Page 99 of The Hookup
“A few more days. Could be another day, could be a few more. It depends on when the doctors want to discharge him.”
Kay turned to Luke, not daring to hold his hand, but stroking the side of it with her finger.
“And how long before he’s back to normal?”
“A few weeks, could be more. It all depends on his progress and how he heals. If he rests up, his recovery will be quicker. If he doesn’t, he’s only going to make things worse.” The nurse replaced the pitcher of water with a fresh one, and left.
“You’re going to be fine,” Kay said to Luke. She waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. “I don’t know if I prefer you like this, not saying anything.”
“It… hurts…,” he croaked, then made a face as if it had been painful.
“You look like you’re in pain. Don’t,” she cautioned. “
He gave her a withering look.
“I prefer you when you don’t talk,” she continued, gaining more courage the quieter he remained.
Once again, he made a face, then tried to open his mouth, but winced.
She was enjoying this. “It’s best if you don’t talk. Your voice is going to be hoarse for a few days. It might even be gone for a few weeks.” She made an exaggerated woe-be-gone expression. “You might even lose it for amonth.” Her smile widened. “That would be freakin’ awesome. Nobody would have to listen to you spouting nasty garbage.”
He scowled at her, and she smiled back. “This is going to be so much fun.”
Chapter 33
“I’m so glad we’re sharing this,” Marie declared, when Kay turned up at Luke’s apartment a few days later. He had been discharged from the hospital and Marie had brought him back home.
“I don’t know if sharing is the right word for it,” she replied. She’d come straight after work on a day when she’d managed to leave earlier than usual.
It soon became clear, that just like that, she and Marie had assumed the roles of Luke’s carers—whether he wanted them to or not. Marie had taken on the motherly role and she, she assumed, was the dutiful girlfriend.
“We both care about him,” Marie said.
“It’s not like he’s got anyone else,” Kay told her. She placed a couple of cartons of freshly made soup into the refrigerator. Marie had offered to bring him food until he was able enough to cook for himself and since she didn’t cook much, she let Marie handle that side of things while she picked up food from the supermarket.
“What’s his family like?” Marie asked, lowering her voice again.
“Uh…well…” She didn’t know where to start, and she didn’t want to divulge too much in case Marie didn’t know everything.
“Pleasant,” she replied, unable to come up with a better word.
“He cares about you more than he did the others.”
Kay balked, not knowing why Marie was saying all of this now, and maybe it would be better if she put her right. “I—I’m not sure that—”
“He’s been different lately,” Marie said, interrupting. “Trust me, I know what he can be like. I can see the difference you’ve already made. It’s been a while since he’s had a regular girlfriend on the scene, that I know of, anyway. He likes to keep his personal life personal. I try and pry out what I can, but he’s not always willing to humor me.”
“He’s hard to read,” Kay agreed. She frowned, then looked around, worried that Luke might hear them. “Where is he?” she asked.
“He’s taking a shower.”
She breathed easier. “What makes you think he cares about me?” Marie obviously wasn’t aware of Luke’s dark and twisted side; the side he reserved for those he became intimate with.
“He’s never taken anyone to meet his family before, for starters. You should take that to mean what you want,” Marie replied, glancing towards the hallway. “I expect he’ll be out soon. He’s been in there for ages.”
He was taking his sweet time, and she hadn’t even seen him yet, not since that day when she’d said all she had needed to say to him. Now she wondered if that had been wise. Her insides knotted just thinking about it. She hadn’t gone into the hospital after that, either, needing to place distance between them, but now that he was back at home, it didn’t feel right to her not to at least look in on him.
Marie obviously didn’t know anything except what was on the surface and by coming to see Luke, Kay had unwittingly led Marie to think she was happy to do this. A normal girlfriend would, and Marie obviously didn’t know any better.
