Page 35 of Kickoff

“Mase? What—” She coughed, and I brought a cup of water with a straw to her lips.

“Drink this.”

She did, but her voice sounded hoarse when she said, “Where am I?” Moisture filled her eyes, and they appeared bluer than their usual turquoise shade.

I traced the side of her face with my knuckles. “You had appendicitis. I drove you to the hospital, and you underwent emergency surgery. That’s why you may feel drowsy right now. They said you should come back to your senses soon. Your parents are on their way.”

Her gaze traveled around the room. “Appendicitis? Surgery?”

“Yes. You’re out of the woods now.”

She blinked, and I wondered if all the drugs in her system were affecting her understanding of the situation. “The woods? Were we outside?”

“Nah.” A hint of a smile tugged at my lips. “Just an expression.”

“Oh. How did you manage to be in this room by my side? I’m pretty sure it’s family only.”

“I told them I was your twin brother. No way would I have let you wake up alone after surgery. I thought you might like to see a familiar face.”

“I do. Gosh, I can’t believe you did that.” She laughed but stopped, wincing in pain. “It still hurts.”

“Take it slow so you don’t rip out your stitches.”

“Stitches? Mase, did you say I had surgery? Was I in an accident?”

Definitely the drugs. “No accident. Appendicitis.”

“Oh.” She yawned. “I’m tired.”

“Sleep. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“Where are we?”

“Hospital. You had surgery.”

“I don’t like this dream.”

I squeezed her hand resting in mine. “Don’t worry. It’s gonna be okay.”

“I-I…” Her eyes closed, and her breathing evened before she could finish her thought. For the next hour, I watched her sleep, praying everything would really be okay after all.

An hour later, Melinda’s eyes opened, and she eyed me with a frown. “Am I still dreaming, or is this real?”

“All real.”

“So, we really were in the woods, and I had an accident.”

Our earlier conversation replayed in my mind. She was adorable and had no idea.

“No dream and no wood. And no accident. You had an appendectomy earlier. You are safe and sound now.”

“A-appendectomy? No, it’s impossible.” New tears filled her eyes. “I can’t be sick. Not now. I have a meet next weekend. I need to qualify. This is senior year. I refuse to be on the sideline.”

“Easy, tiger. You need the rest. Don’t stress over a meet. Now isn’t the time.” My fingers landed on hers in a gesture I hoped was comforting.

“You brought me here? I don’t recall a lot. All I can remember is the pain and that I was feverish and confused. But the pain…it was bad.”

“You were barely coherent on the way here. The doctor said another hour and your appendix would have burst. It was a close call, but I’m Nurse Pierce, and I told you I’d keep you safe. That’s my job.”