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“Oh shit. I didn’t even think about that.”
“Give me my phone,” she barked at Holly who laughed softly as she handed the phone over from where it sat on a nearby table. “Alice will pick you up. Have you even been checked out yet?”
I rolled my eyes. “No, I just got here.”
Holly glanced over at her, offering, “I wanted him to see you first. I’ve already paged Rachel because Charlie’s in surgery. Rachel will check him out and probably do an X-ray to make sure it’s just dislocated, and he didn’t tear anything. After that, we’ll send him home. We can rustle someone up if Alice can’t give him a ride.”
Only a few minutes later, Gram was shooing me out of her room. After what felt like hours later, Holly stopped in to check on me. I eyed her skeptically. “What now?”
“Nothing,” she said with a quick smile. “I’m only checking on you because you’re my friend. I’m the supervisor here in the ER, you know.”
“I know, and I’m sure you’re a kick-ass nurse and supervisor. I just want to go home,” I said bluntly.
She flashed a grin. “You’re cleared for discharge. Your knee will be sore as hell for a few days and then sort of sore for a little bit longer. You’re in luck, though. You didn’t tear any ligaments,” she offered with a quick shrug. “Charlie is already dealing with another surgery because she’s on call today, but she told me to check with you about pain medication.”
“I just want strong ibuprofen. The most powerful dose available.”
“You sure you don’t want something else?” she pressed with her hands on her hips.
“Fuck, no. Itissore, but ibuprofen will do the trick.”
“I’d recommend alternating ibuprofen and acetaminophen.”
“Why?” I barked, catching myself and letting out a sigh at my sharp tone. “Sorry. I’m just ready to get home and get comfortable.”
Unperturbed, Holly simply answered my question. “Because they’re different pain medications. By alternating them, you can have pain relief more consistently. I’ll send you home with some, and you can get more for yourself. If that’s not enough—” I shook my head, and she held a finger up. “Let me finish, please.” I smiled, circling my hand in the air for her to continue. “If that’s not enough, just give Charlie’s office a call tomorrow. You can’t drive,” she pointed out for what felt like the hundredth time between her and Rachel and another nurse who’d checked in with me.
“I know. Rachel said I can’t drive for two weeks, at least.”
“Well, you’re timing is good. Alice stopped by to check on your grandmother. I told her you would need a ride home, so she’s in the waiting area.”
Holly turned and reached for a pair of crutches that I hadn’t even noticed were propped against the door. I started to shake my head, and she rolled her eyes. I stood on my own and limped over. “It’s sore, but I really don’t need crutches.”
“I’ll put them in the back of Alice’s SUV. This way, if you find yourself in worse shape tomorrow morning, you’ve got something to help you hobble around.”
A short while later, Holly was standing at the curb outside of the hospital and peering into the passenger side window of Alice’s SUV. “He’s all set. He’s got ibuprofen and acetaminophen to alternate. The crutches are in the back. I know his grandmother would check on him in the morning, but since she’s here, I think you should.”
I glanced back and forth between them, rolling my eyes. “Could I please just go home?” I asked as nicely as I could.
ChapterSixteen
Jonah
Holly stepped back from the curb. “Yes, you can. Don’t overdo it,” she ordered.
A moment later, Alice was driving. She glanced over when she came to a stop before turning onto Main Street. “It takes forever to do hardly anything at the hospital, doesn’t it?” Her tone was warm and understanding.
The tension bundled tightly inside me started to uncoil. “Yes,” I simply said. Alice’s new rescue dog, Honey, who was in the back seat with the crutches I didn’t intend to use, leaned forward and nuzzled my shoulder. I scratched her behind the ears, and my lips tugged into a smile at the sound of her tail thumping against the seat.
Alice’s lips quirked with another smile as she turned, adding, “You’ll be sore, but it sounds like you’ll be fine. It’s Holly’s job to tell you all the things.”
“I know.”
We drove in silence for a few minutes before I spoke again. “Thank you for taking Gram to the hospital this morning.”
“Of course!” Alice exclaimed. “It sounds like they’re keeping her for the night.”
“Yeah, they want to monitor her vitals for the night and get her fluids up. I feel like I should’ve noticed something,” I said, a twinge of guilt stinging my heart.
