Ava continued to suck gently on Hollis’s clit as she slipped two fingers from her right hand into the deep, warm wetness. Hollis moaned and pushed herself onto the fingers.

  Ava curled her fingers up slightly and moved them inside of Hollis while still sucking gently on her clit. It took only seconds before Hollis grabbed Ava’s hair harder, exploded, and came beneath her. Hollis’s body shook and a red rash

  appeared across her chest. A light sheen of sweat was visible on her body in the dim light. Hollis looked so beautiful.

  Ava smiled. She lay her head gently on top of Hollis’s pelvis and squeezed the muscular hand that was still tangled in her own. Hollis stroked Ava’s hair. The smell of sex was heavy in the air. Ava felt like she had come home.

  20

  “D r. Omar, report to Neurology,” came the words from the hospital’s PA system.

  “Dr. Roman, we need a consult.” Sophia said, barging into Hollis’s o ce. “It’s a twenty-eight-year-old male with GI distress that won’t go away. The abdomen is swollen, but non-tender,” she added.

  “Come on, Dr. Wells. You need me for regular GI cases now too?” Hollis rolled her eyes. “Must be food poisoning.

  People literally put everything in their mouth these days.”

  “No, Doctor. That’s the thing. We have run all the usual tests, but nothing fits. Nothing has worked. We need you to take the case,” Sophia said, defending herself as Hollis stood from her chair.

  “What about alcohol? Failing liver, leading to ascites. His belly would turn into a drum,” Hollis suggested, a stern expression on her face.

  “We have yet to get the alcohol levels back, but the patient says he doesn’t drink—not even socially. He is a vegetarian,” Sophia informed her.

  “Even vegetarians lie, Dr. Wells,” Hollis said.

  “Alcohol can cause the swollen abdomen. The GI distress, vomiting and everything, but it won’t cause the rapid weight

  loss,” Sophia argued, as Hollis frowned.

  “Weight loss? Why didn’t you start with that?” she asked Sophia.

  “I am sorry doctor. I got carried away,” Sophia replied awkwardly.

  “Okay, culture anything you can. Look for evidence of infection. Scope him when he is stable and report it back, but be careful.” She looked Sophia dead in the eye before continuing. “If it’s actually alcohol, you could worsen the esophageal tears,” she reminded. Sophia nodded and left the o ce.

  “DR. HOLLIS, nothing is working. There is no alcohol in his blood. We followed your infection theory because the ESR

  was raised, but no signs of infection. Prophylactic antibiotics aren’t working and now there is a palpable mass in the abdomen,” Sophia reported back, a frown on her face. Her expression was grim.

  “What about ulcers? And you cannot grow a mass in five hours. Someone must have missed it,” Hollis said, her hand grasping her chin as she thought. “Looks like we are all missing something here.”

  “No evidence of any ulcers on the scope, Doctor. And the fluid tap didn’t help the abdominal swelling either,” Sophia answered.

  “We even did a tox screen just to be sure, but it looks like the guy is as clean as he is claiming to be. There is nothing in his urine or blood,” she added with a sigh—the case clearly draining her energy.

  “Bizarre symptoms and a patient who is not lying. Looks like it’s time to take the case,” Hollis said, taking the files

  from Sophia. “I think we need to open him up for a laparoscopy. Let’s believe only what we see,” she continued.

  Sophia countered. “Dr. Roman, the patient is in immense pain and gets episodes of hypotension. I don’t think he can take a laparoscopy right now. We will have to wait.”

  “Okay, I’ll go see him myself. Let’s see what’s going on.

  Until I get there, get his vitals ready, order a CT ABDOMEN, and check for lymphadenopathy. Maybe we have nasty cancer cells hiding in the lymph nodes,” Hollis said before leaving the o ce, Sophia in tow.

  “OKAY, spill. What’s gotten your panties in a bunch?” Lisa asked, facing Ava, e ectively blocking her exit from the cafeteria and ushering her to sit at the farthest table, so no one could overhear them. Lisa knew that her best friend had a story to tell.

  But Ava merely rolled her eyes. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong.”

  “Oh, no, no, no, no! You are not getting out of this, missy!

  Now, spill it! I know something happened. Ever since you’ve been back from that night at Hollis’s place, your emotions have been all over the place. You’re either crazy happy, crazy sad, crazy worried or crazy mad!”

