by Hart, Rebel
I nodded. “Sounds good.”
“I’m really proud of what you accomplished today in PT.”
“At least someone is.”
“Your father’s proud in his own way.”
I snickered. “No, he’s not. But, I’m glad you still think so. Means he hasn’t gotten to you yet.”
And when she didn’t answer, I knew she knew I was right.
15
Raelynn
I smiled as I walked through the hospital doors, not bothering to ask for Clint’s room number. I knew where he was, and I was anxious to get to him. I tossed my shoulder pack around behind me, feeling it bounce against my legs. I moved as quickly as I could without running through the hallways, navigating the corridors before coming to his room.
I had a pep in my step and a giggle on my lips as I approached his door.
I looked around for his father. Or his stepmother. But there was no one except a nurse coming out of his room. I had all his homework. All his textbooks. And I was eager to dive into everything. I jogged down the hallway, slipping in my old tennis shoes along the freshly-waxed floors. The smell of disinfectant hung heavily in the air, but soon I stopped in my tracks.
When I saw some male nurses wheeling Clint out of his room.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Rae?”
I rushed to his side, taking his hand as he smiled at me.
“Hey, you’re here.”
I laced our fingers together. “Of course I’m here. What's wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just get a normal room now.”
“A normal roo—wait. Where’s your neck brace?”
The nurse giggled. “Old handsome here’s no longer got a concussion. Did well with his physical therapy today. So he gets a normal room and no more catheter.”
Clint rolled his eyes. “She could’ve done without that part, Nurse Nina.”
I furrowed my brow. “So you’re doing okay? Nothing’s wrong?”
“How could anything be wrong when you’re here?”
I smiled at him, holding his hand as the nurses navigated his bed down the hallway. With this ‘Nurse Nina’ at the helm, directing traffic. She kept shamelessly flirting with Clint and he flirted right back. And while part of me was jealous, part of me was also thankful he had that kind of banter going on with something here at the hospital.
Someone who made him smile whenever he didn’t have anyone else.
“Wow. A regular room. I wonder what it’s like. Does it have a cotton candy machine? Floor to ceiling windows? A nice tub for me to soak in?”
I giggled at Clint as we came to a stop in front of another hospital room.
Nurse Nina smiled. “Well, Cee, this isn’t the DoubleTree. You get a private recuperation room with your own window, and a toilet that doesn’t stink.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Cee?”
Clint winked. “That’s what she calls me when her husband isn’t around.”
I nodded playfully. “Oh, okay. And here I thought I was supposed to be jealous.”
“What? You mean you’re not jealous, beautiful? I’m hurt.”
And as the two of us laughed together, the male nurses got him situated into his new room.
I turned my back so the nurse could relieve him of his catheter. I took the time to set up our station for schoolwork, pulling out history, the one still fresh in my mind. I knew exactly what he’d missed and what he needed to get done before Friday. I flipped open to the page and things like that as the nurse walked beside me. She patted me on the back, causing me to look over at her. And with a friendly smile, she nodded.
“He’s ready when you are, lucky girl.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
The nurse snickered. “Don’t thank us yet. PT only gets harder from here. I’m sure he’ll be cursing my name before too long.”
Clint chuckled. “Never, Nurse Nina! How could I with that pretty face?”
I shook my head at the two of them as I turned around. And even after only a couple of days, Clint looked worlds better than he had. His neck wasn’t braced. He didn’t have oxygen tubes running up his nose. He only had one I.V. as opposed to two. And his face seemed a lot less swollen. I walked over to the edge of his bed and sat down, taking his hand within mine. And as I brought it to my lips to kiss, I felt him bend over. Freely.
To kiss me on top of the head.
I smiled. “You look amazing.”
His lips lingered in my hair. “I feel amazing, now that you're here.”
“Do you want to get started on history first? Or math?”
“First, I want to hear all about school. I’m sure there’s been a circus act you’ve had to field.”
I snickered. “I mean, whatever you’re thinking is probably right. Roy and Marina have approached me a couple times, too.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’ve had lots to say.”
I rose up, looking into his eyes. “I think Roy has kind of become the schoolyard bully now. He’s picking a great deal on Michael and Allison and me. Of course, with his girlfriend at her side. I mangled her face pretty badly, though.”
He paused. “How so?”
I rolled my eyes. “She made a comment about how injured you were. That maybe you couldn’t—”
I was hesitant to tell him. But he urged me on.
“You can tell me. Talk to me. It’s okay.”
I sighed. “Roy made a comment about you not having a nice face any longer. Then Marina backed it up with a comment about you not getting it up anymore. So, I lunged at her and raked my nails across her cheek.”
He grinned. “That’s my girl.”
I blushed. “Well, she deserved it. Damn bitch.”
“Are you okay, Rae?”
I shrugged. “I’m getting by. I’m really thankful the teachers and the principal are cooperating with me in terms of getting your schoolwork. Whatever it takes, you’re going to graduate with us. Okay?”
“How are Aly and Mike?”
