A Chance at Destiny (12 page)

Then she sat in the chair Tyler was previously sitting in. “What did the text messages from Thanksgiving say? And Last night?” She’d been trying, unsuccessfully, to control her breathing.

“More of the same.” He shamefully admitted.

“She wants you. Now that she tasted you -literally. She wants you.”

“I told her I wasn't available. To stop calling and texting but...” He looked down. Tyler felt so ashamed for letting Cindi get the best of him.

Sniffing and then shivering, Destiny  was still cold. “She won’t. Not till she's had you. Darren told-‘

“Darren?” Tyler stood. Now it was his turn to be angry.

“Nothing.” She dismissed her husband’s anger. “I should have listened” She shook her head.

“Listened to Darren?” He supposed he should have been angry. Really angry. But he didn’t have a right.  “Now what? Where do we go from here?" Tyler looked up . His eyes were damp and glossy . The rims of his eyes were red.

“I don't know .I don't know.” Destiny stood. She needed to get dressed. She couldn’t seem to stop shivering.

On the car ride to the trailer park, Tyler glanced at Destiny's sleeping body. She was too hot. She'd been cold earlier but now she was glistening with sweat. He nudged her to wake her up. “God, Destiny, you're burning up.”

She began  to stir slowly. They only had an hour and half to get his dad’s trailer. Destiny reached down and pulled the hem of her sweater over her head. She was wearing a much cooler tank top underneath. She dozed back off. Soon she was shivering cold again. “Turn up the heat,” she begged.

Tyler was concerned. She was cold then hot. Now cold again? “The heat’s on,” he assured her.

“Destiny ? You feel okay?” When she didn’t answer right away. He asked, “ Does something hurt?"

She nodded then dozed back off. He'd debated on taking her to an emergency room. He decided that he'd get her to a bed and then see what was wrong.

Finally.
Tyler thought as he pulled up to the trailer. He opened the door to unload their luggage. His father greeted him with a huge hug. James was sitting on the sofa. He stood to hug his younger brother. “Where’s Destiny ?” James asked.

“In the car. She’s sleeping,” he dropped the bag. “Let me go wake her up.”

Destiny didn't completely wake up so Tyler carried her into the trailer to a familiar bed. She curled up into another ball. She was still too warm.

He went in search of a thermometer. He checked her temperature. It was one hundred and two degrees. “Destiny. Open your eyes,” he sat her up. “Tell me what hurts.”

She touched her throat, then her head. Tyler looked at her as tears misted her eyes. Lastly, she touched her heart and rolled back into a ball.

Tyler thought he was going to die watching her shiver. He'd given her the Tylenol like Anne said. He'd called her. She’d said it should help in thirty minutes. It seemed like the longest thirty minutes of his young life. He was physically hurting for his wife. She was shivering so hard.

He stripped her of all her clothes except her underwear, bra, and tank top. He covered her with a light blanket. Just like Annie said. He watched as her shivering subsided and she began to sleep better.

A few hours later, Tyler jumped up from the sofa. Destiny was sneezing and coughing. At some point, she’d gotten up to get tissue. Her nose was running. “Must be the flu.” he said walking over to touch his hand to her forehead.

“Go away Tyler,” she said. Her nose was stuffy. She sounded so cute. Tyler knew better than to laugh so he cleared his throat. She snuggled back into bed again.

“You want some tea or soup?” He asked. She shook her head as her eyes closed slowly. Tyler knew she needed to eat. He'd try again later.

Destiny sat up slowly-very slowly. She couldn’t focus. It was dark out. Her head was pounding. Her arms and legs were aching almost pulsating. She was cold. Really cold.

When she stood she heard Tyler shift in the chair next to the bed. His feet were propped up on the end. He head was thrown back. His flat billed hat was sitting over his face. His hair was pulled into a rubber band behind his head.

Tyler could hear her moving. He focused immediately on his wife as she sat on the side of the bed. “Whatcha need?” He asked.

“What time is it?”  She croaked. Her throat really hurt.

“One in the morning. You need something for body aches and fever. It's time. I didn't want to wake you. ‘ It wasn’t a question or a suggestion but a demand. He left the room returning with a glass of water.

Destiny felt awful. She went to the bathroom. Tyler was waiting on the bed when she stepped out. She slid the pain reliever onto her tongue and sipped the water. It hurt to swallow. It even hurt to blink. She slid back in bed and buried herself deep in the covers to stop the chills.

Tyler sat watching Destiny. She was finally sleeping again. She was still coughing and sneezing. Her nose was running. He felt horrible just watching her suffer. Tyler had never had even a common cold . Years of playing outside in the dirt and yuck of the trailer park had obviously boosted his immune system.

She was hurting emotionally,too. Tyler could give her medicine to help ease the physical symptoms of the flu. But her broken heart? Tyler was disappointed in himself for the way he caved in to Cindi. He hurt for Destiny in more ways than one.

“You have to eat or drink something,” Tyler was adamant. She woke to the smell of warm tea and chicken broth. She shook her head no. Her throat hurt too badly. Her body ached. She didn't want to sit up. She shook her head again.

“Yes.” Tyler insisted.

