Unexpected Wedding by Carla Rossi Page A

relax.
    Slimy little paparazzi sneak. He’d snapped that incriminating kiss photo knowing full well it was not what she’d given permission for.
    “Why is it, Lord, that every time I let my guard down and get completely carried away in a pleasant moment, some other guy-jerk comes along and takes advantage of me again?”
    Muted voices and the rumble of footsteps on the wooden deck outside nudged her back to reality. “Back to work,” she mumbled and pushed herself off the bench.
    The dizzy spell hit her in two seconds flat. She tipped to the side like a sinking ship and grabbed for the basin to hold on. Help me, Jesus... A flash of black appeared and with one blink was gone again. As her balance returned, she stared at the pale, frightened face in the mirror. What is wrong with me?
    In a split second of clarity, a new idea sprung to life. Those dreams... This near blackout. Maybe she did have a problem. Maybe it involved her actual brain.
    Back on the bench, she looked straight ahead until the room no longer spun. “I can’t do this anymore,” she whispered. “I’ve got to see the nurse.”
    Someone pounded on the door. “C’mon outta there! As you would say, shake it off. We’ll plan ways to torture that photographer after campfire tonight.”
    Gia stood and splashed water on her face. “Coming!”
     
    ****
     
    The night was particularly dark and steamy as Gia took her flashlight and headed for the medical shack. She’d made it through the day without fainting or further dizziness, but the threat of a repeat—and now the possibility of brain disease—haunted her every move. Surely Nurse Bernadette would check her pulse, offer her an ice bag and a spell on the cot like she did the kids and everything would be all right.
    Gia paused on the porch, set her flashlight down, and rang the bell at the clinic door. Swarms of bugs invaded her space as she stood in the glow of the bare bulb. The hum of the window unit barely masked the low-level drone of a television drama. Word on the street was that the private sleeping quarters attached to the clinic contained an HDTV with a digital antenna and a Blu-ray player. Other than the twenty-four hour responsibility for the health of a full camp and the occasional protruding bone and projectile vomit, it was good work if you could get it. The rotating medical staff got to carry one of the camp’s new, high-tech radios and apparently could watch movies.
    The best part of the medical professionals, though, was that they really wanted to be there for the kids. Most were parents who served at the camp during their personal vacation time in exchange for deeply discounted tuition for their own children. It was a win-win for everyone.
    Gia heard movement and stepped back to greet Nurse Bernadette. But it wasn’t Nurse Bernadette who flung open the door, unlatched the screen, and barreled outside. It was big, burly, could-have-been-an-NFL-linebacker Paramedic Ash.
    “Watcha’ got?” he asked and looked around her for a sick or injured kid.
    “No emergency. Only me.”
    He smashed a mosquito on the side of his clean-shaven head and brushed it away. “Who’s me?”
    “It’s me, Ash. Gia.”
    He captured her hand in his massive one and gave it a mighty shake. “Oh, yeah, Gia. I remember you. What’s up?”
    “Nothing. I had a question for Bernadette, but I guess she’s gone.”
    “Yep. I’m on this week.”
    Gia swatted a moth away from her mouth. “Almost swallowed that one,” she sputtered. “I didn’t see any of your kids check in today.”
    He stood tall and crossed his arms over his bulging chest. The fit of his camp medical staff tee reminded her of Rocky in that tacky festival shirt. Which then made her think of her unintended exposure in the podunk county gazette. Which then made her stomach turn...
    “I got smart this year,” Ash said and beamed. “I’m here this week; sending some of my kids next week. I’ll ship littlest ones to their grandparents