Chapter 33

Charisse was drowning in pain, barely holding on, slipping straight into a chaotic mess of a dream. First, it was a crowd circling around her, every one of them holding these terrifyingly thick, long needles. She was scared out of her mind but couldn't find a way out, eyes wide as they inched closer. Next, Owen's face showed up. Over the past few years, her cramps had gotten worse. Even painkillers didn't always do the trick. Owen tried literally everything—heating pads, herbal teas, chocolate, even YouTube tutorials on massage techniques. He basically studied his way into being a part-time gynecologist. Then, little-kid memories came flooding back. She'd eaten something bad and curled up in pain, yelling for Elliot Davis. He rushed her to the hospital and stayed with her through it all. The hospital food was so bland she couldn't even look at it, but he still waited in line for two hours just to grab her favorite Brooklyn Bagel . Her dream was a total blur, faces and sounds crashing t