Page 70 of Love Beyond Repair
“See you on the other side, Bex,” she calls over her shoulder.
Then it is my turn to be summoned, and I walk off toward the unknown.
***
I wake, drowsy but relieved to be breathing. Relief surges through my body, and I smile.
“You took your time waking up.” A sharp voice startles me. I open my eyes to find Katie sitting at my side. “You’ve been asleep for twenty hours.”
I smell something that makes me sick to my stomach, then I spot her bag of cheese and onion crisps.
“Urgh, can you take them away? They stink,” I moan. She laughs but continues chewing. “What are you doing here?” I ask, feeling as though I’m in the Twilight Zone.
“Shared room, what do you think? This ain’t The Ritz. You want your own room, go private.” I go to sit up, but my head spins. “Slow down. Let me call the nurse,” she scolds.
Picking up the remote from the side, she presses the red button, and a light above my bed flicks on.
Around five minutes later, a nurse wanders in, clearly in no rush.
“She’s awake,” Katie states, waving her hands at me.
The nurse ignores her, but smiles. “How are you feeling, dear?”
I have no idea how old she is, but she looks far too young to be calling me dear. She helps me sit up and supports me by stuffing what feels like a hundred pillows around my back.
“I’m okay. My head feels fuzzy though. Where’s my phone?” I panic. I haven’t spoken to Liam. The nurse opens a drawer on the bedside cabinet and pulls out my cell. Three missed calls from Ben and a good night message from Liam. The guilt hits hard.
My head feels like a drummer has been hammering on it. I’ve never had a great reaction to anaesthesia. The nurse excuses herself, saying she’ll return with some tea and toast, which right now, sounds amazing. My stomach rumbles loudly, and Katie laughs.
“Welcome to theC World," she says and smirks.
***
From the outside, there’s nothing that says I’ve spent forty-eight hours in the hospital. If I don’t try to move quickly, I look perfectly normal.
Ben’s dropping Liam off around six so he can have his dinner, then bed. I only got home an hour ago. They’re due any minute. I can’t wait to see them. My mind corrects me;you can’t wait to see Liam.But I must admit, seeing Ben makes my heart race.
Before we left the hospital, Katie and I exchanged numbers, and we’ve been messaging constantly. During our short friendship, I seem to have told her everything about myself and listened to her life story. It’s as if I’ve known her forever. We’re on the same schedule of treatment, so we will be seeing each other regularly. Her conversation has been a savior these past few days. I can see us becoming good friends.
She has a wicked personality, calling a spade a spade. Her motto isspeak truly, speak freely, kick ass.I think I may adopt it as my own.
We discussed my relationship with Ben from the beginning. She thinks it sounds like a cliché romance. Star-crossed lovers, torn apart by loyalty.
“So let me get this straight,” Katie said between bites of toast. “He knocked you up, disappeared, came back years later, fell for the kid, and is now trying to atone with Lego sets and tea parties? Girl… that’s either penance or a man trying to rewrite the ending.”
I laughed so hard when she described our relationship in those terms that I’d coughed my coffee all over the bedsheets. The nurse was not too pleased with having to change them.
“He knows that’s not possible,” I said, dismissing her.
“Why not?” she asked, fixing me with a look.
“Because I don’t believe people change. Not really.” But even as I say the words, I know he’s starting to prove me wrong.
“If you don’t believe people change. Why do you watch him so closely?”
This time, I had no response for her. No denial.
I watch him because I care. But I didn’t say that; I just snapped my mouth closed.
