Page 4 of Make You Love Me
“Are you crazy?” she exclaims, her voice sharp, as she reaches for the call button attached to the headboard.
“Don’t you dare,” I hiss through gritted teeth. “I love you, but I swear. If you touch that button, I won’t speak to you for a month.”
“Well, that’s nothing new. It’ll just be like the last few weeks.” She holds up the button, taunting me with it. “I’m liking the quiet. Helps me paint.”
“Shut up.” I swallow the razor blades in my throat and beg whoever is using my ribs as a punching bag to take a break.
“What possessed you to do that?” she asks, helping me lie back onto the pillows.
“I want to call Nora.”
“What for?” Reaching over me, she returns the button to its perch.
“She’s probably wondering what’s going on.” But then again, I don’t know what I’d tell her since no one’s told me.
“You need to focus on getting better right now. Stop blacking out all the time.”
“Not my choice.”
“I know.”
I resign to bribing a nurse for my phone later when Josie leaves me be for a few minutes. She’s not a fan of Nora, given our history, but things are different now. To change the subject, I nod toward the stack of canvases propped up against the couch. “What are you working on?”
“Just a few commissions and a little something for the staff taking such good care of us.”
“Us? You still look perfect.” Her smile emerges, as I knew it would, and I’m reminded of how amazing she is. I don’t tell her that enough.
“After all this time, the staff and I have become friends. They keep me grounded every time you give us a scare. I want to leave them a gift when we finally break out of here.” She strolls to the stack of paintings, pulls one from the pile, and spins it around to show me. “It’s the view from your room at sunrise. I haven’t added the final touches yet.”
“It’s stunning as always, finished or not. Can you really see the river from here?”
“Yep. Ignore all the smog and it’s quite the view.”
“Funny. Speaking of ignoring things,” I venture as she returns the painting. “It’s time you told me what happened. I can handle it.”
“You haven’t been very convincing of that lately.”
“What are you talking about?” I suck in some air, and it only burns a little on the way down to my chest. “I’m strong as an ox.”
“More like a baby giraffe.”
“Maybe so, but at least I’m your favorite animal.”
“And my favorite brother.”
“Enough of the flattery,” I get out before a coughing fit sends jabs and searing punches along my ribcage. No matter how devastating the pain may be, I still catch her trying to call in reinforcements. “I’m not coughing up blood and don’t need another full body inspection.” My voice is strained but firm.
“Fine. But there’s one nurse who might be disappointed. She seems to give you extra close attention.”
“Are you done?”
She shrugs, not looking the least bit remorseful, while I pretend the boxer hasn’t returned to finish me off. Between each jab, I can only manage shallow inhales and jagged exhales.
Josie collects my hand, bringing my attention back to her. She’s so petite, my hand covers both of hers. “You were in a car accident just over three weeks ago, hit behind the driver’s side by a drunk driver. Hayes Montgomery…he’s your sergeant, right?” she asks, and I nod. “He witnessed the crash and called 9-1-1. Since he couldn’t get to you, he made sure the other guy didn’t flee.”
“How broken am I?” I ask, motioning to the cast surrounding my lower left leg. “Feels like all of me.”
“You’re probably feeling the two broken ribs and internal bruising. The sling is for the separated shoulder. Surprisingly, no broken bones anywhere else. But there are some pretty nasty marks on your left side and hip that will be around for a while. The doctors did a great job cleaning you up on the inside, but the brain injury has been the scariest.”
