Going the Distance

by Christa Cervone

  “I’ll ask the nurses to do an ultrasound of your bladder to see what the volume is. You’ve been on IV normal saline since you arrived, and I would’ve expected you to need to urinate by now. Depending on the results, we may need to catheterize you again. We can’t have your kidneys backing up on you.” By the look on her face, it’s almost like she’s taking pleasure in her statement; her lips curl up on both sides. I stare at her blankly.

  She continues on, “If you do actually have much fluid in your bladder, and you’re not sensing the urge to urinate, there could be a problem with your cervical spinal column. The CT scan will show a much more detailed picture of what’s going on. I think for the time being, we should put you in a cervical collar until we know for sure. Your RN will be in with the ultrasound machine, a new catheter kit, and a neck brace in a few minutes. Try to make yourself comfortable,” she says as she sweeps out of the room.

  I’m completely dumbfounded at her explanation. What I do know is, if she thinks I’m gonna be able to get comfortable after what she’s just said, she’s got another thing coming.

  A light flashing grabs my attention. Glancing over at the tray in front of me, I see my phone’s cracked screen light up. I have missed calls and over a dozen text messages. I scroll through the missed call log; the majority of them were from Frankie. There are two calls from the same number, but I don’t recognize it. I check my voicemails but there’s nothing.

  I then begin to check my text messages. Again, the unfamiliar number shows up.

  Unknown – Hey darling. I hope you don’t mind me texting you. I tried to call a couple of times. Adrian gave me your number. I’m just checking in to see how the rest of the evening went with your lady. I hope you’re both walking funny this morning. XO XO Kitten

  I reread her message and I can’t help but smile. That woman is something else. I send a reply back.

  Me – Hey Kitten, it’s Saint. I wish I could tell you I’m walking funny from all the sex I had last night, but unfortunately that’s not the case. I got in an accident and I spent the night in the hospital.

  Almost immediately, I get a reply back.

  Kitten – OMG! Are you okay? What hospital? I’m coming right over.

  Me – I’m fine. No need to worry. I just have a minor concussion.

  Kitten – What hospital?

  Me – You don’t need to come! I’m fine.

  Kitten – I know I don’t NEED to come. I want to come.

  Me – You’re a pain in the ass.

  Kitten – Yes, in more ways than one.

  Me – I don’t even want to know.

  Kitten – You’re probably right. You don’t. Don’t get me off the subject. What hospital?

  I’m getting tired of fighting back and forth with her so I give in.

  Me – I’m at St. Stan’s.

  Kitten – That’s right around the corner from me. I’ll be there in five.

  I turn the TV on while I wait for Kitten to get here. I flip through the channels, and there’s nothing on besides trashy talk shows. I hear a knock at the door. “Get your sexy ass in here,” I yell.

  In walks an elderly lady carrying a tray of food. “I’m here to bring you your lunch,” she explains with a stunned expression on her face.

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I was expecting someone else.” I can feel my face turning red from embarrassment.

  She places the tray down on the table in front of me, “Would you like anything else?”

  I lift up the lid, exposing a bowl of soup, a half of a sandwich, and a small bowl of fruit. “Nah, I’m good.”

  “Okay, enjoy.”

  “Thanks,” I say meekly, “and sorry again!” I pop a grape into my mouth. As soon as I hear the door shut, I begin scarfing down my food. I’m not sure if this is the best chicken soup ever made or if I’m just that hungry.

  “Hello… hello…” I hear, “where’s that sexy patient?” Kitten enters the room. I have to do a double take; she’s standing in front of me wearing a pink and purple, over-sized, plaid button-down top, black leggings, and a pair of Doc Martens. Her hair is down and I realize it’s not black, like I thought, but a dark chestnut brown. She’s a natural beauty, wearing only a touch of makeup, with just a clear, shiny gloss on her lips. She has a pair of dark-framed glasses on that make her look really smart. “What?” she scowls, putting her hands on her hips.

