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Hushedvoicescomefrom across the room. It’s the first thing I hear since I was shot. I’m not sure how many days it’s been, but I know it’s been awhile. I can tell by the scruff on my chin.
“He needs to wake up already. It’s been too long. I’m worried.” The voice belongs to Mom.
“He woke yesterday, love.” Dad’s trying to soothe her, and I imagine him rubbing her back to keep her from stressing out.
I don’t remember waking up yesterday, but I’ll have to take his word for it. My eyes are heavy, even though I am trying to open them. I brush my hand across my face again and grunt.
“It was for ten minutes and all he did was ask about…” Mom clicks her tongue. “That woman needs to stay away. He was so miserable when he left her the first time."
“Andi.”
“What was that, love?” Mom asks. Her chair scoots and I hear her hurried footsteps. Her hand brushes back my hair. “Oh, baby. Did you say something?”
I grunt. “Andi.” I still can’t manage to get my eyes open, and my left arm feels on fire. “Andi!” I call again when I realize she’s not saying anything.
I push myself up, ignoring the slicing pain through my stomach. “Where is she?”
“She isn’t here, son.” Dad’s voice is closer now, and I finally manage to open my eyes. I look at Mom, tears fill her eyes, and then turn to Dad. My eyebrows are scrunched in pain, and I ignore the burning in my stomach.
“I told her to go home, Dominic. She wasn’t needed. You have your family here,” Mom explains.
“She wasn’t…" A knock at the door cuts me off, and my head snaps over as it opens. A doctor steps into the room.
The last thing I said to Andi was something I regretted. I need to see her and apologize. We have to put things right before it’s too late. Mom won’t stop that.
“Officer Black. Glad to see you awake. I’m Dr. Carlton. I was one of the surgeons on your trauma team.” The doctor makes his way over and that’s when I realize that the room I’m in isn’t a typical room. The sheets on my bed are black, and it looks more like a hotel room than a hospital room.
“What day is it?” I ask the doctor as he examines my wounds.
“It’s Saturday, November 27th.”
“Fuck, I’ve missed Thanksgiving dinner.”
Mom sees the disappointment on my face, and mistakes it for missing dinner with her. She squeezes my arm. “We will have dinner when you’re home and healthy.”
“I need my phone. Where is it?” I need to get a hold of Andi and apologize to her for whatever damage my mother has caused.
“It was smashed when you fell, son.” Dad sits in a recliner beside Mom, next to my bed. It isn’t a crappy hard hospital rocking chair that pulls out into a sleeper. This is an actual leather recliner, and for a moment I wonder if I’m even in the hospital.
“Where am I?” I try to sit up again, but it’s useless. The pain doesn’t stop, it worsens with the slightest movement. Getting shot is a bitch.
“That Jackson girl set you up in a VIP suite for her ex-husband’s family,” Mom says. "Who knew that was even a thing? Rich people will spend money on anything."
Dr. Carleton snarls. “Mrs. Jackson is a very large donor for the free clinic attached to the hospital. Andrea has paid for this by herself. You should know, Officer Black, Mrs. Jackson has been camped outside. I can bring her in whenever you request.”
I nod, eagerly. “Now. Get her now.”
“If she comes in, I’m leaving.” Mom stands up.
I shrug. Mom can do what she wants. It’s her loss, not mine. “Then leave. I want Andi here. It’s been five days. And you’ve been what, Mom? Shutting her out? You should be thanking her for everything she did. I love her, Mom. She’s not going anywhere.”
“I’ll ask her to step in.” Dr. Carleton says, and Mom picks up her purse and bustles past him, my father hard on her heels.
I’ve only been conscious for a few minutes, but I’m already exhausted. The door opens again, and my heart fills when I see my sunshine walk in. Her eyes meet mine as she hurries towards me and I reach for her, forcing a smile through my pain. She grabs my hand, braiding our fingers together, and presses them to her lips. I can see the exhaustion in her eyes, the sadness behind them as she moves a chair to sit beside me.
“I was supposed to deep fry the turkey.” I wince as a sharp pain stabs my shoulder.
She stifles a laugh, nodding her head. “You can do it for Christmas. If you’re feeling up to it. Haley says you’ll be tired for a while.”
