Kevin had insisted on taking her to the hospital. Despite Sophie's protests they had gone. It was true that she didn't feel good at all, but she really didn't think that all this was necessary.
Her and Kevin sat in the waiting room, which in the early morning hour was pretty empty. Sally had stayed home to take care of Jack. Sophie sat beside her dad fuming. Her experiences in hospitals had not been that great over the past few years.
"Do you want some tea while we wait?" Kevin asked.
"What I want is to go home" Sophie said her arms crossed. She was fuming at having to waste her morning this way waiting at the NHS.
"Sophie, we should get it checked out. You never know…something may have flamed up from your past accidents" Kevin said trying to sound reasonable.
"First of all from the roof fall I suffered a concussion and from the car accident it was my spine. Neither having to do with my chest thank you," Sophie said snottily.
She knew that she was being a bit of a cow to her dad. He was taking a morning off to help her and it was clear that he was scared for her. But still, she wasn't wrong.
"Would you rather I call Sian and she can sit with you here?" he asked.
"No! Do not call her dad!" Sophie practically shouted in the middle of the waiting room. She saw it turn the heads of a few others sitting there. Seriously everywhere there were always people watching what you were doing.
"Quiet down you!" her dad said trying to keep his voice even. As he got older Sophie noticed that her dad tended to get less aerated than he had in the past. Life's trials had beaten a lot of it out of him. And he hated fighting with his little girl. Sophie could see it in his eyes so she decided to let it go. She calmed herself down.
"Look she has to catch a train to Newcastle today. I don't want her to miss it if this is nothin' so let's wait and see what the doctor says. Which will be nothing, I guarantee it" Sophie explained. Kevin seemed to accept that.
After an hour wait they finally saw a doctor. Sophie was not the biggest fan of the NHS in general but only because she had spent her fair share in places like this. Between her fall off a roof and the car accident she had come to know the procedures around here pretty well. She knew that the nurses and doctors meant well but honestly she felt like she was wasting both them and her time here. Either way her dad was insistent and refused to relent. They would do whatever they could to find out what had happened.
The impossibly young doctor took all her history. He was nice enough but she really just wanted to get on with it, so that she could go home. The doctor left her in an exam room while he went to fetch her file. At least as an adult she didn't have to have her father there with her. It was mortifying enough having to tell the doctor that she was sexually active without her father being around to hear it.
The doctor came back after 20 minutes and explained that they wanted to do a round of tests just to be sure. They made her change into a gown to be taken around in. She tried to just grin and bear it. Still she was fuming inside. This was such a waste when she could be seeing Sian off. At this rate she wouldn't see her for an entire week and it was so obnoxious.
As they let her out of the chest x-rays she saw the most gorgeous sight walking down the hall. It also made her want to kick off.
Her girlfriend was sitting in the middle of the hall, reading a gossip rag and dressed in sweats. Even in trackies she still looked amazing.
"Was it my dad who called you? Because I'm going to kill him," Sophie asked all mardy. Sian just stood up and grinned as she kissed her forehead.
"Yes he did, but don't yell at him. He was just dead concerned" Sian said softly. There was a sadness to Sian's eyes that Sophie had seen before. It was the same look that she had had when they had sat on the beach in California. She was struck by instant guilt. In that moment Sophie remembered that Sian had probably spent a lot of time in hospitals between their own troubles and just lately her own dads death. It made Sophie feel even worse. Something that she had done had put this sadness on her face and all she could think about was her own anger. Selfish.
"You're gonna miss your train" Sophie said softly as they stood face to face in the hallway.
"Well there are other trains to Newcastle Soph, it's not like it's going to Hogwarts" Sian laughed.
"Okay, where is my dad anyway?" Sophie asked. She headed into the room where she had left her clothes and sat on the small bed.
"He just went to get us some tea," Sian explained as she sat down. "Don't kick off at him, Soph, he looked really worried" Sian said looking at Sophie with a similar worried face.
"Just for you, I won't" Sophie said reaching out her hand and smiling. She was glad that her dad had called Sian to come down. This was a lot easier with her here. Deep inside Sophie had been scared. The pain her chest had been rough, that she thought she might have had a heart attack. But what had really thrown her was that she'd been unable to breathe in a way that freaked her out. If this was residual damage from her old injuries she wasn't look forward to more hospital time at all.
"Your dad told me about the last time you were in here for the car accident. I wish I had been here," Sian said regretfully.
"If you had been here then it never would have happened" Sophie said right back quickly. Sian had no reason to feel any guilt about what had happened.
"Yeah, well Ryan Connor can rot in Ibiza for all I care" Sian said bitterly. Sophie was surprised to see such resentment of an old boyfriend from so long ago.