  I smile at her. “I’ve never seen you with clothes on.”

  “Do you think I walk around in a bra and panties all the time?”

  “No, but I guess I expected you to show up in a skimpy outfit.”

  “Well, I told you I had an appointment this morning. I can’t go out looking like a street walker to a doctor’s appointment,” she teases while making her way around the bed, before taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. “So, can you please tell me how you ended up here?”

  I go into the details of my night after I left the club. There are a couple of times she looks like she wants to say something, but keeps quiet as she listens intently to the story. Finally, when I’m done, she scratches her head and says, “I’m at a loss for words here. I thought you were going over to patch things up, not piss her off even more.”

  “I know,” I moan. “I really fucked things up.”

  “Yah, you did.”

  “Geez, thanks for your support,” I mutter sarcastically.

  “Hey darlin’, I’m not gonna sugar coat anything for you.”

  “Clearly,” I yawn.

  “You want me to go?”

  I’m fighting to keep my eyes open. “No, will you stay?”

  “Of course I will,” she touches my hand lightly. “I’ll stay as long as you want me to.”

  Bolo Punch – A bolo punch is a flashy, wide-sweeping uppercut that is more about showboating than power. The bolo punch might not even be thrown at all but rather, used to distract the opponent so you can hit them with your other hand.

  Kitten sits silently next to Saint’s bed, watching him sleep. He begins to thrash and mumbles a few words. Most of what he says is gibberish, but she catches Salem’s name clear as day. “You poor guy, you got it bad for her.”

  Now standing over him, Kitten gently runs her hand over his head. Leaning in she whispers, “Kitten will try to fix this for you,” then kisses his forehead. Behind her, she hears a gasp.

  Lifting her head, she sees Salem standing in the doorway, her mouth hanging open in shock. The two of them stare at each other, neither one of them saying a word, then Salem turns on her heel and runs.

  Kitten runs after her, “Wait!”

  Salem is already at the end of the hallway pushing the elevator button. “Come on, you stupid elevator,” she gripes impatiently while pushing the button another five or six times.

  “Salem?” Kitten approaches the elevator and Salem shoots her a dirty look over her shoulder. “Salem, what you saw in there… it’s not what you think,” Kitten defends.

  Salem snorts. “Oh please, you’ve been dying to get your claws into him.”

  The corners of Kitten’s mouth curl into a smile. “Well, this is true. I threw myself at him just last night, but he turned me down; I’m not the one he wants.”

  The elevator dings and the door slides open; Salem enters and Kitten follows right behind. “Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Salem grumbles under her breath.

  “You’re not going to get rid of me that easily.”

  “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

  “No actually, I can’t. I’m here for my friend.”

  “Friend my ass,” Salem mutters.

  “I’m sorry? I didn’t catch that,” Kitten isn’t backing down. She leans in front of Salem to push the red Stop button on the elevator wall; a bell rings loudly.

  “What the hell are you doing?” The color drains from Salem’s face and her eyes are nearly bugging out of her head as she looks frantically around the elevator.

  “I have something I wanna tell you and you weren’t liste
ning to me. Do I have your attention now?”

  Salem crosses her arms and sulks, “Yes.”

  Kitten backs Salem up to the wall, and with her index finger pointing to the door she asks, “You do realize that the man lying in that hospital bed is madly in love with you, right?”

  “Love is a pretty strong word,” Salem huffs.

  “Sweetheart, I’ve seen many lovesick men in my day, and he is definitely one of them.”

  “I think you have me confused with someone else.” Salem reaches for the red button.

  “I don’t think so, darlin’,” Kitten throws her hand in front of Salem’s to block her. “He told me about last night and he knows he fucked up.”

  Her eyes close as she chokes back tears. “What did he say?”

  “I know he was harsh,” Kitten does her best to comfort her.

  “He’s right,” Salem hangs her head, “I do think about him.”

  “Why are you ashamed, darlin’?”

