Book 3 -15-

[Strange Pains II]

MALIK

The receptionist, a leggy, raven-haired woman with a pixie cut, pulled a card from her drawer, and jotted down the words as she spoke. “Monday at eight a.m., you have a CT scan with Dr. Sykora.” She slid the card across the desk. “Just in case you can’t make it, call us and we’ll reschedule.” She smiled and turned her attention to the couple waiting behind me.

I cleared my throat and ran a nervous hand through my hair as I leaned in to thank the receptionist. “Thank you so much,” I said with a shaky smile, trying to keep my nerves at bay.

The receptionist nodded and returned her attention to the next awaiting patient, barely sparing me another glance. I took a deep breath and headed for the door, feeling more than just a little relieved that this first hurdle was over. As I stepped outside into the warm afternoon sun, I took a deep breath of fresh air. My heart raced as thoughts swirled through my mind: Would Monday be the day they figured out what was wro