Page 63 of Theirs

EPILOGUE PART 2

Summer

“What?” I repeated for the second time as I felt Gabe squeeze my thigh reassuringly. Tears pricked my eyes as the doctor smiled at me.

“Type 1 diabetes is completely manageable, Summer. Fortunately, you came to us in time.”

I swallowed, feeling my head swim.

I’m a diabetic?

“I don’t understand; I’m a twin—does this mean my brother will get it?”

The doctor peered at me carefully as he studied the screen before him.

“Not exactly. It’s not always genetic. Type 1 diabetes means your body has stopped producing insulin entirely. You may still release a little for the foreseeable future, but you will eventually be completely reliant on insulin injections.”

I stared at him as he handed me a black kit, zipping it open to show me a pen needle, a small digital device, and a box of testing strips.

“You need to monitor your blood glucose levels carefully. Ideally, it would be best if you were between ninety-one hundred and thirty milligrams most of the time, but you will need to learn how to handle high levels and, of course, low levels, too. This all sounds a bit much right now, but you need to attend a course. Until then, I will give you set amounts of insulin to take with each meal, before bed and upon waking.”

I blinked, the tears spilling out of my eyes silently.

“You’ll be fine, I promise. You’ll get used to it, and it will become second nature to you. Here’s your rapid-acting insulin, and your basal insulin, which you must take twice a day. Test your glucose in the morning, before eating, and two hours after eating. If you feel dizzy or lightheaded, test your sugar levels as you may have what we call hypoglycemia—low blood sugar. This can be dangerous, and if your levels drop below, say, four mmol, you will need to take some fast-acting sugar, followed by some slow-releasing carbohydrates like a sandwich or cereal. Here’s our number, call anytime. And here’s a diary—please log your sugar level readings, and I’ll see you in one week to review.”

He smiled at me kindly as I nodded, the overwhelming information running through my mind. Gabe leaned forward, glancing at me.

“So, does she need to take any now? Or when she eats?”

“When she eats is fine. We already gave her that shot earlier that will work to bring her glucose levels down as we speak.”

I gathered my glucose kit and insulin before I stood.

“Thank you,” I murmured as we left the office, the tears coming down in full force. “I’m a diabetic?!How?!” I cried as Gabe hugged me.

“Don’t cry. It just makes you even more special. We’ll read up on it, and we’ll work it out together. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

I nodded, breathing in his scent as we stood in the exam room, our arms wrapped around one another as though we were fighting a storm only we could see.