Page 104 of Before I Lost You

“I remember you, Mr. Moore. You were here back in May.” My eyes widen at his words, realizing I did wake up here seven months ago. “I’d like to know how you got into the same type of accident and ended up with almost the same injuries.”

“Uh,” I stammer, my face heating. “Bad fucking luck?”

Surprisingly, he chuckles. “I guess so, huh?”

“I’d introduce myself, but you already know who I am,” he says, directing raised eyebrows towards my parents. “I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about your injuries, but first, I’m going to do a quick assessment.”

I nod slowly, “Okay.”

He stands, then shines a penlight in my eyes and directs me to look to the right, left, up, down, and before long, I feel dizzier than I did moments ago. He seems to notice because he pockets the penlight and looks at me with concern.

“Your pupils are a little sluggish, but equal in size, so that’s reassuring.” Dr. Khan says. “You got luckier this time than you did in your last accident.”

“How so?” I frown.

“You don’t have a brain bleed this time around, just a concussion, which means you might be able to go home tomorrow.”

“Why not today?” I ask stubbornly, but he only chuckles. Kenneth squeezes me hard, and I look at him to find his eyes narrowed at me. “Sorry.” I smile at him apologetically.

“You need to stay one more night for observation.” Dr. Khan replies. “Just a precaution.”

I nod. “Are there any more concerns?”

He nods too now, “You have fractured ribs and cuts on your hands like last time. Those will take some time to heal.” Dr. Khan frowns. “The stitches in your hands and head will dissolvein about two weeks. You’ll have a follow-up appointment with your primary care provider to make sure you’re healing properly around that time as well.”

“Do you have any instructions on how to care for him?” Ken speaks up now, and Dr. Khan looks at him.

“Yes,” he replies. “No bright lights, screens, or strenuous activities. He needs to rest as much as possible. He will have headaches, so I will prescribe him something for those. That’s normal. But if his headaches persist even with the medication, he’ll need to come back.”

“What do you mean by strenuous activity?” I ask slowly, and Dr. Khan raises a brow at me, as if daring me to ask the question. “Does that mean I can’t have sex?”

“Oh, for god’s sake,” Kenneth mutters under his breath, and my mom snorts.

“Correct,” Dr. Khan says, face disturbingly serious. “No sex.”

“Fuck,” I groan.

With a chuckle, Dr. Khan gets up from the stool. “I will leave Agnes to it, then. If there are no changes, you’ll be free to go in the morning.”

I sigh. “Great.”

“Oh, and Mr. Moore?” he says with a grin now. “Maybe stay away from driving from now on.”

We all chuckle at that. “Noted.”

Dr. Khan and Agnes walk out of the room together, leaving us in silence for a brief moment. It’s not awkward exactly, just a little tense.

“Are you hungry?” My mom asks us, looking between Ken and me. “We can go get you both some food.”

“I would do unspeakable things for some Shake Shack,” I groan, my stomach growling loudly at the thought of food. “If you don’t mind.”

My mom rolls her eyes but grins. “I’m sure I can find one. We’ll be right back.”

My parents walk to the door, and just as my stepdad opens it for my mom, I clear my throat. They both turn around to look at me. “Thank you. Both of you.”

“Of course, honey.” Mom’s voice is gentle, her eyes soft. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”

With those words, they walk out, and I sigh in relief.