Read Online Breaking the Cycle by Tricia Andersen - Free Book Online Page B

down. Chloe was seated on the mat, stretching. “Chloe!” he called. “Come up here.” Stepping inside the office again, he waited with Mark and Dan. Moments later, Chloe appeared.
    “You guys, Jack isn’t going to be happy you invaded his office,” she warned, her hands clenched stubbornly to her sides. Mark rose for her to sit.
    “It’s important.” Max motioned her to the chair. “Sit.”
    With a huff, Chloe sat down gingerly. Max pointed at the screen. “Chloe, baby, are those your symptoms for that thing you have that makes you sick?”
    She scanned the list silently, her eyes flickering at every word. As she reached the end, she whispered, “Yes.”
    “Bingo!” Mark shouted triumphantly as he punched the air above his head. “My buddy said he’d get Chloe in to run the tests to confirm it. His name is Chad Nicholson. I’ll get it arranged and let you know the date, so you don’t have to hassle with scheduling. He thought he could get you in to see him in a couple days.”
    “That’s incredible, Mark. Thank you,” Max gushed. He looked around the room at the overjoyed faces. Even Dan had forgotten the insults and was grinning. Then, Max’s smile fell. Chloe wasn’t pleased with the news. She stared forlornly at the screen. “Chloe, what is it?” Max asked, concerned. “You should be happy. This may be an answer to your problem.”
    “Max,” she breathed. “There have been a lot of doctors with a lot of diagnoses of what it could be. None of them were right. Thank you, Mark, for everything you’ve done. I just don’t think this is it.” She stood and strode silently from the office, leaving the baffled men behind.
    Mark held true to his word, and within twenty-four hours, Chloe was scheduled with Dr. Nicholson on Monday. The first item of business on Max’s agenda when he arrived home was to share the website Mark had showed him with Liz. Not even a Cubs win could pull her away from the information. Liz was elated. Max understood. She wanted nothing more than to see her daughter live a normal life. Truthfully, he wanted the exact same thing.
    The only one not excited for the appointment was Chloe. She was moody. She was sullen. And every day that passed until their trip to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, her disposition grew worse. Max frowned at her grouchiness. He couldn’t understand. If he felt healthy for the first time in twenty years, he would be shouting from the rooftops.
    Time crawled by, but Monday finally arrived. Max jumped out of bed, tugging a shirt over his head and stepping into his shorts. He slipped down the hall until he was able to poke his head into Chloe’s room. “Up and at ’em, sleepyhead! We have quite the drive.”
    The only sign of Chloe was the human-shaped lump hidden beneath the downy thick comforter. Max grinned as he strode over to the bed and ripped the covers free, leaving Chloe exposed in her baby doll tee and boxers. She snarled as she fought to find the cotton sheets.
    “Are you guys coming?” Liz called from downstairs.
    “As soon as I drag Chloe out of bed,” Max shouted back. He turned to the woman curled up on the mattress. “Come on, baby. We can’t be late.”
    “Why can’t you guys leave me alone?” Chloe pouted.
    “Because we want you to feel better. We love you, Chloe. Why are you so dead set on not going?”
    Chloe stared at him, looking dumbfounded for a moment, before she visibly shook herself to her senses.
    She heard me say I love her. Good.
    She sighed. “I’m tired of getting my hopes up. There’s always a doctor who thinks they can fix me. They couldn’t. I doubt this one can. I’m just broken.”
    Max sat on the bed beside her. “We should at least try, don’t you think? It would be horrible if you walked away and this is the doctor who can help you. If you really are broken and can’t be fixed, it won’t change how I feel. I don’t want this for me. I want this for you. So, come on. Get up and get dressed. If