Chapter 1
“That doctor is a quack!” he shot out at me, as we crossed through the parking lot, leaving Dr. Lawrence’s practice.
He walked fast, his body aimed in the direction of the car, stomping with every step. I could tell that he was furious already, but being Derek, he always had to go above and beyond. He loosened his tie dramatically and growled just before we reached the large black town car. Yep, he was pissed.
“Maybe your brother is the quack!” I defended. Dr. Lawrence seemed to be the only one who knew what the hell he was talking about. “But we can get a third opinion!”
“Great, let’s keep sending me to doctors!” he shouted sarcastically, pivoting around on his heel to face me.
His expression was angry, his face red and boiling.
“Well, isn’t it good to see what’s wrong with you?!” I shot back, not understanding why he was being a sarcastic tool bag anyway.
“But see! That’s my point! Something is wrong, Zoe! Regardless!” he snapped. “If it’s not cancer, then it’s something else!”
“Yeah, he said that something else was likely some sort of poisonous toxin!” I retorted, throwing my arms in the air. “So wouldn’t you like to first get a third opinion, and then secondly, if it turns out to be a poisonous toxin, find out how the hell it happened to you?!”
“Right now you’re being the poisonous toxin!” he screamed, mashing his hair down, angrily just before yanking on strands, pulling them with fury. “You’re driving me fucking crazy with all of this! As if I didn’t have enough on my plate!”
I stood, frozen, my heart on the ground. How could he have really said something like that when I was only trying to help him? I wasn’t the type of woman that usually had her feelings hurt so easily, but the magma in his voice as he spoke burned. “If that’s how you feel, then fine.” I turned on my heel and stomped away. “Deal with it on your own!”
I didn’t know where my feet were taking me, all I knew was that I wanted it to be far away from Derek for the time being.
“Leave me like you did the night I ended up in the hospital!” he bellowed, his voice sounding as if it was soaked in tears.
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards him once again. Was he really going to pull that?
“I was the only one there!” I defended in a busting yell. I wasn’t about to take the heat for it again, or feel guilty for it again. I wasn’t about to let his shitty attitude hurt me anymore.
“The point is, is that something is wrong!” he managed to continue to scream. I wondered how his voice wasn’t as sore as mine was, but then again, I supposed he was used to yelling more than I was. “And that something is wrong with me ! Not you ! You don’t know how I feel!”
But I did understand…at least more than I let on. But I couldn’t say that. It wasn’t time to say that. It wasn’t time to tell him the truth about my dad.
“Derek,” I breathed, trying to calm myself down.
But instead of letting me continue, he spoke instead. “Zoe, you don’t just pass out in your own vomit, feel completely weak all the time, have jaundice, lose weight, and look like absolute shit every single day if nothing is wrong!”
It was the first time I saw him finally admit that he was upset about it all—not just angry, but genuinely upset. He had already told me that he was angry; he had blown up at employees; he had blown up at me; he had blown up at everyone. Yet, he never admitted how truly upset he was, how truly scared he was.
“Honey, something is wrong,” I sighed. “But you have to face that that something probably isn’t cancer.” I stepped closer to him. “I guess we’ll just see when he calls in with your results tomorrow.” Truthfully, I just didn’t want to fight anymore, but by his incessant pacing and blowing sighs, I could tell that he wasn’t quite to that level yet.
“I guess we will!” he raged. “But you know what,
“That doctor is a quack!” he shot out at me, as we crossed through the parking lot, leaving Dr. Lawrence’s practice.
He walked fast, his body aimed in the direction of the car, stomping with every step. I could tell that he was furious already, but being Derek, he always had to go above and beyond. He loosened his tie dramatically and growled just before we reached the large black town car. Yep, he was pissed.
“Maybe your brother is the quack!” I defended. Dr. Lawrence seemed to be the only one who knew what the hell he was talking about. “But we can get a third opinion!”
“Great, let’s keep sending me to doctors!” he shouted sarcastically, pivoting around on his heel to face me.
His expression was angry, his face red and boiling.
“Well, isn’t it good to see what’s wrong with you?!” I shot back, not understanding why he was being a sarcastic tool bag anyway.
“But see! That’s my point! Something is wrong, Zoe! Regardless!” he snapped. “If it’s not cancer, then it’s something else!”
“Yeah, he said that something else was likely some sort of poisonous toxin!” I retorted, throwing my arms in the air. “So wouldn’t you like to first get a third opinion, and then secondly, if it turns out to be a poisonous toxin, find out how the hell it happened to you?!”
“Right now you’re being the poisonous toxin!” he screamed, mashing his hair down, angrily just before yanking on strands, pulling them with fury. “You’re driving me fucking crazy with all of this! As if I didn’t have enough on my plate!”
I stood, frozen, my heart on the ground. How could he have really said something like that when I was only trying to help him? I wasn’t the type of woman that usually had her feelings hurt so easily, but the magma in his voice as he spoke burned. “If that’s how you feel, then fine.” I turned on my heel and stomped away. “Deal with it on your own!”
I didn’t know where my feet were taking me, all I knew was that I wanted it to be far away from Derek for the time being.
“Leave me like you did the night I ended up in the hospital!” he bellowed, his voice sounding as if it was soaked in tears.
I stopped dead in my tracks and turned towards him once again. Was he really going to pull that?
“I was the only one there!” I defended in a busting yell. I wasn’t about to take the heat for it again, or feel guilty for it again. I wasn’t about to let his shitty attitude hurt me anymore.
“The point is, is that something is wrong!” he managed to continue to scream. I wondered how his voice wasn’t as sore as mine was, but then again, I supposed he was used to yelling more than I was. “And that something is wrong with me ! Not you ! You don’t know how I feel!”
But I did understand…at least more than I let on. But I couldn’t say that. It wasn’t time to say that. It wasn’t time to tell him the truth about my dad.
“Derek,” I breathed, trying to calm myself down.
But instead of letting me continue, he spoke instead. “Zoe, you don’t just pass out in your own vomit, feel completely weak all the time, have jaundice, lose weight, and look like absolute shit every single day if nothing is wrong!”
It was the first time I saw him finally admit that he was upset about it all—not just angry, but genuinely upset. He had already told me that he was angry; he had blown up at employees; he had blown up at me; he had blown up at everyone. Yet, he never admitted how truly upset he was, how truly scared he was.
“Honey, something is wrong,” I sighed. “But you have to face that that something probably isn’t cancer.” I stepped closer to him. “I guess we’ll just see when he calls in with your results tomorrow.” Truthfully, I just didn’t want to fight anymore, but by his incessant pacing and blowing sighs, I could tell that he wasn’t quite to that level yet.
“I guess we will!” he raged. “But you know what,
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