Page 23 of Eternally Ginger

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Ginger

A few months later

The time we spent at the hospital blurred together. There were times if I didn’t look out the window or step outside, I wouldn’t know if it were night or day. Ghoul had been by my side every chance he got, and for that, I would be forever grateful. Tomorrow was going to be Valentine’s Day, and while I had not considered celebrating it with him, the fact it would be spent in the hospital by my mom’s side kind of bummed me out. It wasn’t enough for me to not be here with her because that was not going to happen, but it still saddened me a little. I needed a change of scenery. The continuous beeping of nearby IV pumps had almost driven me insane over the course of her hospital stay, but I still felt guilty for thinking of myself on a trivial holiday

We could go out or have a nice dinner once we left the hospital, but after sitting here all day, smelling various odors, it took all the sex appeal out of a person. It did for me, anyway. I felt the exact opposite of it. All hospitals had an unforgettable stench about them; a mixture of cleaner and nasty food was the first description that came to mind.

“What do you want to do tomorrow?” Ghoul asked as if he could read my thoughts, or it could have been the overwhelming number of commercials on the television in Mom’s room that had both of us in the same mindset.

“Maybe we should wait until next year to celebrate with everything going on. It all seems a bit much,” I said point-blank, crossing my legs and twisting my foot around mindlessly.

“Let’s grab a bite to eat before we head home. I don’t feel like cooking, and I bet you don’t either.” He stood, reaching for my hand as we both said our goodbyes to my mom’s speechless body. It was hard seeing her like this, but it was better than the alternative. The way the doctors described it to me, she should have the ability to talk once they brought her out of the coma, but the head trauma Kingsley had caused had, in a way, rewired her brain. There was damage. Whether she spoke again or not and her quality of life were up to her and how she healed.

“Sure.” I shrugged.

When we reached the hospital entrance, Ghoul didn’t exit. He breezed past the automatic doors and headed in the direction of the cafeteria.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting some shitty hospital food with my old lady like we did on our first date.” A wide smile spread across his face as I hooked my arm in his. I had forgotten this was where we had our first date. It wasn’t the most romantic of places, but looking back, coming here made as much sense as going anywhere else did. No one understood our relationship, and if I was honest, neither did I sometimes. You didn’t have to understand the inner workings of everything to be happy—a fact that had taken me years to come to terms with.

“What are you going to order?” I asked, eyeing the printout of the daily specials.

“The fucking macaroni and meatloaf, of course.” He beamed, recalling what he’d ordered on our date. “You?”

“I’ll have the same.” I happily laughed, knowing neither of us was going to enjoy the taste of the meatloaf, but we weren’t buying it for the flavor. It was the memory we were honoring.

He leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on my forehead, and said, “I fucking love you, Ginger.”

“I love you, too,” I professed and meant it with everything I had.

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