  Ava sighed, knowing there was no escaping this conversation. She lowered her head onto the table before muttering, “Hollis and I kissed. The second time. And then we had sex . . . ” Ava looked up to see Lisa’s shocked expression. She knew she had just dug her own grave.

  Groaning, she put her head back on the table.

  “Oh, you horny little bitch! Couldn’t resist, now, could you? I knew it would happen some day, but I didn’t think it’d be this soon.” Ava let out another groan and Lisa rolled her

  eyes. “All right—tell me what you’re thinking. You’ve obviously been over-thinking it, so tell me,” Lisa scolded her friend.

  Ava sighed and looked at Lisa before beginning. “It’s just .

  . . I like her. I really do. And she’s a great person. But I just feel like we moved too fast. You know? I mean—the first time we kissed was when Vivienne had gotten hurt in the shooting. The second time was the night I spent at her house, and then after that we had sex . . . the same night! We haven’t even been out on a date yet and I just . . . I don’t know. I want to talk to Hollis about it, but we’ve just been so busy. None of us have gotten the time to really understand what happened. I left her house the next morning like nothing happened, and it’s bothering me,” Ava finished, out of breath as she looked at her friend with desperate eyes.

  Lisa nodded, a serious expression on her face. “Look, Ava.

  I can understand how you’re feeling, and quite frankly, I don’t blame you. The way things have progressed, it was bound to make you feel this way. But you know how Dr.

  Roman is. She lacks expertise in the emotional area. So I guess for now, at least, you gotta make the first move. Go talk to her. Work this out. Otherwise it’s all going to end up even more messed up and it’ll be over before it even starts, you know,” she told Ava, her eyes soft.

  Ava let out a breath as she calmed down. Smiling at Lisa, she nodded.

  “Smart ass,” Ava said, as they both laughed.

  “SO, what’s the update on the abdominal case, Hollis?”

  Rebecca asked, concerned.

  “It’s getting weird, Dr. Miller. There is no evidence of cancer or infection. The image shows a heterogeneous mass

  that resembles bone.” Hollis replied, as Rebecca nodded, the wheels in her mind turning. “But we are trying,” Hollis added. “I have ordered hormone panels and we will definitely crack this case.”

  “Dr. Roman, you know better,” Rebecca replied, her tone serious. “We cannot just keep ordering random tests and searching in di erent organs. There has to be something, and I want you to get it figured out before only autopsy can tell us. Did you carefully check the history? What about any anatomical obstructions causing all these problems?”

  Rebecca continued, looking at Hollis.

  “The anatomy is completely normal, and his history has absolutely nothing. I’ll have a detailed check once again.”

  Hollis replied.

  “Let me know when you have something,” Rebecca told Hollis, before walking away.

  “WHAT DO THE TESTS SAY?” Hollis asked Sophia.

  “All these levels are normal, but the HCG is up. Nothing else here,” Sophia replied.

  “Rebecca is on my back. She thinks we’ll kill this guy before we have the answer, and actually she might be right.

  We need to act,” Hollis stated with a sigh.

  “The high HCG could be a sign of testicular cancer, and if it has metastasized, this could fit. But his testicular exam had nothing abnormal.” The second part of Sophia’s answer didn’t have the same enthusiasm as the first.

  “Well, yes, but that’s the only theory we have now. Follow it,” Hollis ordered.

  “Did you get another history?” Hollis asked, stopping Sophia as she was about to leave.

  “Yes, but it’s nothing special, except that his mother had a di cult delivery and she didn’t survive. The doctors thought there were twins in there, but they were wrong,”

  Sophia replied, frowning.

  “Okay,” Hollis said slowly, her mind began racing once again for a possible diagnosis.

  “WHAT DO YOU MEAN, ‘He is pregnant?!’ Please, Hollis, we are running out of time. Why would you make jokes like that?”

  Rebecca couldn’t believe her ears as she stared dumbfounded at Hollis.

  “I am not joking, Dr. Miller. It fits. We even have his mother’s history supporting our theory,” Hollis insisted.

  “Well it could be a teratoma. That’s much more likely,”

  Rebecca countered, still shocked.

  “Yes, but the mass is not purely abdominal—it’s intraperitoneal. Supports my theory,” Hollis told her, smugness in her voice.

