“Well, I was researching . . .something.”
“For the book?”
“For the book,” I confirmed.
“The book?”
“Yup, the book.” I nodded.
“Becca, just how much trouble are you prepared to get into for this book?” he asked. “Is it worth it?”
I laughed. Small at first, but then it picked up momentum. “Now that,thatis the question of the year, Mike,” I said, and then looked down at my hands and picked at one of my cuticles. “That’s a really good question, actually, and I’m not sure how to answer it.”
“Maybe you should, before you land yourself in some real trouble,” he responded.
I looked up at him and he stared straight back at me. Silence—strange and stretchy and making me feel a little insane. I was filled with so many contradictory feelings. I was so happy to see him, to be in the same room as him; I’d missed him, but . . . I hadn’t wanted to see him under these circumstances. I could see he was angry with me—disappointed, even—and it hurt.
“So—” Ash burst into the room—“I have some chocolate, which should be good for blood sugar—I’m sure yours is low at the moment—or, if you need something more substantial, then I have crisps—not that that is substantial, but it was all I could find in the vending machine. What do you want?” She was like the Energizer bunny as she put all the snacks down on my bed. Then she did something that truly took me by surprise. She sat, took my hands in hers with care, and looked me straight in the eyes. “How are you feeling?”
I could tell she genuinely cared and it almost brought tears to my eyes. “Much better,” I said. “It stings a bit and my head’s a little sore, but I’m all good.”
“Oh, thank God!” She placed her hand on her chest. “I feel terrible. I told you to use the library, but I didn’t know the ladder was that bad. If I’d known, I would never—”
I put my hand up to stop her. “Seriously, it’s not your fault. I should have known better than to climb an old, wooden ladder.”
“And probably not at that late hour?” Mike said pointedly.
My head snapped up and I looked at him. “Probably not,” I admitted.
“And how is the patient feeling?” The friendly doctor who’d stitched my head came in. This was such a typical small-town area—the kind where everyone knew everyone else’s business, even in the next town over—to the point that, while stitching me up, the doctor had told me that he’d delivered both Mike and Ashley, and, when Mike had been born, he was so chubby that the doctor had mistaken him for a girl because his “boy parts” were hidden!
“Much better,” I said to him, as he sat at my bed.
“Good.” He examined my head wound again. “Well, I’m happy with that. You can go home now.”
“Home?” Ash jumped. “Surely you should keep her here to monitor her, in case she has a concussion.”
“Did you lose consciousness when the book hit you on the head?” the doctor asked.
“No, I don’t think so.” I looked up at Mike.
“No, she didn’t lose consciousness. Well, she did close her eyes for a little while, now that I think about it,” he said.
“She did?” The doctor looked at me again. He took a small torch out and shone it in my eyes.
“See!” Ash said. “Don’t you have to be extra careful with head injuries? She shouldn’t sleep tonight, right? Just in case.”
“Uh . . .” The doctor looked like he was considering this. “I don’t think it’s necessary, but if it would make you all feel better, then it won’t do any harm, keeping her awake tonight.”
“Great!” Ash clapped her hands together. “My brother and I are going to look after you so well tonight, we won’t leave your side for a second, and we’ll entertain you all night long. You won’t want to sleep!” She smiled so broadly, but I could see that Mike wasn’t too thrilled with the idea. In fact, he looked like this was the last thing he wanted to do.
“So, what do you guys say . . . ? Movie night!” She clapped her hands together excitedly.
“Yay,” I said, trying to sound upbeat. I looked over at Mike.
“Mmm, yay,” he whispered, half under his breath.