At that moment her dad came in precariously balancing a tray with their tea on it. "Oh good there you are. Have they told you anything yet?" he asked while setting it down and taking a cup.
"Nope, just making me sit and wait and assume the worst" Sophie said taking Sian's hand again as the other held her cup of tea.
"I hope it's okay that I called her, I got the number off your mobile" Kevin said cautiously. She looked at her dad's face and decided against kick off at him. Despite the horrid damage that he had done to their family over the years she knew that he always had the best intentions. Her dad was shamefully human at times, but he never didn't care about her.
"Yeah dad, it's fine" Sophie said smiling to say that she wasn't mad at him. Just the NHS for making her wait like this.
Finally the nurse popped in and said that she could change back into her clothes and that the doctor would be in. Her dad stepped out as she changed back into normal clothes to check on Jack and update Sally. Not that there was much to tell, but her mum was probably all worked up about it.
Gratefully they came back with more coffee. Sophie was so knackered having been up since 3 am. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"If you want to nap babe it's okay" Sian offered. Sophie took her up on it as she leaned back.
Just as she was about to shut her eyes and drift off the young doctor that she had dealt with hours earlier popped in.
"Sophie, sorry to keep you waiting. We looked over all your results. Do you want to talk alone?" he asked motioning to Kevin and Sian who were waiting in the room. Sophie nodded that it was okay for them to sit in.
"Okay then well we looked over everything, taking into consideration your past injuries, and there's nothing physically wrong with you" he finished up. Sophie sighed. She had known that all this fuss was for nothing.
"However after what you described to us, we think that the problem might be psychological," he said carefully.
"Are you saying that my daughter's crazy?!" Kevin said his voice rising.
"Mr. Webster, we're just saying that what Sophie's described are all the symptoms of a panic attack" he handed Sophie a card from his clipboard. "Here's a number for someone in your area, if this continues then we urge you to schedule an appointment aye?" he finished up. "This is a good thing. Considering all that your bodies been thru, it's still pretty tip-top" he reassured.
Sophie just looked at the ground. Well this was just great. Apparently she was just a nutter.
She finished up filling out the paper work and finally left to go back home. She opted to ride back with Sian even though she was so knackered that she slept the whole way back.
Sophie awoke from her nap at Sian's flat to find her girlfriend already up and going. It was mid-afternoon by the look of the light. She eased her way into the kitchen for a glass of water. Sian was click clacking away on her computer.
"Did you get any rest at all?" Sophie asked ruffling her hair.
"I got some," she said.
Sophie drained her glass and went for another one. She was so parched.
"So what you looking at?" Sophie asked hoping that it was the news.
"Don't get mad but I was looking into what the doctor said and I think that you should take it seriously" Sian said carefully.
"I'm not crazy Sian" Sophie said a bit crossly. This was all just so ridiculous.
"Babe I'm not saying you are but there's been a lot going on lately with us and your parents, and school. It's a lot of stress and change. Just promise me that you'll consider it" Sian explained.
Sophie nodded that she would. Sian wasn't wrong. It had been a lot to deal with and if it made Sian worry less than Sophie was willing to agree.
"Meanwhile I'm putting off my trip" Sian said determinedly. Sophie tried to protest but it was a waste of time. Sian wouldn't hear it.
"It's okay. It'll keep" Sian reassured her. "But I think that I'm going to get a job. School doesn't start for me for a few months and I can't have you paying for everything" Sian explained. Sophie still was insecure about moving in to her girlfriend's flat but she had been chipping what she could on utilities.
"With Tina gone, Steve and Michelle offered me a job at the Rovers" Sian said slowly.
"Whut?!" Sophie said sputtering out her water in a mess.
"Don't kick off. I did some waitressing before. It's easy money and my dad's money won't last forever" Sian tried to explain.
"I don't like the idea at all. All those punters staring and pawing at you. Only I get to do that," Sophie argued.
"Don't worry, it'll be fine" Sian tried to reassure. "Michelle and Sean are there. They won't let anything happen" Sian finished.
"But what if there's a fight? What if Tracy Barlow comes in and decides to be a nasty cow?" Sophie asked her voice rising as she got more wound up.
Sophie went to drop her glass in the sink. As she stood near the sink she could feel a tightness in her chest. It was like before but not as bad.
Sian looked over as all the color drained out of her face. She was up like a shot and helped Sophie move over to a chair. There was a lot of fussing for a minute as Sophie caught her breath.
"Sophie! You're scaring us now" Sian fretted. Sophie pulled herself back together.
"Nope just crazy like a mad hatter" she laughed shakily starting to get it all back.
"You're not! But you are seeing that therapist and that's it" Sian said firmly.