by Linnea Hall
Fortunately, Jewell was not assigned to this case, so she quickly ran to the locker rooms. She took a cold shower not waiting for the water to warm, partly to wake her up after her long shift, but also because she knew that Collin didn’t like the smell of the antiseptic soap. It prolonged the wait to see him, but it was for him, she wanted to make him happy. Besides, he needed his rest. She hated to wake him so early in the morning. After she had showered, she changed into fresh clothes that she had brought specifically for this. She had also put one of her honeysuckle sachets in her bag to help keep her clothes smelling fresh as they sat for twelve hours in her locker.
She pulled on a pair of faded jeans that made her legs look good. Then she pulled her royal blue polo over her head. She had chosen this shirt because Ashley told her it made her eyes look amazing and it was one of the few shirts that actually fit her right; it wasn’t so oversized that it hung off her body. She quickly brushed her face with mineral powder and dusted her cheeks with a little blush. Then she very carefully applied the eye shadow Ashley had given her just as she had been instructed. She pulled a brush through her hair and stepped back from the mirror to assess how she looked. She knew Ashley would be proud of her. As an afterthought, she rubbed the sachet of honeysuckle over her hair, and threw everything in her locker.
She waited impatiently for the elevator and when the doors finally opened she rushed in, pounding the button for the sixth floor repeatedly as if it would make the elevator move faster. After what seemed an eternity, the doors opened releasing her from her temporary prison and she ran to Collin’s room.
Fearing that he would still be asleep, she very slowly opened the door and peeked in. As was usual, he was lying on his side, facing away from the door. “Honeysuckle” she heard him say, and she could hear the smile in his voice. She laughed as she pushed through the door and quickly crossed the room to sit in the ugly vinyl recliner next to the bed.
Collin smiled and reached for her hand. She took it quickly, reveling in his warm touch. She looked into his stormy gray eyes and lost herself.
“Has your uncle come by to visit yet?” Jewell asked, breaking the silence.
“No, but like I said, that’s Uncle Percy. He probably figures that if the hospital hasn’t called to tell him I’m dead, everything must be fine. Plus, I keep leaving messages on his phone. I’m assuming I sound better than I did a few days ago, so that gives him even less excuse to stop by.” He shrugged like it didn’t matter, but Jewell could tell that it hurt him. “At least I have you to look forward to every day. It gives me an incentive to get better.” He grinned. Jewell noticed that his smile wasn’t quite as lopsided as it had been. The right side of his face was starting to regain some of its mobility. This was a great sign; it meant that there might not be any serious nerve damage. Too, even though he seemed lucid enough, it was another indication that there was no brain damage.
“Your smile looks better. It’s not as one sided as it was. Does it hurt when you smile?”
“Yeah, everything hurts, but honestly, it’s not too bad. I don’t even use the morphine. And I’ve figured out what hurts the most when I move; so I don’t move that way.”
Jewell was sure that he was trying to play down the true extent of his pain for her sake. She appreciated the effort, but she knew that the pain must be excruciating. She thought that he was sweet though, trying to spare her feelings that way.
“You look tired. You should probably go get some rest.” Concern creased his face. He was right though, she hadn’t been getting enough sleep lately. Not only had she been spending extra time at the hospital, but her dreams had been troubled, and her excitement to see him had made it more difficult to not only fall asleep, but to stay asleep as well.
“I’m not tired,” she lied. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he knew.
“If you are going to have to drive all the way home, I don’t want you doing it half asleep. I’d rather not have you in the room next door.” He smiled. “What’s more, I really don’t feel very well today. I think I need some time to rest.”
Jewell knew that he was lying, trying to give her an excuse to leave, other than her own needs, but he was right. If she stayed too much longer, she wouldn’t be able to drive home safely. She needed to sleep, and she needed to sleep in her own bed.
“Besides, I’ll see you tonight when you come back into work, right? You need to get some sleep so you can handle your long nights.”
“I’m not working tonight, it’s my day off. I’m on a four this week; two on, two off.”
“So, I won’t see you tonight?” He tried to keep the pain from his voice, but he could feel the lump forming at the thought of missing any time with her.
“I was thinking…” Jewell began, “even though I’m not working, I can come by anyway.”
“You don’t have to come in on your day off. That seems like too much to ask.” Collin replied.
“I want to. I could stay for a couple of hours, maybe bring you some real food?” She couldn’t imagine being away from him for two days.
“That sounds nice. The stuff in here is horrible.” He made a face. “So, I’ll see you tonight then?”
“Absolutely. I might be a little later tonight, maybe around six or so. Is that okay?”
“Sure, it’s not like I have any place to go.” He laughed at his joke, but for some reason his words made her suddenly nervous. Apparently he caught her apprehension because he asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Huh? Oh, nothing. I guess I just really need to get some sleep.” She smiled as she stood up to leave. She didn’t want to, but he was right, she could barely keep her eyes open. She needed to get home before she fell asleep. “Rest well,” she said, as she turned at the door.
She heard him whisper something about dreaming of her as the door closed. She didn’t see the eyes watching her from the other side of the nurses’ station as she left.
