“Oh, no!” I exclaimed, putting my hand to my mouth for a moment. “I didn’t mean it like that. Please don’t tell her I said that.”
“I wouldn’t,” he promised, squeezing my hand for comfort.
“I just meant that I should have listened to my gut, knowing how much I need to work and can’t risk an injury. It wasn’t smart on my part at all.”
“Listen, Jaelyn, stop beating yourself up about it. Accidents happen, and you’ll be back at work in no time. Ivy said you don’t have to worry about the bills, so please try to relax. Being tense and anxious won’t help your pain.”
If only he knew why I was tense and anxious, but that was need-to-know information, and he didn’t need to know. “Right. I’ll try. Thank you for stopping by to check on me. I do appreciate it.”
After leaning back in the chair, he smiled. “I was happy to, though I know Dr. Russel will take good care of you. The nurses are working on your discharge paperwork, so I’ll stick around long enough to drive you home.”
“Oh, no, please don’t,” I said in shock. There was no way I was going to tell him I didn’t have a home. “You don’t have to do that. Ivy promised to pick me up when I was ready.”
“Since she’s busy at the diner, I told her I would take care of you.”
“Shoot. I forgot that someone else would have to cover my shifts. That sucks for Ivy.”
“She said she considers it her penance for you getting hurt and that you shouldn’t worry about it.”
“Well, I do, but we can agree to disagree. Really, though, Major, you don’t have to stay. I can call any girl gang member for a ride, and they’ll pick me up. Thank you, though. I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me. The pain notwithstanding,” I said with a sardonic smile.
“No thanks needed, and there’s no reason to call anyone else. I’m already here, so once they’ve discharged you, we’ll pick up your meds and I’ll take you home.”
Obviously, I wasn’t going to talk him out of this, so I nodded once. “Okay, if you insist. I do appreciate it since they said I can’t drive while on the pain medication.”
“Nope, you can’t, so I’m happy to be your chauffeur for the day.” He leaned back into his chair with a satisfied smile. “Now, try a few bites of the tortilla while we wait. If your stomach revolts, I’ll be waiting with the bucket.”
“There’s an image,” I said, genuine laughter falling from my lips, but I picked up the fork and tried a small bite, deciding that keeping my mouth full of food meant less small talk I had to make with the good doctor. It would be too easy to tell him everything, and that was something that could never happen. I'd tell him I was staying at Ivy’s for a few days, so I wouldn’t be home alone, and then he could be on his way without ever knowing the truth about my reality.
“Are you doing okay?” Major asked as he pulled away from the pharmacy.
“I’m good. Why do you ask?”
“You were frowning when I got back into the car,” he answered, accelerating slowly as the town was busy on this Saturday morning.
“I saw all the cute kids in their costumes, and I remembered it was Halloween. I'll miss all the kids at the diner. Ivy used to let me hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters who came in during community hours. Maybe she’ll let me hand out candy at her house while they’re out trick or treating with the kids.” I could hear the slight slur in my words. “But maybe I am a little tired and kind of fuzzy.”
“To be expected,” he said with a nod at the bag on the seat. “The medication will do that, but it’s important to stay comfortable to help with healing. Maybe I should have insisted you stay another night at the hospital.”
I waved my good hand in the air. “You’re not my doctor now, remember?” I teased him. “But seriously, the medication controls the pain, and that was their only stipulation. I have a question, and it will probably sound dumb to you, but I want to ask it.”
“The only dumb question is one unasked,” he assured me. “I truly believe that, so ask away.”
“Is it possible the anesthesia made the pain worse? Last night, it was so bad when I woke up, but the more the anesthesia cleared my system, the better the pain medication worked. Is that weird?”
“Not weird at all,” he said. “We call that central sensitization. Have you ever had surgery before?” I shook my head, so he continued. “Central sensitization is when the anesthetic triggers the nervous system to become more sensitive to pain signals.”
“I had no idea that was a thing.”
“Probably because it’s rare, but it’s real. I always knew you were unique, Jaelyn Riba. That said, it’s something you should mention should you ever need surgery again, so the anesthesiologist and surgeon are better prepared to control your pain. There are things they can do if they’re forewarned. Now, aren’t you glad you asked?”
“I am,” I said, leaning back on the headrest. “It makes me feel less bad about all the puking and crying I did last night.”
His laughter filled the SUV, and I could tell he was laughing with me and not at me. “You don’t have to feel bad about it at all. Your body went through trauma yesterday, and that’s how our nervous system copes with physical trauma like that. Not to mention the massive doses of medication you were given. I promise that after a few more days of sleep, the pain will lessen, and you’ll be much more comfortable.”
“I’m okay, and I can’t thank you enough for the ride. I’m sure there are dozens of other things you could be doing on a Saturday.”
“Probably, but none of them are even a quarter as important as making sure you’re safe. There will always be time to unpack boxes.” I turned my head when he pulled into a neighborhood that was nowhere near Ivy’s house. “Are you lost? Ivy lives behind the diner.”
