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She nods, but that worry in her eyes doesn't diminish. If anything, it gets louder, brighter.

“Daddy!” Mabel screeches as the back door flies open, Duke yapping hot on her trail.

I wince, physically hit by the sound of her shrill voice ringing alongside his high barks.

“Mabel,” Face scolds. “Take Duke back outside.”

Owen stands from the couch, where I realize he’s been sitting through this entire exchange. His eyes are filled with the same concern that fills his mothers.

“Hey, Mabel, how about we take Duke for a walk?”

“Okay,” Mabel agrees happily, already running for Duke's leash.

She pulls it from the closet and Duke’s yapping becomes an excited yipping that feels like an axe to my skull.

I say nothing as I make my way upstairs. I feel unsteady as I do, like I might have another one of those episodes.

I don't know what they are. It's happened twice now.

I've fallen…

I'm starting to worry. Dad is starting to worry. I saw it in his eyes when I told him I needed to go home early. There's a big build, and we've got a deadline, but I feel like I'm dying.

I want a hot shower.

I want to sleep.

I'm so goddamn tired.

And I’m so goddamn scared…

Doctor Maddens frowns at me from her wheely stool before she returns to tapping on her laptop. “I think it’s time we order a CT.”

Relief and fear peak inside me. I nod.

Doctor Maddens continues her tapping. I’m familiar with her and she with me, though I haven’t been a regular visitor until recently. Doctor Maddens became our family doctor after taking Faye on during her pregnancy with Owen.

Before this infection—God, I pray it’s an infection—I’d been scolded for altering my annual check-up to every two years. Even then, I would have probably pushed those had her administrative staff not been persistent enough to let it slip to Faye during our kid’s appointments that I was due. And as we know, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for that woman.

For my wife, the love of my life.

“I still think we’re battling a sinus infection with the pressure you’re describing, but we might have something else on our hands. A pinched nerve, perhaps, contributing to the pain behind your left eye.”

“A pinched nerve?”

She gives me a tight smile. “You’d be surprised the trouble a pinched nerve can cause.”

“Wouldn’t the chiropractor help with that?”

More tapping. “There are resistant cases that require what we call nerve blocks. A local anesthetic and steroid injection. The CT will give us the answer we need to move forward.”

“How long will that be?”

She sighs as she looks to me once again. “They’re currently booking about six to eight weeks out. But if you’re symptoms change or become unmanageable, I advise you to seek emergency care promptly, Tate.” She continues to eye me firmly, again, because she knows me. “I’m serious. If your symptoms change, you need to go to the hospital. They will assess and get the CT done immediately.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” I force a smile.

She swivels back to her laptop. “In the meantime, I’m going to give you a couple prescriptions to help manage your symptoms. One is to be used pre-emptively. The other is a strong anti-inflammatory. You’ll take it with the onset of your headaches, and it should drastically lessen your pain.”