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“I’m a little loopy. And exhausted. I think I need to sleep.”
“You want me to go?” he asks, voice just above a whisper.
Maybe it’s the pain meds, maybe it’s how tired I am, or maybe it’s how vulnerable I feel right now, but my insides are screamingNO!
Because I don’t want him to leave.
But I’m also thinking of Davey. And maybe I’m supposed to make Aaron leave. But he makes me feel safe and comforted, and for reasons I can’t quite explain, I want him here.
And then, as the loopiness takes over, the dream I had comes back to me. And it’s like my brain misfires. Because for some dumb reason, I’m thinking about Aaron being my boyfriend again. Which is confusing. And it makes my stomach do weird things. We had that puppy love thing once. Could it ever be something else? Would I want it to be?
What am I thinking right now? I have a boyfriend. He has a girlfriend. This is crazy.
Damn that nurse.
And these pain meds. I don’t like them. Except, well, they’re working. Pain went bye bye. But so has my ability to think clearly.
“Rae?”
“Huh?” I glance up at Aaron. He looks back at me, right in the eyes. And as if his gaze is truth serum, I say what I want. “No. Stay. Please.”
He smiles softly. “Okay. But you need some sleep,” he says, almost laughing. I must look as loopy and high as I feel.
I nod, and he pulls me against him. I rest my head on his shoulder. Then he kisses my forehead, and I quickly drift off into a cozy dreamland in the safety of Aaron’s arms.
I wake up around six-thirty to Mom shaking my shoulder.
I flash my eyes open, trying to make sense of life.
“Hi,” I croak. I look around the room, surprised to find I’m alone.
Mom chuckles. “Aaron left late last night—once it was clear you were out cold. Sarah went to her room to sleep after that, too.”
I nod as a yawn. It might be wrong, but I’m a little bummed I didn’t get to wake up in Aaron’s arms.
“How are you feeling this morning?”
“Better. Still want to sleep all day, though.”
“Well, you should get up and try to move around some, but sleep plenty, too. So, you’ll be stuck with me bugging you all day.”
I stifle a laugh, and I’m surprised it doesn’t hurt at all. “That’s okay with me. Love you, Momma.”
She kisses my cheek and squeezes my hand. “Love you too.”
She’s only been gone a few minutes when there’s a knock at the window. I’m expecting one of my friends, but the first thing I see is flowers, followed by Davey, who half-tumbles through the window.
Right, he said he was coming over this morning.
“Hi,” I say with a laugh.
He stands up and smooths out his coat. “Haven’t mastered that yet.”
“Well, to be fair, most everyone else has had years of practice.”
He smiles and sits down on the edge of the bed next to me, leaning over and giving me a soft kiss. “Hi. You look better.”
“I’m feeling that way, too.” I bite my lip and say, “Maybe you kick that up a notch.”
