Unforgettable You

by Marci Bolden

  “She’s on some pretty strong pain medication right now. Give her a minute to focus. She’s fine.”

  “So you keep saying.” Natalie sat in the chair next to the bed. “Care? Are you okay?”

  “Mama?” she asked in that muttered, slurred voice.

  “She’s right here. Do you want to see her?” Without waiting for an answer, Natalie gestured for Doreen. “Mama, come let her see you.”

  Doreen moved closer to the bed and let out a sob. “Oh, baby.” Leaning down, she took Carrie’s left hand in hers—the other was being held to her chest by a sling—and kissed the top of her head. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah,” she said, her voice clearing a little. “Fuzzy.”

  “The doctor says it’s the drugs,” Doreen assured her.

  “Good drugs.” Carrie gave a lopsided, dopey smile. “You okay?”

  “Me? I’m fine. You’re the one lying in a hospital bed.”

  “Let me have one more look at the patient before I leave.” The doctor moved around to the other side.

  Doreen and Natalie obediently moved back. They all watched him flash a light in front of Carrie’s eyes and talk to her softly. After a moment, Natalie’s attention drifted to where Will stood at the foot of the bed. She hesitated before stepping away from Mama.

  “You can go,” Natalie told Will. “I’ll see Mama home.”

  He looked at her for a moment, reminding himself that under her grouchy approach was a worried and protective best friend. “I don’t mind staying.”

  “I appreciate your calling me and bringing Doreen over, but I’ve got it from here.”

  Will smirked slightly. “I feel like I’m being dismissed.”

  “You can see that she’s fine. We shouldn’t overwhelm her.”

  “I agree. As soon as I get a second to talk to her, I’ll take Doreen home.”

  “I’ll take her home.”

  “I’m headed that way anyway.”

  “So am I,” she said firmly. “I’ll be staying with Doreen tonight and probably for a few nights after that to make sure Carrie is okay.”

  “That’s a good idea.”

  “Another good idea would be for you and the rest of the people in the house to clear out. She doesn’t need to be taking care of you right now.”

  Will looked down for a moment before sighing heavily. He had been wondering if, on top of her protectiveness, Natalie was suspicious of Carrie’s fall. This seemed to confirm it. “I appreciate that you want to look out for your friend and do what is best for her, but whether we stay or go isn’t up to you. It’s up to Carrie. The last thing I want is to make her life difficult, so if she feels that she can no longer handle having the cast at her inn, I’ll make it my personal mission to find us another place to stay. But until Carrie asks us to leave, we’re not going anywhere.”

  “I want to know what happened,” she said quietly but with enough force to let him know that she didn’t believe Carrie’s fall was an accident.

  “I told you—”

  “You found her at the bottom of the stairs,” she said angrily. “But I have to wonder what Doreen would say if you would actually let her answer.”

  Will locked gazes with her, his hard, hers heated with anger. After a moment, he looked over at Carrie and watched the doctor talk softly to her as he pressed on her abdomen while Mama held her hand. Will took Natalie by the elbow and steered her toward the door.

  In the hallway, he looked both ways before facing Natalie and leaning down slightly so he could speak without being overheard.

  “I don’t know what the hell happened. I heard a scream, and when I got to the top of the stairs, I found Doreen looking down at Carrie unconscious on the floor.”

  Natalie stared at him for a long time. The suspicion in her eyes faded to something else—a sad recognition perhaps. “Are you saying that—”

  “I don’t know. Doreen doesn’t either. She doesn’t remember what happened, and I don’t think we should push her to try. Carrie wouldn’t want her upset.”

  “Carrie isn’t thinking clearly where Doreen is concerned.” Natalie voiced a fear Will figured she had kept to herself for too long. “All she sees is Mike’s mother. She doesn’t see that Mama isn’t who she used to be.”

  “Has she been violent before?”

  Natalie shook her head. “No. Not violent, but she can get very agitated. Carrie handles her mood swings like a champ, but eventually it’s going to become too much. Maybe it already has. Shit. If Doreen lashed out, and Carrie got hurt… I don’t know how either of them would handle that.”

  “We don’t know anything. Carrie may have missed a step and fallen.”

  “Right.” Natalie sounded less than convinced.

  “Carrie thinks the new medication that Doreen is on is causing her issues. She was planning to talk to the doctor about it.”

  Natalie looked at him, questioning him with her gaze.

  “I walked in while Carrie was researching it,” he explained as if he knew what she was thinking. “That’s what we were talking about in the office when you walked in.”

  Natalie narrowed her eyes. “Is there something going on between the two of you?” When he simply stared, Natalie’s mouth dropped open. “How do I not know this? She tells me everything.”

  He stepped back when the door opened and the doctor came out, glad that the doctor’s presence gave him good reason to end the conversation. “How is she?”

  “Good. You guys can visit for a few minutes, but don’t stay too long. She needs to rest.”

  “Thanks.” Natalie watched the doctor walk away before looking back at Will. “I don’t think we should tell Carrie that Mama may have pushed her.”

  “I agree.”

