Page 19 of Conflagration
I pat the side of my bed, and she crosses the room, sitting next to me—a position she’s occupied more times than not over the last seven days.
“Looks like they’re letting me loose today.”
Taking hold of her hand, I squeeze reassuringly. “Hey, that’s great, right?” I ask, not sure why she seems upset about the fact.
Her hand comes up to tuck a loose strand behind her ear. “Oh, yeah, it’s great. Hospitals aren’t exactly my favorite place. It’s just… When I left Atlanta, I had no idea where I was going. I still don’t. All I know is I don’t want to go back there. And well, with this…” she says, holding up her ring. “I don’t know what to do about this either.”
Damn. The idea of this ending sucks. I’ve found that I’ve truly enjoyed having her around. She’s a breath of fresh air in the wasteland that’s been my latest existence, and for some reason, there’s something about her that makes me feel like I can finally make my way out of this darkness that’s descended over me this past year. Her laugh brings me light, her concern gives me warmth, and she makes me feel like I’m better man, a different man. I think it’s partially because of how my family is around her. How they act around me now that she’s here. Even though they’ve tried to bring me back into the fold since my divorce, I’ve still felt like an outsider. But not anymore, and I’m not sure I’m ready to let that go. I haven’t needed— or, hell, wanted—anyone in a long time, and that alone scares the hell out of me.
Just as I’m about to ask her about a hotel so maybe she can stick around for a while, the doctor walks in, smiling when he sees us together. “Hey, you two. I have a feeling I’m about to make you very happy.”
We look at each other and then back at the doctor with confusion.
“As you know, Ariana’s getting released today, and after going over your charts and your progress, as long as you’re not alone, I feel comfortable discharging you as well, Branson.”
“Oh, that’s perfect news!” I hear Mom’s excited squeal as she and Dad enter the room just in time to hear the doctor.
“Wait? What?” Ari asks, shock lacing her voice.
At the same time, my ex-wife decides to join the party, because why not? My life’s not enough of a circus already. She rushes to my side, completely discounting Ariana, fake concern etched on her face. “I heard you were ready to come home. I’ll be more than happy to nurse you back to good health.”
Ariana’s eyes widen and she slowly removes her hand from mine as she stands, brushing off her jeans. She starts to back away, but I grab her wrist and bring her back into my side. “Stay,” I growl, and she stiffens but doesn’t move away.
The doctor looks at us questioningly, my mother huffs a loud sigh, and I echo the sentiment.
“As I was saying… Branson’s vitals are strong and his progress has been quicker than expected. If he lived alone, I wouldn’t feel comfortable releasing him just yet, but if you’ll be there to help him out, then I think we can arrange for him to be discharged,” he says, looking straight at Ariana, who swallows hard.
“Oh, well, we aren’t living together…” she responds, trailing off as I squeeze her fingers. She looks down at me, questions in her eyes.
“Looks like we are now, baby,” I tell her, daring her to say otherwise.
Something passes between us, and she slowly nods then looks up at the doctor.
“Well, if that’s what it takes for him to be discharged, I guess I can learn to play nurse. At least for the time being.”
“Excellent,” the doctor replies, closing the chart. “I’ll get the paperwork together and we’ll have you two out of here in no time.”
The room is silent as he leaves, and I feel claustrophobic as I’m locked in between my past and my present. Dad clears his throat and gestures towards Megan, who’s looking down at me with a strained smile on her face.
“Megan, what the hell are you doing here?”
“I play tennis with one of the doctors on staff, and she mentioned you may be getting out soon. I figured you’d need someone to take care of you, and I thought it would be a good time for us to patch things up,” she says, her voice trembling, something I know is all too fake coming from her.
Mom sighs again, and Ariana just looks around, clearly having no idea what’s going on.
“Megan, we’ve been divorced for months,” I explain. “There’s nothing to figure out, and we’re certainly as hell not going to patch anything up. And while I appreciate you thinking of taking care of me, as you can see, you’re not needed here. So please just get the hell out before you upset my fiancée.”
I know I shouldn’t have said that. Telling Megan that I’m engaged is practically the same as putting an announcement in the newspaper, but some part of me wanted her to see that I’ve moved on. That I’m not that same sucker I’ve been for the past twelve years.
She looks up and her eyes widen almost as if she’s seeing Ariana for the first time. She takes a moment to check her out then stiffens when she spots the ring on her finger. “Well, well. It certainly didn’t take you long to move on now, did it? I can tell by that rock she’s just another whore going after your money.” With a haughty laugh, she starts to walk out the door, stopping to take one last parting shot. “Looks like you’ve just traded in one for another. So much for you actually wanting to find real love. Enjoy your new little trophy wife. Let’s hope she’s not as frigid as she looks.”
Mom gasps, and Dad rolls his eyes, but when I look at Ariana, I’m surprised to see amusement in her expression.
“I’d say you know how to pick them, but I wouldn’t want to insult myself,” she teases.
For some reason, it gets to me. I pull her down onto my chest, and for the first time in a week, I kiss her again, the need to stake my claim nearly overwhelming me.
And this time, I have no idea if I’m pretending or not.
