“No matter what the doc says, you’ll be fine, Taylor. You’re a fighter, and stronger than any woman I’ve ever known. This is only a temporary delay in your life. There’s nothing that can beat you.”
“How do you always know exactly the right words to say?” she asked with a sniffle. Strong? Not at the moment.
“You make me a man I’ve never been before.”
Taylor gripped his hand and walked by his side into the small doctor’s office. She’d been seeing the same doctor since she was born, except when she’d been on the road. He was a good man, and he wouldn’t take her career away lightly, she assured herself.
She just had to show a strong front—that was all. Pushing her shoulders back, she approached the receptionist and gave her brightest smile. “Good morning, Dora. I’m here for my appointment.”
“Hello, Taylor,” Dora said. “Doc Holo is waiting in the back for you.”
Another beautiful thing about living in a small community was the far shorter wait time to see a doctor. Rare emergencies were the only reason that he’d be running late.
Since Dr. Alfred Holo spent a couple of days a week at his home office, he was pretty much on call twenty-four-seven. He’d soon be retiring, and the town would mourn its loss. No one could easily replace the man. Heck, he’d delivered most of the people Taylor had grown up with.
Dora took her to the examination room, and it wasn’t until she found herself standing there with the door shut that she realized she was still clutching Travis’s hand.
“You don’t have to stay with me. I’m sorry for dragging you in here. You probably want to do some shopping or something.”
“I want to stay with you, Taylor, if you don’t mind?”
“Okay.” She didn’t exactly ask him to stay, but she wasn’t letting him go, either—the pressure she was putting on his fingers remained strong.
“Taylor, can you change into a gown?”
She looked to see Dora holding one of the ugly hospital gowns that opened in the front. She’d rather not, but if it got her answers sooner, she’d do what she had to.
“I’ll wait until you’re changed,” Travis said as he leaned down and gave her a brief kiss, then exited the room with Dora. After changing, she climbed up onto the table, then waited for Travis and the doctor to come in.
A few minutes later, there was a knock followed by the door opening. “Taylor, hello, dear. You are looking so much healthier. It seems you’ve been getting some sun,” Doc said.
Taylor felt her cheeks flush. Yeah, she’d been getting sun, and she had no tan lines. Hopefully a full-body exam wasn’t planned, or she’d be mortified.
“Thanks, Doc. I feel like my old self again,” she said, infusing her voice with enthusiasm.
“Wonderful, wonderful.” He continued looking at her chart for a few moments. Then he had her lie back on the table and he examined her ribs. “You’ve healed quite nicely, darling. Is there any tenderness when I push here?”
“No. It hasn’t hurt for a while,” she said, relieved.
“From the last MRI, it appears your head injury is as healed as it can get,” he began, and hope surged in Taylor’s heart until he spoke again. “I’m going to be blunt, Taylor. I don’t think you should race anymore. Sure, on the surface, your injuries are healing nicely, but the reality is that you had a very close call this last time. I’ve been reviewing all your medical files, and your body has been put through more than anyone your age—or any age—ever should be. If you don’t quit, you’re going to have a fatal injury soon, because you’re already weakened. Even minor concussions are no joke, and yours wasn’t minor.”
He paused, and Taylor looked at him with fear. If he didn’t sign her release, she couldn’t enter the circuit again. Sure, she could go from doctor to doctor, but none of them would sign the release without reviewing the files. It could take months, or even years, and the longer she was away, the less chance she’d ever return.
“I’m telling you this as a friend and a doctor, Taylor. I really think you should stop, but as your doctor, I have to also accept that your current injuries have healed. I will sign your release to return to the racing circuit in thirty more days, but I would take the next month to really think about if this is worth it any longer.”
“Thank you!” Taylor shouted. She jumped up from the table and threw her arms around the doctor. She heard nothing after he told her he was signing the release. She wasn’t trapped anymore. She could return to what she loved.
“Taylor, let me say this again—I’m not signing it for thirty days. You have to promise me you’ll seriously consider other options during that time,” he said sternly.
Taylor didn’t make a promise she didn’t intend to keep, so a little of her joy evaporated, but only a small bit. “I promise to look at other options,” she said, and she would. That didn’t mean she would seriously pursue any of them.
“That’s all I can ask for, then,” he said as he finally returned her hug and then left the room. Travis followed him without saying a word.
Taylor changed quickly and met Travis in the waiting room. She was so elated by the news that she was practically bouncing as they made their way through town, picking up more supplies and then stopping for lunch.
She didn’t notice Travis’s black mood.
Travis pulled up to the bike shop and went inside. His mood hadn’t improved in the last few days, because Taylor was already talking about the races she could enter.