  “I do intend to stay at the house until Carrie is better. I’ll help take care of the guests. But I’m telling you right now, if Juliet Ramirez looks at me cross-eyed one time…”

  Will lifted his hands in surrender. “I promise not to stand in your way.”

  “Thank you.” She smiled half-heartedly before losing her amusement. “I’ve been really worried about Carrie. She’s taken on way more than she can handle but refuses to ask for help. It seems like she’s let you in a little. I’m really glad about that. That said, you’d better take it easy on her. She doesn’t need any bullshit.”

  “Nor do I.”

  “Good.” Pushing the door to Carrie’s room open, Natalie walked in and headed straight for the bed. “Well, the doctor says you’re going to be dancing on the ceiling in no time.”

  Carrie’s gaze was slow to leave Doreen and meet Natalie’s.

  Natalie gave her a slight smile. “You look tired, kid.”

  “I’ll send Mike over with some clothes in the morning.” Doreen continued the conversation she’d obviously started before Natalie and Will walked in. “The doctor said you’ll be here through midmorning. Would you like him to bring something to eat so you don’t have to suffer through hospital food?”

  “Sure,” Carrie said, still looking at Natalie.

  Natalie put an arm around Doreen. “Hey, Mama, how about we go get her a snack from the cafeteria so she has something for later?”

  “Oh, that’s a good idea. We’ll be right back, sweetheart.”

  Will stood back, watching them leave, before moving to the side of the bed they had vacated. Carrie gave him a lazy smile as he sat next to her and took her hand.

  “Hey,” she slurred.

  “Hey yourself. You scared the shit out of me.”

  “That was my intent.”

  He smiled at her sarcasm. “Was it?”

  “Hmm,” she half moaned, half sighed in response. “How’s Mama?”

  “She’s fine. Don’t worry about her. We’ll take care of her. How are you feeling? Really?”

  “The drugs are good.”

  He softly laughed at the way she dragged out the last word. “Are you in pain?”

  “More discomfort than pain.”

 
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out her cell phone and showed it to her. “I programmed my number in here. You call me if you need anything. I don’t care what time it is.”

  She smiled as much as the drugs would allow. “Wow, my very own gofer.”

  Leaning forward, he gently put his lips to her forehead. “Do you remember what happened, Carrie?”

  She closed her eyes, and he suspected that she wanted to say something, but then he thought that perhaps he was hoping she would.

  She finally sighed and looked up at him. “I’m really tired.”

  Reaching out, he brushed her hair back from her temple, taking a good look at the skin that had grown dark around her eye. “It’s the drugs,” he said, allowing her to change the subject. “Go to sleep. We’ll be back in the morning to take you home.”

  “Make sure Mama takes her meds.”

  “I will,” he promised as he held her hand in his, still wondering exactly what had happened before she’d gone plummeting down the stairs.

  Chapter 11

  The next morning, Carrie stood in the bathroom of her hospital room, examining her face in the mirror. The bruise that started on the bone above her right eyebrow now encompassed her eye and cheekbone in a dark purple shade that seemed right for how much her face hurt. She touched her skin gingerly, wincing at the wave of pain that shot through her. The doctor had said that she was lucky nothing was broken, but looking at herself, she had to wonder if he had forgotten to check her face for fractures.

  Hearing the door to her room open, Carrie expected her doctor. Instead, Will called out her name, and she looked at the door with horror. Not only did she look and feel like hell, but she was wearing a cheap hospital gown with her ass hanging out.

  “Just a sec,” she called out miserably.

  Her right arm lay useless in a sling, leaving her to fight through the pain of her stiff muscles to clumsily pull her gown more tightly around her. Once she did, she realized she didn’t have another hand to open the door. Giving up any attempt at having dignity, she cracked the door and peered out at him. Her spirits lifted as she watched him pulling breakfast from her favorite coffee shop out of a bag.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Will turned and his smile fell. “Wow. The stairs definitely won that fight.”

  She chuckled, and her abdomen instantly reminded her that sudden movements hurt, and her head throbbed in agony. “You gotta turn around.”

  “What?”

  She imagined that her entire face was turning a shade of red that rivaled the dark bruise around her eye. “I’m in a hospital gown. They aren’t exactly…” She paused to search for the word. “Conservative.”

  Laughing, Will walked around the table and looked out the window. After several minutes, he looked over his shoulder. “Do you need help?”

  “No. I’m just taking my time.”

  “Probably a good idea.”

  “Well,” she said, shuffling toward the table, “I can’t really take credit. My body refuses to move any faster.”

  Will turned. “Let me help you.”

  “Unless you have morphine or a shotgun, there isn’t a lot you can do. Now turn around and let me have what is left of my pride.”

  While he wasn’t looking, Carrie closed her eyes and gritted her teeth as she eased herself into the chair closest to her. Her breath left her in a hiss when every muscle and several joints screamed in protest to the movement.

  “Have they given you anything for the pain this morning?”

  “Yup.” She grunted then took a few more breaths before opening her eyes. “There, I’m good now. You can turn around.”

  Taking the blanket off the bed, Will carried it with him and placed it over her lap as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. “I brought coffee and scones. I hope you like scones.”

  “I like anything that isn’t made in mass quantity in the hospital kitchen.”

