. Molina felt Palmer’s skull, likely looking for any bumps or potential fractures. “Where does it hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt on the outside.”
“What do you mean?” Dr. Molina asked without stopping the examination.
“The pain is on the inside. I think there’s something wrong.”
The doctor stepped back and sat on the stool with Palmer’s chart in her lap. “There’s a note here that says you suffer from migraines?”
“Yes, they’re severe. Yesterday, I think I blacked out when I helped a customer, and then there was the incident at lunch today. I’ve had the migraines for a while now and finally went to the doctor for something to take, but it only worked for a couple of weeks.”
“Can you tell me about the blackout? What were your symptoms?”
“My pinkie finger on my right hand froze over the keyboard. I could hear people talking, but it sounded like I was underwater. My vision blurred, and I had these black spots every time I blinked. And then it was like I woke up and everything was fine, except I felt dizzy. Kind of like . . . ” Palmer paused. “Like how you feel when you get off a carnival ride.”
“How were you treating your headaches before you sought medical treatment?”
“Anything holistic I could find. Changed my diet, increased my caffeine intake. I tried massage, herbs, anything marketed for migraine relief. I guess you could say I’m a walking, talking infomercial.”
Dr. Molina chuckled and wrote in the chart. “I’m going to order a CT scan. I want to see what’s going on. We’re going to start at the top and eliminate the most obvious suspect. Sometimes migraines can be environmental. But there’s a reason you blacked out and collapsed, and I want to determine what caused it.” Dr. Molina gave Palmer a reassuring pat on her shoulder and stood. “An orderly will be in to take you to imaging. I need you to change and remove all your jewelry.” She went to the portable cart next to Palmer’s IV and rummaged through the compartments. “Here’s a gown and a bathrobe. You can change in here, or I can get a nurse to escort you to the bathroom. I don’t want you walking alone.”
“I’ll be fine in here,” Palmer told her.
“Okay. I’m going to close the curtain to give you some privacy. When you’ve changed, just open it a bit, so the orderly knows you’re ready. You can put your stuff in the bag on the counter there.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll be back as soon as your scan results are back.”
Palmer pushed the blanket off and discovered she was barefoot. She couldn’t remember if she’d taken her shoes off or where they would be and hoped someone had the keen sense of mind to put them in her purse.
She set her stocking feet onto the linoleum. It was cold and likely slippery if she were to walk anywhere without shoes on. She stood slowly and kept her legs pressed to the bed for some stability. She didn’t trust herself right now. The first item of clothing she removed was her nylons. Once she had them off, she threw them into the trash. She didn’t want them after her feet had touched the hospital floor. After removing her skirt and blouse, she slid one arm into the itchy gown. She had to undo the snaps on the shoulder area because of the IV. She wished she had a nurse or someone to help her but didn’t want to bother anyone with what was likely a mundane task. After snapping the shoulder piece in place, she tied the strings on the side, and then folded her clothes. As much as she wanted, she wouldn’t be able to wear the robe until someone had unhooked her from the machine.
Palmer took a very unassured step toward her purse, and then another, until she felt a small tug on her IV. The length of the IV tube confined her movements, but thankfully she could reach the tray where her purse was and pulled it closer. She put her folded clothes into the hospital-issued bag, removed all her jewelry, and then opened the partition for the orderly. She carefully climbed back into bed, mindful of her IV.
She paid attention this time when a paramedic brought another patient into the room. She tried not to be nosy, but the action across the way fascinated her. It was only when the medic turned enough for her to see him that she recognized him. He continued to help the nurses with their new patient, which gave her time to stare a bit longer. She felt sort of stalkerish, but she was fascinated by his job. Kent was caring and sweet with the elderly patient in the space across from her. He leaned toward the woman and must’ve said something because she giggled, which in turn made Kent smile. He is handsome, Palmer thought.