  “You realize that if you are wrong, not only will we be embarrassed, but he could sue us! And then the Ethics Committee will be on your back again. Oh, and don’t get me started on the media. They’ll have a field day with this news!” Rebecca exclaimed.

  “Well, if we are so afraid of getting sued, maybe we should just argue here while he dies and all of us go home.

  Dead people cannot sue, Rebecca. They are harmless,” Hollis said, fierce in her resolve. She wouldn’t insist on something unless she was absolutely sure, and she was definitely sure about this. “And I don’t care about the Ethics Committee. All of them are unethical jerks anyway. I’ll handle them if you allow me to do this,” she rea rmed.

  “I just have to be careful. One glitch and people start cursing the entire system.” Rebecca said to her.

  “If I am right, the guy is home by tomorrow. No one cares about us once we fix them. It will be business as usual,”

  Hollis argued.

  “Okay, go tell the patient and arrange the laparoscopy. I’ll handle the rest—but whatever you do, don’t ruin my wedding anniversary tomorrow,” Rebecca said sharply.

  “SO, it’s not cancer? That’s good news, right?” the patient asked, looking around at the doctors.

  “Yes. Do you know that your mother had a twin pregnancy and that she died during delivery?” Hollis asked the patient, who nodded slowly before responding.

  “Yes, but the doctor said my twin wasn’t viable,” he told them, surprised.

  “He is inside you.” Hollis broke the news, and not very subtly. Sophia coughed a few times before gaining her composure.

  “What? Wha- . . . What do you mean he’s . . . ?” The patient stared at Hollis, his eyes ready to pop out of their sockets.

  “You have a rare condition called ‘Fetus in Fetus’. Only a handful of people have been diagnosed with this. Your twin didn’t die. He just became a part of you and lived,” Hollis explained, slowly.

  “So, uh.. there is a baby inside me?” The patient couldn’t believe it.

  “Not exactly. Just some vestigial parts. Living on your nutrients kind of like a parasite. It’s causing all your problems,” Hollis elaborated further. “We will cut your

  abdomen open, remove all those parts, and you will be done,” she added, as if it was the simplest of things.

  “So. I . . . won’t die? Right?” He was still trying to process the news Hollis had given him.

  “It may take you some time to regain the lost weight and there will be some organ damage, but you’ll be just as normal as you were before coming here,” Hollis told him, nodding. “Congratulations, you have joined the elite list of patients now,” she said with a smile. Soon the patient was ready to be taken to the operating room.

  “AVA!” Hollis’s voice called out to her, just as she was about to leave the hospital. Ava turned to face Hollis.

  “Oh, hey, Hollis!” Ava greeted her with a smile. Hollis smiled back and took her hand in her own, giving it a squeeze. “How has your day been?” Hollis asked her, as Ava blushed at the gesture.

  “It’s uh . . . been good. What about you? Heard you had a crazy case today,” Ava said to her.

  “Oh, don’t ask. Quite the rare one at that,” she said, letting out an airy laugh as Ava stepped closer to her.

  “I, uh . . . had to ask you something.” Hollis’s expression turned rather serious and Ava could feel she was nervous.

  She cocked her head to the side and gave Hollis a reassuring smile. Hollis closed her eyes, breathing heavily for a momen before looking at Ava. “Would you like to go on a date with me tomorrow? Vivi is with Karen for the weekend.” She smiled at Ava.

  “I’d love to,” Ava said, smiling back.

  21

  “Where are we going?” Ava asked, as Hollis took an unfamiliar dirt road.

  “It’s a surprise, babe.”

  Ava couldn’t contain her excitement as her eyes took in her surroundings. With every passing tree, they went further into the forest. Ava had to calm herself, so as to not go running out of the car into the magical land in front of her.

  Her breath hitched and her mouth opened slightly in awe, as she committed the beauty to memory before turning to Hollis, who had a smile playing on her lips. The car came to a stop and with shaky steps, Ava walked forward into the meadow.

  It was a glorious expanse of grass and meadow flowers, which rustled gently in the breeze. A narrow brook flowed through it all. Tall water-mint with pale lilac flowers, like dozens of tiny bells, grew at the edge of the brook.