  “Good.”

  Carrie sat while he served her a pastry and then took the seat across from her. “I don’t really remember much of what happened last night.” She saw him hesitate, taking a moment to sip his drink.

  “You scared the shit out of me, that’s what happened.” He scanned her wounded face again. “I found you unconscious and stayed with you until the ambulance got there, and then I hung out here until you fell asleep.”

  “That’s all?”

  “Sums it up pretty well.”

  He took a bite of his breakfast and wiped his hands, but Carrie wasn’t as prepared to move on as he was. “Was Doreen here?”

  “Mm-hmm.”

  She paused, creasing her brow. “I don’t remember. It’s so fuzzy.”

  “You hit your head pretty hard. Several times, probably.”

  She wished she could say that wasn’t it, but her body agreed with him. “Right.”

  “And they gave you painkillers. You were very groggy.”

  “I still am a little confused, I guess. And, oh my God, my head hurts.”

  “I know it does,” he said softly. “Hey, look what I found.” He held out her broken charm bracelet.

  She slowly stretched her hand out to run her fingers over the chain, fingering the link that had snapped during the fall. “Damn it.”

  “I’ll get it fixed. This time,” he added with a faux stern tone, “but the next time you decide to take a tumble down the stairs, you had better take this off first. It’s fragile.”

  Half a smile curved her lips. “I’ll do that.”

  Will put the bracelet in his pocket and nodded toward her breakfast. “You don’t like it?”

  “It hurts to eat.”

  “Do you want me to get your doctor?”

  “No. I’m sore. Like, put-through-a-meat-grinder-and-pounded-into-burgers sore.”

  “You look like someone tried to pound you into burgers.”

  She attempted to give him a playful glare but couldn’t quite pull it off with her head aching and one side of her face still throbbing. “Are you trying to sweet-talk me?”

  “Trying.” Will smiled. “How am I doing?”

  “Not very well. Did Natalie take care of things this morning?”

  “Not with your finesse, but she did make breakfast and managed, with Doreen’s help, to get everyone served and off to the set on time.”

  “Good. I was worried about that.”

  “Don’t. Everyone understands that you’re hurt.”

  “Everyone?”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it. “Almost everyone. Those that count. Don’t worry about anybody else.”

  Leaning up from his chair, Will put his lips to Carrie’s. Though she was too sore to react beyond puckering enough to call it a kiss, she would have been happy to have him stay there forever. However, the door opened, and he pulled back to see who had entered.

  “I’m so sorry,” a nurse said apologetically.

  “No problem.” Will sat back in his seat. “She’s really uncomfortable. Is there anything you can do?”

  Carrie sighed and was glad that she was in too much pain to turn and look at the woman. She imagined she was fumbling with whatever she was doing, as that seemed to be the customary response to seeing William Walker.

  The nurse said to Will, as if Carrie weren’t there, “She had something a little bit ago. It might not have taken full effect yet.” Finally, she moved so Carrie could see her. “Do you think you’re okay to go home today, hon?”

  “I’m fine. Just a little stiff.”

  “Well, that’s to be expected after a fall like that. It must have been a nasty one.”

  “I don’t really recall. How long before I can be released?”

  “The doctor is going to want to look at you one more time and then go over your release instructions with”—she looked at Will—“your friend.” The nurse’s gaze lingered on Will before she turned and smiled at Carrie. “I need to take your blood pressure. I’m going to clip this to your finger. I know you’re hurting.” Carrie and W
ill watched her in silence until the machine she was holding beeped and she jotted something down. “Okie dokie. Can I get you anything else?”

  Carrie barely looked up. “Anything that happens here is under patient privilege or whatever, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Good. Then I’m fine.”

  “Your doctor will be in soon.”

  The nurse closed the door behind her, and Carrie sighed. “She’s going to tell anyone that will listen that she saw William Walker kissing one of her patients.”

  “If anyone asks, I’ll swear it was the dying wish of a ninety-year-old woman to be French-kissed by a terrible actor.”

  Carrie chuckled and then closed her eyes. “Stop making me laugh.”

  “I’m sorry.” He took her hand in his and squeezed it gently. “I’m sorry.”

  “We have to be more careful. That could have been Mama walking in.”

  He nodded. “I wasn’t thinking.”

  “Me either.”

  Will looked at the door when it opened again. This time it was Mama, with Natalie right behind her. Will smiled and greeted them before meeting Carrie’s gaze. She suspected he, too, was silently acknowledging the irony of their timing.

  Will hovered right behind Carrie as she slowly moved from the car to the house. The doctor had assured them that with adequate rest, her muscles would heal in no time and she’d be moving as easily as she had before the accident. Will had made a mental note to make sure she took the doctor’s advice and took the recommended downtime.

  For now, she was moving so slowly, he was beginning to think they wouldn’t make it inside before her body forced her to rest.

  Finally, they entered the foyer and Will had to hold back a laugh. Yellow caution tape wound around the banister of the staircase. A sign that said Danger Zone was sitting on a freestanding pole at the bottom and an outline of a body had been drawn on the floor.

  “Oh my God,” Carrie said, closing her eyes as she softly giggled.