Page 2 of Errik

The carefree traveler who’d driven out of Madison five years ago with hopes of making it as an influencer no longer existed. She was different. Hardened. Lonely. Scared.

And now, lying in this examination room on sheets that smelled like mildew, surrounded by outdated medical equipment, she wondered if there was anywhere left for her to go.

Well, assuming she survived whatever illness was ravaging her body…

Footsteps sounded in the corridor right outside her room. Her stomach flipped when she heard the doctor’s familiar voice as she spoke to a passing nurse. She stared at their feet beneath the curtain, straining to hear their words but unable to make anything out.

This is it. I’m about to find out what’s wrong with me.

“Knock, knock, I’m back,” the doctor called just before stepping inside the curtained area.

Holly took a deep breath. “Hello again.” She swallowed hard and waited for the older woman to speak.

“I’m afraid I have some… troubling news,” Dr. Rowan said as she held up a large tablet, which presumably contained the results of Holly’s tests. “Do you have any family or friends you would like to call to be with you right now? Even if they can’t make it here physically, we can patch them through on a video comm.”

“There’s no one. It’s just me.” Holly’s throat burned. She’d never felt more alone in her life. “Please just tell me what’s wrong.” I can handle it. Maybe.

“All right, then.” The doctor paused for a moment. “You have a bicuspid aortic valve, a condition you were born with. Normally, the aortic valve has three leaflets, but yours has two. Unfortunately, it’s become severely narrowed, and your heart is having to work much harder to push blood through it. That’s why you’re experiencing severe fatigue, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, and so on.” Dr. Rowan glanced at the tablet with a frown, appearing deep in thought.

Or maybe she was stalling.

Holly assumed the treatment would involve some kind of surgery. Maybe they couldn’t do that here. Maybe she was up shit creek without a paddle, to borrow one of her father’s favorite phrases.

She glanced at the outdated equipment, the peeling wallpaper, and the cheap linoleum flooring with a sinking heart.

“What’s the treatment?” Holly whispered, her mouth suddenly dry.

Dr. Rowan gave her a solemn look. “You need surgery—an aortic valve replacement. Unfortunately, we can’t do that here at our little clinic. We’re lucky we even have a cardiac MRI machine. The initial ultrasound showed the problem with your valve, but the MRI helped me determine just how serious the damage was. There’s a hospital about a hundred miles from here that could perform the surgery. I could give you the information and maybe…” She stopped speaking when a boom sounded in the distance.

A long silence passed between them. That boom confirmed that the fighting was getting closer. It was also a stark reminder of just how dangerous it would be to attempt the journey to that hospital.

“I’m a bit of a nomad,” Holly said with a deep sigh. “I live in an RV, and I’ve been driving in circles for weeks, trying to find a way out of this area of Pennsylvania, but the roads leading away are blocked. I can’t imagine being able to drive a hundred miles in any direction right now. The fighting just keeps getting worse… and closer from the sound of it. But even so, I don’t have insurance, and I likely wouldn’t be able to afford the surgery.”

Was this condition fatal? She wanted to ask, but there was a part of her that didn’t want to know.

Another boom sounded in the distance, and the lights flickered a few seconds later. Then a siren began blaring.

Dr. Rowan glanced down at her smartwatch. Her eyes widened. “Dammit. Two warring factions of rebels are passing through the area, and the mayor has ordered everyone to shelter in place. Excuse me for just a moment.” She rushed into the corridor, shouting for someone to barricade the doors and windows.

Well. Even if Holly had insurance or possessed enough money to afford heart valve replacement surgery, it would seem she wasn’t going anywhere now. She was trapped. Hopefully, once she got discharged, she could sneak outside and make it to her RV.

As the aching in her chest deepened, she struggled to take her next breath. She really was getting worse.

Dr. Rowan finally stepped back into the room, still clutching the tablet that contained Holly’s results, her face as solemn as ever.

“How long?” Holly finally whispered.

“I’m sorry?”

“How long can I live without the surgery?”

Dr. Rowan’s expression softened. “That’s difficult to predict. Some patients with severe aortic stenosis can remain stable for a while, but you’ve already developed significant symptoms. The fainting, the chest pain, and the shortness of breath tell me your heart is struggling to compensate.”

Holly’s fingers tightened around the edge of the blanket. “But… if you had to guess, how long would you say I have left?”

“If you don’t have the valve replaced, your condition will only continue to worsen. Eventually, your heart won’t be able to keep up. Without surgery… just a few months. I’m sorry.”

Holly stared at her.