I paused. “Oh. Allison and Michael.”
He nodded. “Yeah. How are they?”
Cute nicknames. I like them. “They’re good. Worried about you. They’re excited for the update when I see them tomorrow.”
“We could call them, if you’d like.”
“Oh, no, no. You’re not getting out of schoolwork, sir.”
“I mean, I’ve got other ways of getting out of schoolwork. But I think my heart monitor might give us away.”
His hand slid slowly down my body and I shivered at his touch. I scooted closer to him, our foreheads falling together. Him joking around was a good sign. Moving a bit on his own. No longer chained to his bed. Our noses nuzzled together as his hand slipped to my lower back, inching me even closer to him.
And just as his lips hovered over mine…
“I think we should start with history.”
He groaned. “Okay, okay. You win.”
I smiled. “Great.”
“What’s up first?”
“Reading. There are three chapters we have to catch you up on. I can give you notes on the first one. Then, I actually have to read the other two. So try to stay with me. After that, two worksheets. Then, we’re done for the night. We can move on to math.”
“Wonderful.”
“I’ll pretend that’s a good exclamation.”
I maneuvered myself in bed with him, staying above the covers. He wrapped his arm around me, leaning his head against my shoulder. And as I cracked open the textbook, I gave him the condensed version of chapter four. I talked him through the biggest points and told him I’d get him a copy of my notes. Then I turned to chapter five and began reading.
I read for a few pages before he sat up, groaning as he moved.
“Can you give me a second?”
I nodded. “Of course. Take your time. Do you need water?”
He sighed. “I just need a minute. The head hurts.”
I leaned ba
ck in bed with him, watching as he closed his eyes. I took his hand, feeling him squeeze it as he breathed through whatever he was experiencing. I kissed his cheek and whispered sweet nothings in his ear. The book soon fell to the floor, plopping open and crinkling the pages as he relaxed against me.
And five minutes later, the first snore erupted from his face.
Yikes.
I lay there with him for a little bit, staring at his face. His snores grew to exponential proportions, so I reached over and started finagling with some of the switches on his electronic bed. I finally got him going down, hitting that sweet spot where his snoring stopped.
And after I slowly inched away from him, I picked up the book off the floor.
“I’ll just make some notes for him to go over.”
A quick notation summary of Chapters Five and Six turned into me doing the worksheets for him. Quick answers that sounded like Clint before I moved onto his math homework. I intentionally got a few wrong, trying to make it look like I wasn’t actually doing his work for him. And an hour later, I moved on to my own homework.
I stayed in that hospital room for almost three hours before Nurse Nina finally poked her head in.
“I hate to do this to you, honey. But, visiting hours wrapped up a few minutes ago.”
I nodded. “Thanks. I’ll get my things together.”
“I can buy you maybe fifteen more minutes. But that’s when the doctor comes back from his break.”
I smiled, whispering, “I really appreciate it.”
She crept in and took a quick look at Clint’s vitals, then rushed back out. I quickly gathered my things, shoving our homework into my bag before I made my way back to his side. I took his hand, gazing into his sleeping face. The bruising from his broken nose was spreading. But the swelling had gone down a great deal. I smiled softly to myself, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. I let my lips linger, feeling him mindlessly press into my warmth before hunkering down further in bed.
And queuing up that damn snoring.
How did I ever sleep beside that?
“I’ll see you soon,” I murmured against his skin.
Then I picked up my things, threw the backpack strap across my back, and slowly made my way out of his room.
Wishing the entire time I could stay the night with him.
16
Clinton
“Guess what day it is? Guess what. Day. It. Is.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Are you doing a parody of those commercials?”
Nurse Nina drew in a deep breath. “It’s discharge day!”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what?”
“Surprise!”
Nurses and doctors jumped out of every orifice of my room. I had barely woken up. Just gotten out of the bathroom, literally hopped back into bed. And all of a sudden, my room was filled with people. I smiled as tears crested my eyes. Nurse Nina came over and hugged me, bending over my body. Her warm arms wrapped around me and I held her close, pressing my lips against her ear.
“Thank you so much. For everything.”
She patted my back. “You did this yourself, Cee. We just came along for the ride.”
The doctor walked up beside me. “Your official discharge paperwork. As well as a few other things you might need in your future. You know, just in case.”
Nina backed up and the doctor looked me square in my eyes. I knew what he was talking about, too. I took the folder from him and peeked inside, taking in the paperwork. How to take care of my stitches. My body. How to schedule physical therapy and when to come see them next to get evaluated.
I also saw some brochures in there for adult assistance programs. And it made me sigh.
“Thanks, Doc. I really do appreciate it.”
He patted my shoulder. “My number’s in there. You call me anytime, day or night, if you need anything. And I mean anything. Okay?”
And without thinking, I reached out and wrapped my arm around his neck. I pulled him into a hug, feeling him brace himself against the bed. He chuckled against the side of my head before patting my back, and I sighed with relief.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
He shook his head. “Don’t get it twisted. You did this. You fought, all week, to recuperate to this length. You’re the fighter. We’re simply the assistance in that fight.”
