Page 140 of With Us

Then I fell asleep.

???

How am I still so exhausted?

Gingerly, I used the bathroom and got changed into some clothes Rachelle had brought me. It felt great to be out of the faded and scratchy hospital gown.

I pushed open the door, nearly hitting Theo as he hovered close by. “Let me help you,” he whispered, reaching for me.

I shook my head. “I want to stand for a minute. It feels good to stretch.”

“The nurse said he’d be back with your discharge papers.” When his cell beeped, Theo pulled it from his pocket.

“Everything okay?”

“Just work stuff.” It began to ring, but he silenced it. “I’ll call them back.”

“Go ahead now. The discharge stuff will be a while.” When he hesitated, I tilted my head toward the bed. “I’ll even rest while you’re gone.”

“Always the negotiator.” Once I was back in bed, he pressed his lips to mine. “Need anything?”

“Is Niall here?” At his nod, I pointed at my stuff. “Can you bring everything out to the SUV?” I asked. “I don’t want to get held up fussing with it later.”

Though I’d spent the majority of my stay asleep, it hadn’t stopped everyone from bringing me flowers, books, and magazines.

He picked up everything. “Anything else?”

“A coffee? Like, the biggest one they have. Maybe two.”

“You got it, my gattina.”

After the door closed behind him, I sat back up and looked around for the remote. I was still flipping through the channels a couple minutes later when Chris, my nurse, came in.

“You ready to go?” he asked as he began cutting off my hospital bands.

“Very,” I half lied. Anticipation and dread both turned my stomach, mixing with the residual mental daze and physical exhaustion.

I looked at the circled day on the whiteboard calendar and still couldn’t believe it said Thursday. I’d spent a little more than a week in the hospital, but only had clear recollection of the previous day or two.

My lungs were clear, my fever was gone, and I wasn’t in as much pain. I’d been up and walking as much as I could. I was only on a mild antibiotic. When the doctor had discontinued all the other medicines and none of the symptoms reoccurred, I was bugging everyone to let me go.

They’d finally listened.

“We’re going to miss the parade of visitors.” Chris picked at the tape on my inner arm. “And the parade of food.”

His words distracted me, which meant I only felt a little woozy as he removed the IV. “What?”

“Your family. They were very thoughtful, dropping off coffee and snacks to the nurse’s station every day.”

I just nodded, having no clue what he was talking about. I knew Luc, Ben, Rachelle, and eventually Theo had all spent some time there, but I didn’t know about anyone else.

Chris looked at me closer, his tone turning more professional. “Are you sure you’re feeling up to leaving? I can page a doctor back.”

I smiled, shaking my head. “I’m fine, just tired. It’s been a long week that I don’t remember. I just want to soak in the tub and rest in my own bed.”

Most importantly, I want to finally get my answers from Theo so I can get my head on straight.

He smiled warmly, giving my shoulder a squeeze before his pager beeped. “Your body has been through a lot, so taking it easy sounds like the perfect plan.” When his pager beeped again, he sighed. “It’s been one of those weeks. It’s been fun, but I hope I don’t see you in here again.”

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