Page 91 of Away We Go

James stops and turns to face me. “He’s okay.”

He waits until it sinks in, until I’ve stopped bouncing on my toes, and then walks us into the hospital through a side entrance.

“The nurses said we can use this one to avoid the mess out there,” he fills me in as he strides through a set of swinging blue doors. I jog to keep up with him. “Nicky should be back from X-ray now.”

We draw to a stop outside a hospital room and James peeks inside. “Go through.”

Taking in a steadying breath, I squeeze his arm in gratitude. James saved my sanity just now; I’m not sure what I would have done without him.

With a lungful of helpful oxygen, now that I can breathe again, I open the door and immediately feel I’ve been sucker punched at the sight in front of me.

Nicky—myNicky—is lying still in the bed, a blanket pulled up to his waist, his chest and stomach bare, painted blue and black with myriad bruises.

Tears spring back into my eyes and I creep towards him. “Nicky?” I whisper.

His eyelids flutter and he groans, rolling his head in my direction.

“Cherry?”

I take his hand and press it to my cheek. “It’s me. How are you feeling?”

He nods. “I’m okay.”

He really doesn’t look like he is.

“I’m sorry I scared you.”

This man and his apologies. I bend over and run my lips across his cheek, marvelling at how unmarked his face is. The rest of him is black, blue and purple, but his face is as perfect as ever.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

He nods and groans and I bite back a whimper. “Yes, the scans came back all clear. Just a few bruised ribs; I’ll be good as new in no time.”

The tenuous control I’ve had on my emotions since I watched his name tumble down the order snaps and I let out a sob. And then it’s like putting the toothpaste back in the tube: it’s not going to happen.

“Shh,” he comforts me, rubbing his hand up and down my arm. “It’s gonna be fine.”

“I—I know, it’s just that there was the crash and then…” I hiccup through my tears, wiping frantically at my eyes and lecturing myself to get it together.

You’re here to look after him, Cherry. Not the other way around.

“Ah, Mr Dimitrios, you’re just about ready to go.”

I turn to see a man in a white coat entering the room with his eyes on the tablet screen in his hands. He’s got white hair and glasses and looks like an actual doctor. I feel immediately better knowing he’s the one entrusted with Nicky’s wellbeing.

“There’s just one problem,” he says, finally looking up. He’s startled to find me next to the bed, looking like a train wreck, probably. “Oh, hello.”

I wave limply, one last shuddering sob escaping me. At least I hope it’s the last.

“What’s the problem, doctor?” Nicky asks.

“Right.” He gives me a wary look and focusses back on his patient. “When a person has a crash such as the one you experienced today—”

“50 G-force,” I interject and start mopping at my tears again.

He shifts away from me. “Yes, quite right. In those instances, there’s always a concern about head injuries.”

Nicky shakes his beautiful head with a subtle flinch. “My head is fine.”

---