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He put the trash can down next to the hospital bed and then looked for a seat, I realized, when he found it and pulled it over to sit next to me.
Brady Parker looked at me and said, “My freshman year, one of the guys got tackled and it ruptured…he…so…”
He looked down at his hands. He said, “I didn’t even see you there until it was too late. Still, I wouldn’t have stopped if I had seen you in time to. Why didn’t you move?”
I was getting tired again, “I was looking through the lens, so by the time I realized what was going to happen—I woke up here.”
“I really hate journalists,” he said and looked at the door. The knock sounded again.
“If it makes you feel any better, I’m probably fired.” It didn’t make me feel better. I looked at the door. We could hear the lock tumble, so it was someone with a key.
The doctor, a different nurse, and someone from security stepped inside the room. I wasn’t sure what they were expecting, but since it was a small security guard and a large male nurse in scrubs more suitable for the children’s unit, I was sure this was not the regular visit. Especially, when the other security guard, a regular size guy, showed up.
“I think they want me to go.” Brady puffed out a breath and began to stand.
“No.” I didn’t know where that word came from, but it shocked at least two of us, him and me. “Stay. I…my parents are getting a flight. I…”
“I’ll stay.” He nodded. The nurse with the cartoon scrubs and the male security guard made their exit and the pregnant nurse I had seen since waking arrived as the female security told people to go home or they would call the police. Yeah, journalists could get a bit invasive like that.
Then I realized they might not be here for him. “Wait, are they…they don’t want to talk to me…do they?”
I looked at Brady and he nodded. I looked at the doctor who said, “Do you want him in this room while I go over this with you?”
“Yes.” I didn’t and I did. The nurse smiled at him, then me. She had her clipboard ready and her ink pen.
“Okay, you just need to take it easy for the next week and follow-up with your primary physician in three days. We got this sent up from the pharmacy, so you don’t have to worry about sitting there with all that hubbub. We have been sending them away all night.” He looked at Brady and said, “Do not let her overdo it. The pain pills should be used only when the pain is unbearable, and I only gave her three, so split it in half. If she needs more, we need to run more exams.”
I was processing that, but Brady said, “Yes, sir.”
“All right. Nurse Betty has the rest of the information, and we will get you on out of here.” The doctor nodded, the nurse took over, and I wondered why the hell they were sending me home tonight. Who would they have turned me over to if Brady hadn’t shown up? Why were they…well, I had asked him to stay, so it made sense why they were assuming he was going to take care of me.
“It’s clear.” The security guard said, “Leave the girl alone, right? Just…vultures.”
“Definitely not among my favorite people.” He puffed out a breath.
She looked at Brady and smiled. “I’ll show you where to pull the car around so you can leave in peace.”
He looked at me and said, “You need a ride?”
“I’d love to ride you.” I nodded.
The women in the room laughed and his brown eyes just went wide as he asked, “Is that the concussion, the meds, or—”
Nurse Betty said with a smile, “The meds. They had to give her a general anesthesia to reset the bones in that arm, so she’s been saying a lot of things since waking up.”
“What?” I asked.
Nurse Betty said, “I won’t tell anyone. Promise.”
I wanted to know what I had confessed to her. Truly, since I had nothing to confess other than killing my goldfish because I tried to give it better water. I was six and my dad was talking about how great that spring water was. Apparently, it was not good for the fish.