  “Because I shouldn’t feel this way. I have a…”

  “You can’t help who you fall for,” Kitten interrupts.

  “No, but I never should’ve let it happen in the first place.”

  “You’re being too hard on yourself.”

  A loud banging startles both of them, and they hear, “Is everyone okay in there?” coming from the other side of the elevator door.

  Kitten pushes the red button again and the elevator begins to move.

  “Do you think we’re going to get in trouble?” A wave of panic rushes over Salem as her eyes shift from the door to Kitten.

  “Get in trouble for what? The elevator just stopped working,” Kitten offers as a false look of bewilderment appears on her face.

  Salem gasps as her hand raises to her chest, appalled that Kitten would even suggest such a thing. “I can’t lie.”

  “You don’t have to. Let me do all the talking,” Kitten winks at her as the door opens.

  Two security guards greet them as the doors open, “Are you ladies okay? What happened in there?”

  Kitten puts on a damsel in distress act. “I don’t know, Officer. My friend and I got into the elevator, and as soon as we began to move, it stopped.” She’s giving him doe eyes and batting her eyelashes.

  “Do either one of you need medical attention?” one of the guards asks.

  “No, I’m okay.” Kitten glances in Salem’s direction, hoping she’s going to play along. “Do you, Salem?”

  “No, I’m fine.”

  “Would you like us to page your mother?”

  “Your mother?” Kitten shoots Salem a look. “Does your mother work here?”

  “She’s Head of Surgery,” the guard answers.

  “Head of Surgery?” Kitten repeats loudly.

  “Can you please keep your voice down? We’ve already created a scene.”

  “Oh honey, I create a scene everywhere I go.”

  Salem tries to hold back her laugh, “Now that I believe.”

  “Would you ladies please stop by the security office before you leave to give us a brief statement?”

  “A statement? Why?” Salem appears nervous.

  “Anytime the elevator malfunctions we need to write up a report.”

  Salem glares at Kitten.

  “Of course, we will,” she looks down at his name tag, “Officer Johnson.” She inches closer to him and tugs on his tie. “We’ll give you all the information your little heart desires.”

  His face quickly becomes flushed at her actions. “I… I… I will personally take your statements.”

  “I look forward to it,” she gives him a seductive smile.

  “Give me a break,” Salem mumbles.

  “We’ll stop by in about twenty minutes.” Kitten catches Salem’s eye, then her eyes shift over to the waiting room as she leads the way; Salem marches behind her.

  “A statement? Are you crazy?” Salem shuts the door behind her. “How are you going to convince him it was something mechanical?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll have him eating out of my hand. I can tell him I wrote the Declaration of Independence and he’ll believe me. It’s the power of persuasion, sweetheart.”

  “It’s women like you that make it difficult for women like me to get ahead in the world, for us to be treated equally and not to be looked at like pieces of meat.”

  “Oh please, don’t give me your feminist bullshit,” Kitten rolls her eyes.

  “I’ve worked my ass off to get into law school and not to be seen as just another pretty face or piece of ass. Do you know how many of my professors have hit on me? How easy it would be for me to just play their games and pass with an A, without having to actually work for it?”

  “Well, I don’t have my mommy and daddy to rely on to pay my way through life. I actually have to work,” Kitten gets defensive. “It’s been me, myself, and I, since I was a teenager. I’ve had no one to care for me. I’ve had to be the caregiver instead. I do what I need to do to get by, so if that means showing a little leg and shaking my ass, then so be it. Unless you’ve walked a mile in my shoes, don’t you dare judge me,” Kitten quickly turns away from Salem, leaving her speechless.

  “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you,” Salem apologizes.

  “You have no idea what I’ve been through,” Kitten’s voice is shaking.

  “You’re right, I don’t, and I shouldn’t have judged you like that.” Touching Kitten’s shoulder softly, Salem tries to console her, “I’m sorry.”

