Caroline arrived for her appointment an hour before needed. As she sat in the waiting room of Dr. Kim she received a text from Tim: 

                   Hello my love. We are about half way there and I've done nothing but think of you the whole time. Thank you for last night and I'm looking forward to the "welcome home" you promise every time we're apart. I'm sure you're busy with work, I just needed to tell you how much I love you. Will talk with you later, be careful.

 Tears welled up in her eyes, she hated keeping anything from him. For now this was something she needed to handle on her own. She didn't want to worry anyone for no reason. She put her phone back in her purse as the nurse called her name. They walked down the hallway to the Dr's office "He likes to speak with his patients before he begins any exams. Have a seat, he will be with you momentarily" she explained. Caroline had researched extensively for a physician that could determine what was going on with her. She made her final decision about him based on his education and his experience as being a well known neurosurgeon. If she needed anything extensive she felt he was her best choice.

Dr. Kim entered the room, introduced himself and began to look over the information Caroline had provided on her intake form while waiting. "Ms. Jennings, I see here that you have been experiencing these symptoms for just over a year now. Could you explain to me why you have waited so long" he asked as he looked up from the chart. 

"Please, call me Caroline" she began " I...I..guess out of fear".

"Ok Caroline, that's understandable, especially for such a long period of time. The unknown is our worst fear. I want to assure you that we will find out what is causing your headaches and work closely together to ensure you receive the proper care. Do you have anything else you would like to add before I have the nurse escort you down the hall to being our initial assessment?" he asked.

Caroline pulled out the journal from her bag and handed it to him. "I have been keeping this journal since the first migraine diagnosis last year. I've listed as much as possible about what I've experienced, I hope it is helpful" she told him as she handed it to him.

He thanked her, took the journal and called for the nurse as he exited the office. Caroline let out a heavy sigh as the nurse walked in "Ok Caroline, you can leave your things here and follow me down the hall. Don't worry, he's the best, you're in good hands here" she assured her.

*****

"I am not made for sitting in the back seat of a sedan" Tim complained to Jonathon as they continued down the interstate "can ya'll take a break for a bit so I can stretch my legs".

"Sure, I'm getting hungry. How about you guys, want to grab some food" Jonathon asked him and Jeff.

Jeff stretched and yawned, "yeah, sure. I guess I could eat".

"Absolutely" Tim replied.

Jonathon took the next exit and turned in to the truck stop. "These are always good for a variety of food. We can figure out where to go once we get to the hotel for anything we'll need or want to do for the week" he said as the three of them walked in and headed for the restroom before grabbing a table. Tim pulled out his phone, hoping to find a message from Caroline, but nothing was there. He rubbed his hand along his neck while staring at the phone. "She's probably just busy" Jeff said, noticing his reaction. "Yeah, she has a lot going on right now" Tim answered as he put his phone back in his pocket. He didn't let on to the guys but he had an uneasy feeling and he didn't like it.