Point Of View 2 [*Do not read until you've read the same chapter of ATW]

Chapter 1 Liability

*Trisha*

"The flight from Los Angeles to London is approximately ten and a half hours nonstop." I remind Nate. He's not the least bit nervous about traveling with Julia? Because I sure as hell am. Actually, I think we ALL are. I'm just the one to actually admit it.

"She'll be fine." Nate huffs.

"And if she's not? Nate..."

"Jesus Christ, Trish. That's why I am paying for two nurses to travel with us?! You think Jonah and Casey are tagging along for no reason?" He places both hands on my shoulders and kisses my forehead.

"Stop thinking the worst. This is my world tour. You know.... what we've been planning for well over two years?! Can you just shut your brain off and help me pack already?"

Fine. I give up. I'm wiping my hands clean. I want no involvement when it comes to Julia. If she has some crazy bipolar episode, Nate can deal with it. I don't mean to sound rude or insensitive. I actually like Julia. But not as Nate's fiancé. She's stressful. His heart can't handle it.

Nate thinks I'm in the dark, but I'm not. I know about his last few doctor appointments. I'm his Next Of Kin. Cara can't handle that type of responsibility. She's young and has her own issues. So I have access to all of Nate's medical files, appointment notes, everything.  I also see the way he holds his chest every once in a while from the sharp pain.

I've spent many nights with tears in my eyes reading the doctor's notes in the online portal.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)- The most common type of heart disease. Damaged or disease in the heart's major blood vessels. Narrowed, limited blood flow to the heart, which kills approximately 375,467 people annually. Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S has a heart attack.

If a close family member has had heart disease at a younger than average age, you are at greater risk. Nate's father had one heart attack. One. It killed him at age 42.

If you have had a history of excessive alcohol consumption, Nate is a recovering addict who practically burned through his intestines and needed major GI surgery because of his drinking.

High blood pressure and stress increase the risk. Guess what? Nate's job? Julia and all her fucking issues? Cara? They all cause more stress than the average person is meant to handle.

There is no cure.

No cure.

On top of that news, they found another abnormality. The cardiologist wrote down in his notes that Nate has an arrhythmia. A malfunction of the heart's electrical system.

Apparently, it's possible the arrhythmia developed after the heart attack. In bold letters at the bottom read:

" Symptoms closely monitored. Pacemaker to be surgically implanted if further complications arise."

Why won't Nate confide in me about this? I'm his best friend. We tell each other everything. More prescriptions were added to Nate's chart that he has yet to tell me about. I know he is trying to protect everyone from the added stress, but it's not working. Not when I can read the appointment notes and charts like this. 

"Jonah has all your heart meds, right?" I ask.

"Yes, and my heart will be just fine. I'm not gonna have another heart attack. I've been sober for two months." 

"Nate. Sweetie. You can't blame me for being worried about all this. We are bringing a lot of people along. Never mind the entire road crew, but now extra bodyguards, nurses, best friends, and a fucking dog."