Page 44 of The Significance of Moving On

“Come on.” Tally takes over the waitress’s spot. D stands to take my other side. “Sit,” she tells him. “I got this.”

“This is my girl.” I introduce her to random guys as we walk toward the exit.

She laughs and shakes her head. “I’m not his girl,” she tells the men as we pass. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying.”

“Yes, I do. You might have moved on from me, but I can’t move on from you.”

“Casey, you’re high… and stupid for drinking with those meds in your system.”

“Are you gonna take me home now?” I ask.

“In a minute. We have to make a stop first.”

The stop we make is to the emergency room. I think she overreacted taking me here, but they take me back pretty quickly and Tal helps me chance into a stupid gown. When she moves to unbutton my jeans I swoop her into my arms and whisper, “Not here, baby.”

“Dammit, Casey.”

She punches my chest, but I don’t let it deter me and press my lips to hers. God, she tastes good and smells good.

“Why can’t you be like this not high?” she whispers and kisses me back.

“We’re going to date.”

“Well, we’re at least finally going to talk. No getting out of it this time, mister.”

Not too long after there’s a knock on the door and a hospital person in maroon scrubs walks inside the room to check my vitals. Not too long after that a woman in a lab jacket walks to talk to us. I think she’s a doctor. Tally does a good job explaining about my birthday.

“You know you aren’t supposed to mix alcohol with your medication,” the doctor says to me.

“I forgot I took it this morning.”

“Some people react very mildly to the combination, but yours is a little more severe. I’m going to give you a shot to help counteract the effects. We’ll keep you for a little while to make sure there’s no more adverse reactions and then you can go home, okay?”

“Sounds like a plan.” It doesn’t even matter that I’m spending my birthday in the ER because I get to spend it with Tally.

“Will he have someone to keep and eye on him?” she asks Tally.

“Yes. I’ll stay with him,” Tal answers.

“She’s my girl,” I pipe in. Tally rolls her eyes but the doctor chuckles and turns to leave us.

“Would you stop telling people I’m your girl. Tomorrow you’ll wake up and run scared again. I’m trying to make a life without you.”

I never thought of that. What if she’s seeing someone else? What if I blew my chance? “I won’t run scared again.” I promise.

When Tally sighs it breaks my heart. She doesn’t believe me.

The doctor comes back in with maroon scrubs following behind her. Maroon scrubs carries a small paper-lined tray with a syringe on it. The doctor, after snapping on rubber gloves, picks up the syringe and presses until a little liquid while maroon scrubs has me stand and turn around. She flips up my gown, tugs down my boxer briefs and swabs the skin at my upper glute.

“Ready?” The doctor asks. When I nod, she sticks me. It doesn’t feel great.

Actually, it sucks and I wince. “Ouch. You hurt me.”

“Sorry about that,” she lies. She’s not sorry. Only my butt is sorry that I ever nodded to say I was ready.

The maroon scrubs swabs the area again and sticks a bandage.

We stay in the room for another hour. The nurse comes to check my vitals again and the doctor makes sure the medication is doing its job. I feel way more clear-headed than when I first arrived.

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