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Iwas so ready to get the hell out of the hospital. The noises and the smells were driving me crazy. I wanted a shower. I could feel the ick in my hair. Apparently, the airbags covered me in a fine powder and it was clinging to my hair. Ramsey promised me a hot bubble bath in his big tub with jets. It was all I could think about while I not-so-patiently waited for the nurse to bring me discharge paperwork.
As I wheeled out of the hospital, my body still aching from the aftermath of the car accident, I couldn’t help but feel a mixture of relief and gratitude. The doctors had assured me that my injuries were minor, bumps and bruises that would heal with time. Lily escaped the accident with minor injuries, for which I was incredibly grateful. All in all, it was all going to be okay.
Ramsey’s car pulled to a stop outside the doors of the hospital. “I can walk,” I told the nurse.
“Oh no,” she said. “You get door-to-door service, hospital policy.”
Lily walked alongside me. “You’re okay,” she assured me.
Ramsey hopped out of the car and opened the passenger door. “Here you go,” he said and gently helped me out of the wheelchair. “I’ve got you.”
He tucked me into the front seat and put my seatbelt on. “Ow,” I murmured when he touched my chest.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s fine.” I smiled. “I’m just very tender.”
The nurse handed him a bag with my prescriptions. “Call if you can’t wake her up or she acts funny,” she told Ramsey.
“I will,” he replied.
Lily got into the backseat. I wondered if she had any worries about being in a car again. “Are you okay?” I asked her.
“I’m fine.” She smiled. “I put flowers in your room.”
“You did?” I asked. “That’s very sweet.”
“Dad says we’re going to take care of you,” she announced proudly.
If it helped her to forget the trauma of the accident, I was okay with her focusing on me and my care.
Ramsey got into the car and looked at me. “Ready?”
“I could go home,” I told him.
“No, you can’t,” he said firmly. “There’s no point in trying to fight it. You’re going to our house and we are going to take care of you. Right Lily?”
“Right,” she replied.
Having him by my side as I healed was both a comforting and unnerving thought. Our relationship had been complicated, with highs and lows that left us both wounded. But in this moment, as he reached out to support me, I couldn’t deny the connection we shared.
“Thank you,” I said. “I’m very grateful for your help. I really do appreciate it.”
Truthfully, I needed the help. I wanted to be a badass, but I was hurting. Walking the ten feet to the bathroom had sapped my energy. There was no way I was going to be able to cook for myself or do much of anything. I knew that staying with them could provide the support and healing we all needed. Lily had grown fond of me, and the feeling was mutual. Perhaps this was an opportunity for us to heal not just physically, but emotionally as well.
“We got your favorite drinks and Dad said we are going to do all your laundry,” Lily said from the backseat. “He said you had a lot.”
I looked at Ramsey. “You saw my apartment.”
“I did.” He nodded. “Colleen helped me load up the laundry. I figure we may as well do it at the house.”
With a soft smile, I nodded at Ramsey. “I would appreciate that,” I replied, my voice laced with gratitude. “Thank you for taking care of me.”
Lily’s face lit up with joy as she reached forward, her small hand reaching out to touch my shoulder. “We’ll take care of you, Dee,” she said, her voice filled with determination. “We’ll be a team.”
Tears welled up in my eyes as I looked at the two of them, a newfound sense of hope blooming within me. In their presence, I felt a sense of belonging, a chance at healing old wounds and building something stronger.
When we got to his place, I half-expected him to have a nurse armed with a wheelchair waiting for me. “Stay,” Ramsey said when I reached for the door handle. “I’m helping you. The doctor said you were going to be woozy. I don’t want you falling on your butt. I don’t think your body can handle much more.”
