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Chapter Twelve
Olivia
Emmett kissed me goodbye after breakfast and rushed off to work. He promised to be back afterward to keep Charlie and I company. I felt lighter knowing that I had reliable help from now on.
Charlie was out of surgery in under two hours, but he slept for most of the day. I alternated between fussing over him, reading the out of date gossip magazines on offer in the room, and scrolling endlessly through social media on my phone. I flipped to the recent phone call section and looked at the unknown number that had rung me last night. Emmett’s number. It was about time he got saved into my contacts. Feeling like an excited high schooler, I created a new contact under his name.
This was happening, then.
“Mom?”
I stood up. “Hey, sleepy head. How are you feeling?”
“What time is it?”
I glanced at the time on my phone. “It’s almost five.”
“Is it dinner time, yet?”
I laughed. This kid hadn’t stopped asking about food the whole time we’d been here. He was such a boy.
“Sure, honey. But you should have something light in case you get sick from the leftover anaesthetic. I’ll order you some chicken or something.”
“Okay.” He didn’t sound too impressed.
“Hey there.”
I was instantly excited at the sound of Emmett’s voice. “Hi. Look who’s here, Charlie.” I smiled big but made sure to tone down my excitement in front of Charlie.
“Hey, Emmett. Look at my leg, it’s all fixed.” Charlie pointed at the dressing on his ankle.
“Ah, it’s not fixed yet, Charlie, but the doctors have helped it along,” I countered.
“I thought I’d bring a few things in for the patient.” Emmett put a large paper bag with handles on the end of the bed.
Charlie’s eyes lit up. “You brought me presents?”
“Well, I figured since I nearly ran you over, this might be a good way to apologise and make friends with you. Because I’d like to be your friend, Charlie. I feel we’ve been through thick and thin together already.”
“Yeah, we sure have. Life and death, right?”
“Exactly.” Emmett winked at me and I ducked my head when I smiled.
“What’d you get me?”
“Well now, let’s see.” Emmett buried his hand into the bag and pulled the first couple of items out. “How about some comic books? Now, I don’t know who your favourite is, so I bought a selection for you to choose from.”
“Hey, Captain America! Cool!”
I tried to peek into the bag. “Any Betty and Veronica?”
Emmett wrinkled his nose. “You’re such a girl.”
“Who’s Betty and Veronica?” Charlie asked.
“Oh my gosh.” I dropped my head into my hands.
“It doesn’t matter. Seriously, you’re not missing out on much.” Emmett waved his hand in the air. “I also got a Nintendo DS with some games. I’ve had it laying around for a while, so you can borrow it until you're back up on your feet.” Emmett handed Charlie the console and unrolled a material game holder with dozens of games.
