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My head was poundingwhen I woke, and I couldn't remember where I was or how I got here. I hadn't drunk last night, I hadn't really drunk anything alcoholic since my 21st birthday, so I couldn’t be hungover. Reaching up, I touched the part of my head that ached and immediately regretted it.
"Ow." I winced, the soreness stinging when I put pressure on the spot. My cry of pain alerted whoever was in the room with me, and I felt them draw closer.
"Honey, Lennox, are you awake?"
"Yeah," I mumbled, the pain making me nauseous with everything spinning. "What happened?"
"What do you remember?" my mother asked, squeezing my hand.
Trying to remember, I drew a blank. Nothing except getting ready for a date lingered in my head.
"What day is it?"
"You don't know?"
"I mean, I think it's Thursday, but I can't remember anything since Wednesday night, so I don't really know."
"That's good, honey. It is Thursday." I heard the relief in her voice as she squeezed my hand again. The door opened, but I kept my eyes closed, the light too bright to bear.
"Ah, I see our patient is awake. How are you feeling, Lennox?"
It was Dr. Barnes. I smiled as I recognized his voice. He was a kind man and had been good to our family over the years. Sadly, we’d gotten to know him on a regular basis. I’d say first name basis, but that was unheard of in the south to ever utter his first name. It just didn’t happen.
"Hello, Dr. Barnes. I've felt better. My head feels like I took an ice pick to it, though."
"Well, dear, you kind of did. Let me set you up and check you over."
He raised the bed I was in, and the light shifted out of my line of sight, making it easier for me to pry my eyes open. Blinking, I found my mom on the left side of the bed sitting in a chair. Her face was white, and she wore a grimace. I instantly felt terrible for putting her in this position.Mom hated hospitals. She hadn't had a good track record here, so I didn't blame her. Most people treated her with kid gloves at best and incompetent at the worst.
Grabbing her hand, I squeezed it, giving her the comfort now. My mom had her issues, but she was still my mom, and I would do whatever I needed to protect her, even if from herself.
Dr. Barnes checked my pulse and blood pressure before listening to my lungs. He made me follow his finger as he shined a light into my eyes. He kept scribbling things down, not saying anything, and it had started to make me worried.
"Well, all things considered, Lennox, I think you're going to be alright. Can you tell me the last thing you remember?"
"I uh," for some reason having to share I was meeting up with my online date in hopes to score had me blushing from my head to my toes in front of the doctor. "Just last night. I remember getting ready to go out, but everything else is a blur."
"Hmm, it could be temporary from the head wound, but I want to keep an eye on it. I’ll need you to come back in a week for a check-up, but if any symptoms worsen, then sooner. Do you understand? You'll need to be monitored for the next day or so, but you don’t appear to have a concussion. I'll write you a note for work. I think it would be good for you to take at least three days off."
Nodding, I instantly regretted it when pain sliced through me. Yeah, I could get behind no work. The thought of the tattoo guns buzzing had me wincing already.
"She can come and stay with us," my mom interjected before I had time to think about it. I'd moved out two years ago when Simon had a roommate opening. It had been a hard decision to leave my family, but I'd been ready. I'd already put so much of my life on hold at times, and I couldn't live at home forever, forcing me to finally make the leap. Smiling at my mom, I was grateful she was here with me today and being the adult.
There were times when it hadn’t always been the case.
"What do you think about this, Si? Does it look dorky on me?" I twisted and turned in the cute dress I'd found. It was mint green and hit me at my knees. It was probably meant to be shorter on taller girls, but I was happy with that length. I kept swishing the skirt back and forth, watching it spin.
Simon looked up from the rack of clothes he was searching through, "Uh, yeah, Lenn, that looks nice. Not dorky at all. Now, hurry up and try on that swimsuit. I want to go talk to Clarissa over at the pretzel place."
I tried to ignore the flare of jealousy as I hurriedly tried on the swimsuit. It was a tankini, which I liked since it covered most of my stomach without making me look like I was wearing a grandma suit. Redressing, I headed to the cashier to pay for the dress and swimwear. I was starting to get excited now for the party because I had clothing that looked nice on me.
Simon was talking to some guy at the front of the store, so I headed up there after paying for my things. When he saw me approaching, he broke off and met me at the store entrance.
"Is that the guy from your little league team? Justin something?"
"Yeah, it was."
"What did he want?"
