Kim awoke to a throbbing pain in her jaw. Fumbling through the darkness Kim found the clock and turned it around. Two o’clock flashed in bold red digits. Moaning she turned over slowly wincing at the pain coursing through her jaw. Kim knew she needed to do something but she didn’t have the heart to wake Nick up. Kim shifted her to her back gingerly and tried to force herself back to sleep. After tossing and turning for three hours Kim decided to get up and do something to take her mind off of the pain. Quietly she slipped from the bed and made her way from the room. Going to the bathroom Kim flipped the light switch and flinched at the flood of bright light. Searching the medicine cabinet Kim finally spotted the Tylenol. Still in a haze she struggled to open the safety top. When she was about to give up and put the painkiller back she felt strong arms wrap around her waist. Kim glanced into the mirror to find Nick standing behind her. He took the bottle from her hands. Opening it he poured two pills into his hand and gave them to Kim. Reach around her he turned on the faucet and filled a glass with water. Gratefully Kim popped the capsules into her mouth and then downed the whole glass of water. When she had placed the glass back on the counter Kim turned to face Nick. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly. “I woke up with a bad toothache.” Kim returned. “We’ll have to call a dentist in the morning.” Nick said guiding her back to the bedroom. When Kim was settled against the pillows Nick climbed into the other side of the bed and put him arms around her. As the medicine started to work Nick felt Kim starting to relax and soon she was fast asleep again. When Kim completely relaxed Nick allowed himself to relax and go back to sleep.
When Kim awoke the next morning she found Nick spot in the bed still warm but empty. Reaching out Kim rubbed her hand over the warm sheets and enjoyed his scent, which still lingered there. Kim reluctantly got out of bed and headed for the shower. When she emerged Kim found Nick sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. “Good morning.” He greeted her. Kim mumbled a reply as she headed to the coffee pot and poured herself a cup. They sat in silence for a few minutes as Kim sipped her coffee gingerly avoiding the sensitive area in her mouth. “I don’t have a dentist.” Kim said finally. “When I was little my mom took me to the dentist faithfully but over since I have been on my own I have gotten out of the habit of going.” She said. “I already made you an appointment with the dentist I see.” Nick said finally. “You’ll like him. Doctor Graber is really nice. I also called into work for you already. They aren’t expecting you all day. I thought after not getting much sleep last night you needed a day to take it easy. After the dentist you can just come home and rest. I took half a day off so I can go with you but then I will have to go in for a few hours after lunch. Your appointment is for eleven thirty. I don’t mean to rush you but if we are going to make it on time you need to get moving.” He said glancing up from the newspaper he had been reading. Kim glanced at the clock before dashing to the bedroom to finish getting dressed. She emerged thirty minutes later with her purse in hand.
“You have a large cavity which is causing your discomfort.” Doctor Graber declared after examining Kim’s teeth a few minutes. “You also have a large amount of decay on the inside of all your teeth. Do you have an eating disorder?” He asked kindly gazing down at her. “Bulimia” Kim admitted glancing down at her own hands. “This would explain the unusual amount of wear on the insides of you teeth. Repeated retching causes the enamel to wear off of your teeth, which makes you more susceptible to cavities than a person with out this condition. I know I don’t have to tell you all the other things you put yourself at risks for and I am not going to.” He said gathering he would need. Kim gazed out the window but didn’t say a word. Kim emerged from the office to find Nick reading a magazine. When he spotted her he laid the magazine on the coffee table. Crossing the room he joined her and together they walked out to the car. Silence hung heavy as Kim contemplated Doctor Graber’s words. It was almost as if Kim could feel what she was doing to herself eating away not only at her teeth but every part of her body. “I’ve got stop this.” She said determinedly. “I agree,” Nick said “and I will do everything I can to help you.”
“I think I am going to need professional help. Someone who deals with this daily and is trained to help people overcome eating disorders.” Kim said. “Abby might know of a doctor who specializes in eating disorders.” Nick nodded he head but kept his eyes on the road ahead of them.
