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"Yeah," he said. "Well."
"Brandon, I––"
"I don't want to talk about it right now," he said, suddenly interested in the wood grain of the chair arm.
"Brandon––"
"Skylar. Not now, all right?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again. Even though I was encouraged by the fact that he was even here, I wasn't sure what we were doing, and it killed me. It hadn't escaped me that he had scooted the chair back to the wall, keeping a solid three feet between us. I was dying for his touch, but right now, I didn't have the right to ask for it, even in my condition.
"You can go if you want," I said quietly, working the blankets in between my hands. The thought was painful, but I didn't want him here out of obligation. "Jane and my family are here. You...you don't have to stay if you don't want to."
In return, all I got was another very dark blue look.
"Red?"
I bit my lip, then let it go when I hit the swollen edge of a bruise. I winced. "Yeah?"
"Don't do that. Don't push me away."
Before I could reply, the clamor of my grandmother's voice rang down the hall.
"How is she?" Bubbe demanded of Henri as she followed him and the doctor into the room, Jane and my dad shuffling behind her. "When will she come home? Does she know who she is? She doesn't have amnesia, does she?"
Bubbe shot to my side when she saw I was awake.
"Skylar," she demanded. "Do you know your name?"
I frowned. "You just said my name, Bubbe."
Bubbe screwed her face up tightly, then relaxed. "That was too easy. Tell me, what day is it?"
I shrugged. "I've been asleep for three days and was held captive in a room with no windows. How would I know?"
Bubbe threw her hands up as she turned to the doctor. "You see! What else could she have forgotten? Oy, my heart!"
"Skylar seems to be doing just fine, Mrs. Crosby," the doctor replied calmly as she glanced over my chart. "Would you mind moving a bit so that I can take a look?"
"Here, Mrs. Crosby." Brandon jumped out of his seat and hovered in the doorway.
Bubbe patted him familiarly on the cheek, and I didn't miss Brandon's shy smile as she sat down. Dad nodded at Brandon, but moved to the back of the room, taking his usual place as a wallflower. With a sharp look at Brandon, Jane elbowed her way to stand next to me. Brandon watched her closely. Was that jealousy in his eyes?
"Skylar," the doctor said. "My name is Dr. Gibbons. I'm the neuro attending on-call tonight, and I was here when you were brought in. Do you remember anything about that night?"
I shook my head. Dr. Gibbons smiled warmly.
"I'm not surprised," she said. "You were pretty out of it when your boyfriend brought you in."
I glanced sharply at Brandon, who looked studiously at the floor.
"Um, yeah," I said. "How long...how long have I been out? Someone said I was in a coma for three days?"
Dr. Gibbons smiled kindly. "Not a coma, really. More like restorative sleep. You've actually come in and out of consciousness a few times, and your brain has responded to basic stimulants. Some patients experience extended sleep for a day or so after suffering a nasty concussion."
I blinked. Concussion. Right. That was why things still felt so foggy.
Dr. Gibbons glanced around the room. "I hate to kick everyone out, but we need to do an exam to make sure everything is working right in there. One person can stay if you'd like."