  The vast expanse of the meadow was a riot of color, with the burnt-orange butterfly weed standing tall amongst the grasses, while the prairie daisies appeared to reflect the brilliant yellow of the sun herself. Blazing star stood tall, like purple bushy cattails. Near the edges of the lazy river grew blue-violet wild rises, upright and proud.

  It was a place one could go with a sketching pad and draw until the light drained from the blue sky. A few pu y clouds floating by, sun shining in the middle, and a soft breeze flowed. It all added to the beauty of the place.

  Ava turned around to Hollis and ran into her arms, burying her face in Hollis’s neck. “This place is amazing!”

  Hollis pulled back to place a kiss on Ava’s forehead. “Now let’s get that picnic basket out. I’m starving,” she said, grinning at Ava—who stood there, confused. But when Hollis opened the trunk and pulled out a cloth and a large basket, it finally clicked! Ava let out a bubbly laugh before running toward the field and falling down on the ground, the grass cushioning her fall.

  Hollis chuckled at her girlfriend and went to lay the picnic cloth near Ava, who was currently busy waving her arms and legs and yelling, “Starfish!”

  Hollis put the basket on the blanket before settling down on it herself. Pulling out two glasses and a bottle of wine, she poured their drinks and called to Ava.“Come here, now.”

  Ava smiled and walked toward Hollis, sitting down on the cloth in front of her. Holding their glasses, they turned to face the mountains, enjoying the scenery in peace as they sipped their drinks. The meadow was surrounded by tall pine trees. Just before Ava and Hollis, the peaks of the mountains were visible, and one could make out the waterfall between them.

  “This is amazing,” Ava repeated. “Thank you for bringing me here.” She looked at Hollis to find her already looking at her—her gaze intense. Ava blushed and tucked her hair behind her ear before a soft chuckle made her look at Hollis.

  Moving closer to Ava, Hollis kissed her cheek. Ava smiled at her in return.

  “All right, my lady, what would you like to eat? We have steak.” She pulled out a plastic-wrapped dish and placed it

  on the cloth. “We have delicious pasta.” Pulling out another plastic-wrapped dish, she placed it in front of Ava, who giggled at Hollis. “And last but not least, we have a mouth-watering chocolate pudding pie.”

  “Oh, these do look delicious!” Ava eyed the food with hungry eyes before helping Hollis pull out the plates and utensils.

  After they ate, they sat together in peace, taking in everything around them. Holding one of Ava’s hands, Hollis placed it on her own heart before taking a deep breath.

  Closing her eyes, Hollis frowned, before finally smiling.

  Ava cocked her head to the side in worry before asking,

  “Is everything okay? Are you–” but she was cut o by Hollis.

  Her grip tightened on Ava’s hand before she spoke.

  “My heart has never felt so warm before. You’ve melted the ice around it, Ava. And quite frankly, it beats for you now as well.” Ava’s breath hitched as she stared wide-eyed at Hollis.

  “Before you, life was just about . . . being alive. But not actually living, you know? But ever since you’ve come into my life, you’ve changed everything. And for the better. You just fit so perfectly. Vivienne . . .” Hollis’s eyes twinkled, as she looked at Ava, stroking her cheek softly before continuing. “Vivienne has never been this happy. You took her out of the darkness. You saved her, Ava. I hated you for being so close to Vivienne. And yet, I couldn’t be more thankful that you had been there for her when I couldn’t. At a time when I had failed her. And me . . . Ava, you saved me.”

  Ava’s eyes filled with tears as Hollis’s confession continued. “You saved me from the darkness I had surrounded myself with. You have been my light, Ava. I’ve lived on the principle of being cold. Detached. Rough. It was how I had grown up and I continued to live that way. To treat myself that way. I only knew a handful of things about

  actually living until you showed up. Ava, you made me realize how love can change a person. How it can turn you into a better person. How, by having someone as . . .

  absolutely incredible as you at my side, I could feel so content.” By this time, Ava had trails of tears flowing down her face. Hollis kissed them away as she leaned back from Ava.“I love being with you,” Hollis said. “I want to wake up next to you every day. Ava, I love having you in my arms. I love how you support me through everything. I love how you scrunch your nose at something that annoys you. I love how you bite your bottom lip when you’re thinking hard. I love how soft and kind you are. I love how you’re always keen to help people who might not even deserve it. And I love how passionate you are about recycling and saving the planet.”