Nick dropped Kim off at the apartment before leaving for the station. As she walked up to the front door and unlocked it Kim found hope blossoming in her heart. She stepped into the apartment with a plan set in her mind. Retrieving the telephone Kim dialed Abby’s cell phone as she headed to the bedroom to change clothes. Pausing in front of her dresser Kim listened for Abby to pick up. When Abby’s voice mail picked up instead Kim’s enthusiasm crashed until she realized Abby wouldn’t have her phone on in the hospital. Hanging up Kim dialed Abby’s office. After three rings Abby’s receptionist greeted her. Kim waited for Abby to come on the line as she changed clothes. “This is Abby” a cheerful voice greeted her. “I need to ask you something.” Kim decided not to waste anytime in getting to the point of her phone call. “I know I need to do something to overcome my eating disorder. Nick thought you might know of a doctor who could help me with this. “ Kim said quickly before she lost her nerve. “ I don’t know of one at this moment but let me do some research and call you back.” Abby said. Kim heard her shuffling though papers and tapping as she typed on her computer. Abby hung up the phone promising to call as soon as she knew something. Fatigue flooded Kim’s body and she lay down on the couch for a moment. As her eyes slid shut she thought about all the things, she needed to be doing. All of them very good reasons not to take a break but the weariness from last night and stress of the day caught up with her too quickly for Kim to resist the sleep, which quickly sucked her under.
When Nick arrived home from work he found Kim still sleeping on the couch. Creeping around he changed clothes then made arrangements to have dinner delivered to the apartment. While he waited for the food to arrive Nick sat in a chair across from Kim and watched her sleep. When the food arrived Nick set the table before going back to the living room and gently taking Kim’s shoulder. “Honey wake up. Dinner is here. I know you need to eat something.” He said. Kim sat up in the middle of the couch groggily. Rubbing her eyes with one hand she stretched and then looked up at him. “How long have I been asleep?” She wanted to know. “You were knocked out when I came home. I guess you lay down after you got home. I knew you must have been tired so I ordered dinner. It’s waiting on us now.” He said helping Kim stand. Together they walked to the kitchen. After he had helped Kim to her chair Nick sat down across from her. Both of them ate quietly. After they cleaned up the kitchen Nick suggested they watch a movie before going to bed. “What do you want to watch?” Kim asked stooping in front of the entertainment system. “Whatever you want is fine with me.” Nick said sitting down on the couch. As the opening credit began to flash across the screen Kim settled herself against Nick’s chest and wrapped a thin blanket around both of them. As the movie continued Kim felt herself melting into Nick’s embrace. Soon sleep started sucking her under. As the last traces of conscious washed away Kim’s last thought settled on how warm and safe she felt in Nick’s arms. This was a feeling Kim never wanted to lose. She had to overcome bulimia whatever it took.
Kim stood in the doorway of the physical therapy room. Sudden the world started to spin. Kim slid down the doorframe and put her head between her knees. As her co-worker swarmed around her Kim felt consciousness slipping away. She tried to tell them to call Nick but the blackness overwhelmed her.
Kim awoke in a sterile, white hospital bed, surrounded by machines. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. Nick sat beside her bed with a worried expression on his face. Kim reached a hand up to rip the mask from her face. Questions raced through her mind questions she needed answers to right away. Nick reached a gentle hand up to prevent Kim from removing the mask and stroked her cheek with the other. “Don’t take it off. You need the mask to breath.” He crooned. “Don’t try to talk. Just rest right now.”
Tears of frustration formed in the corner of Kim’s eyes. Nick wiped them away gently with his knuckle. “Please don’t cry.” Nick begged. “You’re going to be fine. The doctors are still running tests they don’t know what happened yet.” Nick addressed the question weighing on Kim’s mind. “They think your heart might be involved. When you were brought in your heart rate was seriously low but it has stabilized in the past few hours.” He tried to quiet her.
Kim stared at the ceiling and tried to process what she was hearing. Terror coursed through her. Was it too late to turn her life around? Had she waited too long to seek treatment for her eating disorder? If she lived Kim knew she had to stop inflicting the daily damage to her body or one day it might be too late to stop.
“Your heart shows definite signs of damage. When the results come back from the most recent tests we will be able to better tell how much damage has been done exactly and how we can best head off future damage.” The doctor’s tone was grave as he delivered the news. “I think it would be best if you stay in the hospital until all the tests come back.” Kim had hoped to hear she could go home today. When the doctor left Kim broke down. Nick held her and stroked her back. After several moments Kim pushed herself upright and swiped at the tears, which lingered on her cheeks. Nick turned away to retrieve a tissue from the box. Kim wiped her cheeks then blew her nose. Nick lifted her chin so Kim was looking him in the eye. “I want you to know I am in this for the long haul. No matter what those tests show I will never leave you. That is a promise.” He said solemnly. Kim did not answer but reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck again. He wrapped his strong arms around her and held Kim close to his chest.