  Kitten nods her head and touches Salem’s hand. “It’s okay. I forgive you,” she sniffs, hiding her face with her hair.

  “I…” Salem can’t find the words.

  “It’s okay, I’ll be fine. I always land on my feet. My name is Kitten after all,” she looks over at Salem and smiles through her tears. “And just for the record, this is all an act.”

  Salem’s jaw nearly hits the floor.

  “The power of persuasion, sweetheart,” she winks.

  “You bitch! And here I was feeling sorry for you.”

  “Don’t cry for me, Argentina, I’m doin’ just fine,” Kitten chuckles as she flips her hair out of her face. “I needed to convince you that I’ll be able to play Officer Horn-Dog like a fiddle. You need to trust me and take my lead; I’ll handle everything. But before we go and lie our little hearts out, you and I need to talk about Gabriel.”

  Salem stands there with her arms crossed over her chest and a scowl on her face. “Trust you? You’ve got to be joking.”

  “I promised him I’d fix this, and I don’t go back on my promises.”

  “You shouldn’t make promises you can’t keep.”

  “Let me ask you something, and swear to me you’ll tell the truth.”

  “Unlike you, I don’t make empty promises,” Salem says flatly.

  “Were you in his room last night?”

  Salem avoids any sort of eye contact with Kitten.

  “Well, I guess that answers my question. How did you know he was here?” Salem remains silent, so Kitten makes a point of walking around her, forcing Salem to look straight at her. “How did you know?”

  “They called me,” she sighs, “because I was the last person he’d texted. They couldn’t find anyone in his phone listed as Mom or Dad.”

  “I see. He thinks he dreamt of you there.”

  “Let him think that,” Salem’s face begins to soften.

  “Why?”

  “Because… we can’t be together; it’ll never work.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “We’re from two different worlds. I don’t fit in his, and he certainly doesn’t fit into mine.”

  “Says who, your parents and your friends? Are you going to let stereotypes dictate your life, tell you who you can and can’t be with? Sweetheart, I hate to say this, but if you walk away from him, someday you’ll regret it. You’re going to wake one morning and realize how unhappy you are and wonder what could’ve been.” Kitten takes a step clos
er to Salem, closing the gap between them. “My parents were head over heels for each other until the day my mother died. My father still isn’t whole, he’ll never be. He lost the love of his life. It’s very rare to find, but I know it exists. The look on Saint’s face when he talks about you? It’s the same look my father has when he talks about my mother.”

  “I’m not sure what to feel; there’s a connection between us that I’ve never felt before. He makes me feel alive and wanted,” Salem finally caves. “When I’m with him, nothing else matters, and when I’m not,” she pauses, “he’s all I think about.”

  “And you’re sitting down here in this waiting room with me, why?”

  “It’s not as easy as it seems. I have obligations,” her voice trails off.

  “Obligations?” Kitten raises an eyebrow.

  “Yes, I have a boyfriend.”

  “Ah, yes, the boyfriend. Saint has told me all about him.”

  “We’re expected to get married.”

  “Expected?” Kitten looks down at Salem’s left hand, “I don’t see a ring on your finger.”

  “It’s a long, boring story.”

  “So you’re going to marry a man you don’t love?”

  “Who says I don’t love him?”

  “Do you love him?”

  Salem is silent.

  “That’s what I thought. You should go see Saint before you leave. I know he’d love to see you.”

  “I can’t make any promises, and I don’t want him getting the wrong idea. The last thing I want to do is hurt him again.”

  “I can appreciate that. But you owe it to yourself and to him, to sit down and have a conversation.” Kitten looks up at the clock on the wall. “We better get over to the security office before Officer Horn-Dog comes looking for us.”

  “Salem!” My body shoots up into a sitting position, and a chill runs through me from the cold sweats. “Fuckin’ A,” I groan, reaching around to my lower back. My entire body is stiff. I’m not sure if it’s from the accident or from lying in this goddamn bed for so long.