I looked when that was sent.Yesterday. Oops.
Gabby
I take it you’re with that little slut? Fuck your things Cole, they’re in the bin.
Gabby
Wow. What a fucking loser you are. I sat outside your flat and you walked right past my car, didn’t even have the decency to come talk to me. Oh, and tell Archie to go fuck himself for giving me the finger when he walked past!
I shouldn’t laugh at that, but I do. Archie never liked Gabby and said so from day one. I don’t bother reading the rest of the messages. I wasn’t in the headspace to even notice she was sitting there, but her calling Lacey a slut is not something I will tolerate.
Watching Lacey sleep, I recall when we first met as kids. I was twelve, and she was eleven. I remember that she was new to our school, quiet, and didn’t have any friends. She spent her days alone at the playground or lunch. I was the same.
This one particular day, I had bumped into Billy Jones, knocking his lunch onto the floor – by accident, of course. He didn’t see it that way, so he cornered me with his two friends, and they started hitting and kicking me. I have never been a fighter, never had anything worth fighting for, so I’ve always used my words instead. Not Lacey. She was walking past, and as I lay there on the ground, trying my hardest to cover my head, I saw her and the moment she made a snap decision to help me.
She tapped on Billy’s shoulders, who was at least a head taller than she was. He swung round, and before he could even say a word, she kicked him between the legs. When he went down to the ground, she grabbed his hair and wrenched his head backbefore punching him square in the nose. His so-called friends were so scared of her that they ran off screaming.
As I chuckle to myself at the memory, one of the nurses comes into the room with her cart. She takes in a sleeping Lacey, and her head cocks to one side. “Aww, the poor dear is completely worn out. I need to do her stats, so hopefully I won’t wake her.” She quietly moves to Lacey’s side and slides a cuff on her arm, careful not to wake her.
“Is it normal for her to sleep so much?” It’s something I meant to ask my Mum earlier, something that worries me.
“Oh yes, perfectly normal. She’s growing another human being; she needs her rest. Which reminds me, I’ve been told to let you know the visiting hours finish in an hour.”
“I’m not leaving.” I look her square in the eyes as I say it. There is no way on this earth I am letting Lacey stay here alone.
“Thought you might say that.” She nods to the things piled on the bedside table. “Who brought all of this in?”
My cheeks heat. “I did. I wasn’t sure what to get her, so I had a look online and…” I trail off and rub the back of my neck as something in her eyes softens.
“Would you mind me asking who you are? To her, I mean.”
Confused, I answer, “I’m her best friend. We’ve known each other since we were kids. Why?”
She gives me a small smile. “No reason, I just wondered, that’s all. I’m an old lady being nosey. Don’t worry about the visiting times; I’ll square it with the head nurse.” She finishes up and leaves the room, and a few minutes later, she returns with a cot, a spare pillow, and a blanket for me.
“Thank you.”
She nods, then leaves, and I set up for the night.
**********
The next morning, Lacey rudely wakes me up, throwing the grapes I got her at my head. I crack open one eye and look at her. She’s sitting up in bed, carefree and laughing her head off.
“You’re cleaning those up, you know.” I give her a pointed look, and instead of throwing the grape at me, she pops it in her mouth.
“You’re no fun.” She pouts at me. “I’ve been awake for well over an hour now, listening to you snore away.” She laughs, and it chimes around the room, making me smile in turn. She fidgets with her blanket as she says, “You didn’t have to stay with me, you know, but I’m glad you did.”
I go to respond to her, but the nurse bustles through the door. “Good morning, sleepy heads. You get to go home today, lovely, well, as long as your stats are good.” She busies herself around Lacey, scribbling on her chart as she goes, then before we know it, she’s out the door.
After we pack away our things, the nurse officially hands Lacey her discharge papers. With my hand to the small of her back, we’re walking out of the hospital and over to my truck. I help her in and shut the door. Getting in my truck, I buckle up and look over to Lacey.
“You ready to go home?”
She nods and gives me a soft smile before putting her head on the window and staring out of it.
We make it back to her place in silence. I struggle for words as I park the car, so I get out, then run around the car and help her down. I grab her bags, and we walk to her townhouse, the silence persisting. I’m not ready to leave her alone yet, so I follow her inside.
Her door opens straight into her living room. At the far end of the room is the open-plan kitchen, and to the right of us, a door leads to her bedroom and the bathroom. I can practically see thecogs turning in her head and the panic set in, so I put my hands on her shoulders, and she breathes in deeply.