He sat on the bed. Then he peeled the covers away exposing her sweat soaked tank top. He fought to pull his eyes from her dark chocolate nipples.
She's sick .
He chanted over and over in his mind.

Destiny sat up and sagged on the side of the bed. Slowly, Tyler lifted the spoon to her dry  lips. Her mouth felt like it was pasted together. She slurped the soup from the spoon.  The warmth coated her throat.

Half way through eating the small bowl of soup and a few sips of water, Destiny needed a bathroom. She was going to be sick. She stood and was whirling with dizziness. She stumbled to the toilet and watched all the hot liquid return.

Tyler was concerned. Really concerned. She hadn't eaten in two days. Now Destiny was throwing up. Then Tyler helped her back to bed. It was early. His dad was still sleeping. But his concern for his wife outweighed his respect for his father’s sleep. He knocked on the door.

“Yeah.” David Duggan answered groggily.

“Dad,” he whispered as he entered the small room. “Destiny’s sick. Really sick dad. Maybe I should take to the hospital.”

David sat up. He cleared his throat, “You’re her husband. Make a decision. If she needs to go then get her there.”

Tyler stood there looking at his dad. It felt like more responsibility than he wanted to have. He didn’t like to override her. But she needed to see a doctor.

At Tyler’s insistence to go to the hospital, “No. I'll be fine,” was Destiny's protest. She tried to stand up and her head was swimming.

“No. You’re going!” Tyler's told her as he kept her from falling to the floor.

After hours of sitting in the waiting area, the nurse finally called Destiny back to a bed. Because it was flu season, she was swabbed and tested before she saw the doctor. She was then placed in the area where people with flu like symptoms were all sitting in one room.

“Mrs. Duggan ?” The doctor  knocked as he entered into the room. He saw Destiny lying on bed. “You defiantly have the flu. But we need to draw a little blood to see exactly what's going on with you.” The doctor stood as he looked at the chart.

Tyler watched as they drew blood from Destiny. A few hours later, the nurse came in. “Mrs. Duggan.  It looks like you’re seriously dehydrated. So the doctor wants to keep you overnight. All your other test came back okay. You pregnancy test was negative as well. We are going to move you to a room soon.”

Tyler was struck with fear at the sound of the word pregnancy. He hadn’t realized that that could be a possible reason for her feeling bad. He let out a huge breath of relief. He and Destiny always used condoms. He knew she wasn't on birth control so he was trying to be responsible. Condoms weren't always effective,and he knew that. He and his wife would have to talk more about this.

She looked so small in the hospital bed. “Are you feeling better?’ Tyler asked as her eyes started to flutter open. She'd been sleep for almost seven hours. The sun was up. “I brought you something.” He smiled at her excitement holding the small Styrofoam container.

Destiny sat up straighter in the bed. She really was feeling better. Even though Tyler practically forced her to come to the hospital, she was glad. The nursing staff started IV fluids once she was admitted. That seemed to help a lot. She was starving, and she hoped that whatever Tyler was holding was food. But, she had to go to the bathroom.

Tyler moved quickly to help her up from the bed. She retreated to the bathroom to take care of her restroom needs. Tyler could hear Destiny washing her hands. He stood outside the door waiting.  Once he helped her into bed, he opened the container.

“Oh. Thank you.” Destiny said dryly. She loved chocolate pie. Tyler discovered that while eating in the cafeteria on campus. She especially loved it when she was having her period. He loved to watch her childlike glee when she ate it.

“I thought it might make you feel better when I saw it in the cafeteria.”

“What time is it?”

“It’s one o'clock.” He watched her eye gape wide open in surprise. “Here let me get you a spoon.” Tyler walked out of the hospital room and returned with a plastic spoon. “Dig in.”

Even as he watched her he could see the slight sadness in her eyes. Tyler knew he'd done that. He’d hurt her. Even if she had the flu, she didn't have amnesia. He wanted to crawl in bed with her to make her forgive him. Instead, he sat in the chair and watched her pick at her pie.

“Taste okay?" He just wanted her to speak to him. He hated his space and anger between them. Destiny nodded,but she didn't finished the pie . She rolled over and went back to sleep.

She heard him leave. She wished he would just go away. Destiny felt the small sob ease up. Her lips quivered. She missed her friends from school. It was the Christmas holiday,and she wished she had someone to talk to. She didn't fight the tears. She let them flow and soak her pillow.

Tyler was almost to the truck when he realized he'd left his keys in Destiny's hospital room. He pushed the door open and stopped. He listened to her cry. He watched her shoulders  shake up and down as she cried. His heart hurt.  He gently tapped on the door.

Destiny swiped her tears quickly. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Tyler standing at the entrance.

“I forgot my keys.”  He walked over and grabbed them off the table near her bed.

Destiny sniffed. She would not let him see her cry. She fixed her eyes on sky, looking out the window.

“Do you need anything? I'm going to run to dad's to change my clothes. I'll be right back.”

She simply shook her head no. She could not form words over the lump in her throat.

Tyler stood willing her to say something to him.

Nope. Nothing
.

So he eased back out the door.

In his truck, Tyler slammed his fist over and over on the steering wheel. He screamed in frustration. He knew he looked like a fool. So he took a deep breath. Starting the car, he drove with the music drowning out his pain.