Chapter 27: Worst Case Scenario

OLLIE

“Hello, Miss Summer. My name is Dr. Kumar,” the man in front of me introduced himself while taking a stethoscope from his pocket. “Has this happened before?”

Darius’s hand was resting on my shoulder, keeping me in place while I sat at the edge of the bed.

I nodded, feeling weak and honestly scared.

The doctor placed the instrument on the left side of my chest, then the right side.

“Raise your arm,” he asked politely.

I did, and he pressed the stethoscope over my breast, listening carefully.

What had happened? Why was I feeling so lightheaded?

Suddenly aware I was wearing only my panties, I self-consciously covered my body with my hands.

The doctor focused on completing his examination and seemed oblivious to how uncomfortable I felt.

He turned over his instrument and went back up, placing it again on different parts of my chest with light pressure this time.

“Now, could you lie down, please?”

I glanced at Darius, who helped me lie down without falling.

He could see I was still dizzy.

He sat in a chair in front of the bed while the doctor continued his assessment.

“What were you doing before you fainted?”

“Hmm…” I turned my head so they could not see my red face.

~Oh, no!~ This looked so bad.

Darius watched me closely, looking like a thinking statue with three fingers on his forehead and chin.

His hair was still damp, and he was wearing a pair of jeans.

That motherfucker got dressed and left me half-naked?

The doctor smiled as he peered through the open bathroom door, where my dress was ripped to pieces.

“All right.”

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said to him.

“How long has it been since you’ve had something to eat or drink?” he asked, ignoring my comment.

He was now checking my stomach and my feet.

“No indication of swelling. That is good,” he muttered.

“Umm, I don’t remember. I think I only had a piece of a croissant for breakfast yesterday.”

The doctor raised one eyebrow at my response, clearly judging my eating habits.

“She drank a whole bottle of tequila,” Darius added.

I sent him a death glare.

“Any family history of fainting episodes, heart attacks at a young age, or maybe even an accident?” Dr. Kumar asked, helping me sit back at the edge of the bed again.

“My parents died in a car accident,” I replied.

Dr. Kumar turned to look at Darius.

“Am I okay? Can I put a shirt on?” I shook from the coldness in my body, covering my breasts.

Would someone please help me cover my nudity?

Darius pulled an oversized T-shirt and joggers from his dresser and handed them to me.

I scrambled to put them on.

Jesus! Was that so hard?

“I am not going to lie, Miss Summer. You have an abnormal heart rhythm.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Did I hear that right? An abnormal heart rhythm?

He stared at me with his lips in a tight line, probably thinking about how to deliver the message.

At this point, my mind was already rambling.

“But I am healthy and young. Oh my God, I had a heart attack?”

Did Darius’s cock seriously give me a heart attack?

“No, Miss Summer. You just fainted. That is the good news.” He paused briefly. “However, I detected a malfunction in your heart. It’s too soon to tell, but it might be an inherited arrhythmia disorder.”

“Worst case scenario, you have lived with this condition all your life, most likely inherited from a relative.” He frowned slightly. “But there is still a probability of this being temporary.”

“I will need to finish your diagnosis to be certain.”

“I don’t understand,” I whispered.

“Will she be able to live a normal life?” Darius asked.

“With an accurate diagnosis and following the right treatment, I don’t see why not.”

“Well, it’s not like I am going to die.” A small laugh escaped my lips.

The doctor looked at me seriously. “It’s not something to take lightly, Miss Summer. Creating a healthy lifestyle is your number one priority.”

He turned to speak to Darius. “I will prescribe some pain medication and provide her with a Holter monitor.”

“Healthy lifestyle?” I asked.

“No more skipping meals or drinking bottles of liquor for starters. And you should work out regularly.”

“Work out?” I exclaimed.

I didn’t mind eating more and drinking less, but working out? There was nothing in the world I hated more than sweating.

Well, maybe Darius.

“Shouldn’t I be resting?”

“On the contrary. Your heart needs exercise, lots of cardio. This is good for you.” He walked away from the bed. “You can continue what you were doing before I arrived.”

He smiled at me. “Just no heavy lifting. You can leave that to Robert,” the doctor added while chuckling.

What a joker!

“A specialized nurse will bring your medication.”

Specialized nurse?

“But I don’t have insurance.”

“It’s covered,” Darius said calmly.

~Covered?~

The door flew open and Sarah sprinted toward me.

“Ollie?” She ambushed me in a hug so hard I almost fainted again. “Oh, thank God you are okay.”

She looked so worried; it made me feel like all of this was really serious.

Fuck, this was real.

“Darius called me. Look at you! So pale. What’s wrong?” She trembled for a moment. “What is wrong with her heart?”

I was too overwhelmed to answer.

I didn’t have the answers.

“Everything will be okay, Sarah,” Darius assured her, opening the door for the doctor. “Thank you, Dr. Kumar.”

“Be good, Miss Summer,” Dr. Kumar advised as he shook Darius’s hand, his gaze flickering between us with amusement.

Good? Good with Anaconda? The word hung in the air.

How could I possibly be ~good~ when Darius Rothschild stood only a few feet away, exuding an effortless charm that could ensnare even the most resolute heart? Or in my case, give you an almost-heart-attack?

Sarah leaned in to plant a soft kiss on my forehead.

She whispered, “I’ll be right back,” before darting behind Dr. Kumar.

Their voices faded into the hallway, but the stillness didn’t last long.

I watched, breath caught in my throat, as Darius approached the door and closed it with a deliberate click.

Shit, we were alone again, and the realization shot a jolt of electricity through my entire body.

He turned to face me, his striking gaze pinning me in place, holding me captive.

Those deep, inscrutable eyes traced the contours of my face, lingering on my cheeks, studying every subtle shift in my expression.

My heart raced painfully in my chest, and the space between us seemed to crackle with an intensity that left me breathless.

I felt the heat rising within me—was I blushing?

No, it was more than that; I was burning.

Darius Rothschild was beginning to master my body in ways I had no control over.