Nurse Nina clapped her hands. “So, ready to get out of here? We have a few things to do, like gathering your prescriptions and scheduling your physical therapy. Then I get to wheel you out of here in a chair.”
I smiled, pulling away from the doctor. “Does that mean races?”
“Do birds fly?”
I chuckled as they all helped me get out of bed. It seemed like it took a team of nurses to get me unhooked from all the tubes and machines. But, in reality, I was glad they were there. This staff had helped me around the clock for the past week and a half. They made Rae feel comfortable, they stood up for me with my father, and they encouraged my stepmother to keep speaking up for herself. It felt nice, having people in my corner.
Especially people like them.
“Your chariot awaits, Cee.”
I grinned. “Oh, Nina. You really shouldn't have.”
I flopped down into the wheelchair, clutching the folder of discharge paperwork in my lap. And away we went. I heard the doctor calling after us to slow down, but it only made me throw my hands in the air. Nina ran down the hallway with me, whooping and hollering as we careened around corners. She rushed me at that pace all the way down to their pharmacy, huffing and puffing as she sat with me. Waiting with me to get my medication.
“You got a ride home, kid?”
I nodded. “Stepmom’s coming to get me.”
She patted my knee. “She’s one of the good ones. You make sure to keep her around.”
I shrugged. “If my father stops being an asshole, she might actually stick around.”
“What I wouldn't give for five minutes alone with that man.”
We sat there, with her hand on my knee, and I settled my hand over hers. I squeezed it softly, reluctant to let it go. They called my name too soon for my prescriptions. She walked me through how to take them a little too fast. I had an entire support network in this hospital, and I wasn’t ready to let them go.
They’d been so good to me.
And I wanted to find a way to thank them for that.
Nina rolled me out to the roundabout in the front of the hospital and I saw Cecilia drive up. Nina helped me out of the wheelchair as my stepmother parked the car, rushing around to help. I stood up and turned around. I saw my doctor as well as the rest of the staff standing there, softly clapping for me. I stood strong. I stood tall. And with a smile on my face, I cleared my throat.
“Thank you, guys. For saving my life. And I know you’ll stand there, telling me I’m the one fighting. But, without your surgery and your I.V.s and your knowledge, I’d be dead and you know it.”
Silence fell over everyone before I sighed.
“I’ll never be able to fully thank you or ever pay you back for what you did for me. And my stepmom. But I’m going to find a way to try.”
The doctor cleared his throat. “Take care of yourself. That’s what you can do.”
Nina smiled. “And keep up with your therapy.”
I grinned. “Don’t want me coming back to visit.”
A resounding ‘no’ rose from the crowd.
All of us started laughing before everyone came to give me hugs. They clapped my back softly and murmured words of encouragement. Nina reminded me the order of my pills, then made me recite it back to her. Then, my doctor—once again—told me to call. Anytime. For anything.
And I hugged him a bit longer than I should have.
Climbing into the car was hard. Driving away from that support system was even harder. But the second Cecelia took my hand, I felt at ease again. I relaxed against the leather interior of her car, my eyes fluttering closed as the car swerved softly w
ith the roads. I didn’t wake up until we’d pulled into the driveway of my home. I didn’t say anything until Cecilia helped me inside. She settled me on the couch with a drink and a snack, then started writing out my medication schedule on a pad and a piece of paper as I rattled it off to her.
But the best part was that my father never came up in conversation.
Not once.
“All right. So, it’s one of the painkillers in the morning, two of the anti-inflammatories after food at lunch. No later than two. Then another half a painkiller at night to help you sleep.”
I nodded. “Right.”
“Then, after one week, we add in the vitamin. Once the painkiller runs out.”
I nodded. “Mm-hmm.”
“And that vitamin is once in the morning up through the end of your first cycle of PT.”
I grinned. “You got it.”
“Perfect. I’ll get this on the fridge so I can remember which ones to set out for you.”
“You know you don’t have to do that, right?”
She scoffed. “Nonsense. I’m going to help you out around here. I might not have to wipe your butt or anything. But that doesn’t mean I can’t get you your medication whenever you need it.”
I smiled. “I appreciate it. Thanks.”
“You need anything right now?”
“You mean other than a nap?”
She giggled. “Yep. Other than that.”
I paused. “Oh! Yes, actually. A friend of mine is bringing my homework and stuff to me from school. She’s helping me keep up with my studies.”
“She, huh? Anything special about this… she?”
I snickered. “We’re just studying.”
She winked. “For now.”
I chuckled. “Is that all right, though? If she comes by? I don’t know if she will. She works sometimes. But I think this is her weekend off.”
“If she pops by, she’s more than welcome. I’m going to cook dinner tonight, so she can stay and eat with us.”
“Dinner? I didn’t know you cooked.”
“What in the world do you think you’ve been eating for the past four years?”
“Uh, takeout?”
