AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Oh, and I’m not supposed to use my smartphone or watch TV too much, either. So I’m essentially supposed to lie like a lump on the couch for the next week.
I’ve only been home for a couple of hours and I’m already bored.
I know I’m supposed to be resting and recovering, but whenever I’m sick or hurt, the thing that makes me feel better is reading. Now that my escape has been taken away from me, all I can do is flop on the couch and feel sorry for myself. Without my favorite distraction, all my bruises feel worse, my head aches more, and my mind keeps coming back to the same nagging question.
What happened the night of the accident?
It’s been two days and I’m no closer to remembering. The first night I spent in the hospital, Ben reassured me when he came back to see me after his shift, “It’s normal to have some temporary memory loss, Thea. Once things settle down, I’m sure it’ll come back to you.”
Last night at Ari and Cash’s house, after Ari checked on me for the twentieth time, I blurted out my worry. “It’s making me crazy. Why can’t I remember?”
She patted my arm reassuringly. “Thea, remember what the doctor said. And Ben. It’s normal.”
But what if I never remember? Having this blank spot in my memory is maddening. Keeping things organized and in place is my thing—it helps me feel in control. But I can’t even keep my memories organized, and it’s really unsettling.
Especially because I keep coming back to the same detail. Why was I driving in the opposite direction of Ari’s house?
Even Ari’s husband, Cash, picked up on my worry. When they brought me home this morning, he gave me a careful hug and said gently, “It’s going to be okay, Thea. Just relax and let your body recover.”
Maybe I should have stayed at their house for another day or two. Ari’s on summer vacation from her teaching job, so she’s home most of the day. I could have spent time with her and maybe I would have been distracted from this icky feeling I can’t seem to get rid of.
But I couldn’t stay there. Poor Ari was leaping up every fifteen minutes to check on me, and she needs to be taking care of herself right now. With her due date coming up soon, she needs to rest and not play nursemaid to me.
So I’m back home with nothing to do and just my cat for company. Lovely.
Aside from a brief period of dating motivation over a year ago, I’ve been single for years. I tried online dating, but after Ari was nearly abducted and killed by her online date, the appeal of meeting someone online disappeared.
Most of the time, I’m okay with being single. I have a job, a condo, a pet, a best friend—it’s been enough for me. But right now, I don’t want to be that independent woman taking care of herself and fixing her own leaks and replacing outlets after watching YouTube videos.
I wish I had someone to take care of me.
Sighing, I flop back on the couch and stare at the ceiling. There’s a faint stain over in the corner from when the bathroom sink sprung a leak, and I spot a cobweb over by the front door. Which then makes me notice that the front door really could use new paint—there are a few faint scratch marks from when Daisy was a kitten.
I’m still examining the door when someone lightly knocks on it, the sudden noise making me squeak with fright.
That’s another fun side effect from my accident. Ever since, I’ve been jumping at the faintest noises. Which doesn’t go well with a persistent headache and slight light-headedness.
Whoever it is knocks again, but it’s a soft rapping, followed by a low-pitched voice. I can’t quite identify it, so I pull out my phone—breaking the rules already!—and check my Ring app.
When I see who it is, I’m not sure if I’m happy or horrified.
It’s Ben, looking handsome as ever, peering at the Ring doorbell with a small smile on his face. He gives the camera a little wave, and says, “Hi Thea. I didn’t want to make any loud noises and I’m not sure if you have this hooked up to the doorbell. I thought knocking might be better. Less noisy? But now I’m not sure if you can even hear me.”
The happy part of me taps at the microphone and I reply, “I heard you. Hang on, let me come open the door.”
But as I make my way over there, the horrified part starts to take over. Because I do not look good right now. Not even close.
My forehead is sporting a large, swollen bruise in an interesting array of reds and purples. Five stitches are the finishing touch; little antennae sticking out. My hair is a disaster since I haven’t washed it since the morning of the accident. And my skin is the color of skimmed milk, so white it’s almost translucent.
Don’t even get me started on the dark shadows under my eyes. It looks like I haven’t slept in weeks.
But Ben is here, and I’m not going to turn him away just because I’m self-conscious. Especially not after he was so kind in the ambulance, holding my hand and comforting me, and staying at the hospital until Ari and Cash arrived. Then he came back after his shift was over to check on me, and again just before visiting hours were over. I didn’t see him yesterday, but he texted a few times and even called Ari to ask how I was.
It’s kind of a surprise, honestly. Not that Ben hasn’t been kind to me before, but I always thought I was firmly in the friend zone category. He comes to the library at least once a week with his daughter, Laila, and always stops to talk to me, but that’s as far as it goes. There’s never been any indication he wants things to go further.
If he did… Well. I wouldn’t say no.
But he’s probably just stopping by because I’m friends with Ari, and Cash is good friends with Ben. I’m sure that’s it. And any little tingles I felt when he held my hand at the hospital were completely one-sided.