*
Edgar sat in a seating area with a window overlooking the dirty city below, but his interest was drawn by what he saw taking place near the nurses’ station. The young nurse who had passed him in the ER the night before was leaving one of the rooms. She wasn’t wearing her scrubs, but instead, a tight pair of jeans, heeled shoes and a blue polo and she didn’t look like she had been working. Edgar made a mental note to find out about the young nurse as he wheeled himself back to his room.
Chapter 11
“Well kid, it looks like you got yourself into a bit of a pickle.” Percy said with a grin, striding into the room. Percy was Collin’s uncle with whom Collin had lived as long as he could remember.
“Hey, Uncle Percy. It’s about time you bothered to stop by. I hope I didn’t inconvenience you. I’ve been practically dying for a week and this is the first you’ve bothered to check on me. You didn’t even answer my calls.” Collin was a little heated. Uncle Percy was the only family he had and he felt abandoned when his uncle hadn’t come to visit.
“You called? I must’ve been busy.” Uncle Percy pursed his lips as he looked at Collin. Considering his injuries, Collin looked pretty good. There were still some areas that had the yellow hint of a healing bruise, and his broken bones were rebuilding themselves at a remarkable rate but they would need some more time to heal completely. Of course, Percy wasn’t surprised; a little distressed, but not surprised.
Percy knew that he would need to get Collin out of the hospital soon. He could not only take better care of Collin than the hospital could, but there were certain things better kept secret that would become apparent if Collin were to remain here for much longer. The doctors were already marveling at Collin’s rapid recovery. Of course, the hospital had no idea what Collin was, except for Dr. Babineaux, but there was only so much the doctor could do to defer notice of this unusual person. If Collin remained too long, the news crews would be back en masse.
Collin didn’t even know what he was. It was bad enough that Collin had had the near death experience; it wouldn�
�t help matters if certain people were to find out how fast he healed. Percy wasn’t really concerned about the media, Dr. Babineaux and Sheriff Payne had made it seem unremarkable so the article was buried in the Local section, and quickly forgotten. The whole article was two short paragraphs describing a car accident. One driver, his nephew, was in critical condition. The other driver would be charged with DUI. There was no follow up on the condition of the driver in ICU. Thanks to the help of some friends, the media was the least of his problems, though Percy knew that even with the help he had, that could change quickly.
“Actually kid, I was in here the day after you came in. I saw you after they moved you to ICU. When I saw you were going to be okay and that they were taking good care of you, I left to take care of some things.” As Percy turned to pour Collin a glass of water, he muttered under his breath, “Besides, you weren’t practically dying.”
Collin wasn’t sure if he was meant to hear the last part of his uncle’s comment but he responded anyway. “What do you mean I wasn’t practically dying? I’ve heard the nurses whispering around here. They seem to think I’m lucky to be alive.”
“Let’s just say that my superior medical knowledge and skill led me to believe that you weren’t in as bad a shape as they thought you were.” He forced a grin, but his eyes were hard, staring at Collin as if he knew something about Collin’s injuries that he didn’t want to share.
Uncle Percy had gone to medical school before Collin knew him. Sometimes, when they stayed in one place for a while, his uncle would find work in a hospital or clinic. Uncle Percy said it was to earn money to keep them going, but Collin doubted they needed the money.
“So how’ve they been treating you in here?” His uncle said, trying to lighten the mood as he took a drink from the glass of water he had poured for Collin before placing it on the tray next to the bed.
“It’s been Hell,” Collin replied. “It seems like every fifteen minutes someone comes in to give me a shot, or check my blood pressure, or change my bed linens. I swear I can’t get a moments peace. Even though I’ve been in bed for a week, I’m so tired I can’t think straight.”
His uncle laughed.
“I cringe every time I hear someone coming through the door,” he continued, then paused wondering how much he wanted to share with his uncle, or more specifically, how much he wanted to share about Jewell. He decided a little bit of information wouldn’t hurt. “But there is one nurse. Her name is Jewell. She comes and sits with me every day. I really look forward to her visits.”
His uncle made a small grunt as he assessed Collin’s eyes. He knew the look, he’d had it himself once. It was a look of longing, of unconditional love. “Let’s see what I can do about getting you out of here,” he said as he pushed himself up from the only chair in Collin’s room. He was out the door before Collin could reply.
In about an hour, his uncle came back in, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. “It’s all taken care of. An ambulance will be here in a bit to take you to a small, private continuing care center where you can heal. It wasn’t too hard to convince them to let me take you, Dr. Babineaux was a big help.”
“How long?”
“How long what? Until you can leave? Don’t get your knickers in a bunch. The ambulance should be here in a couple of hours and then we’ll be on our way.”
Collin glanced at the clock. It was just before one in the afternoon. It would be several hours until Jewell had promised to come by. He had to see her before he left. He had to let her know that he would be back for her. Collin didn’t even know Jewell’s phone number, or where she lived. “Can we wait until after six?”
“What, is the food so good here that you want to stay for another meal?”
“No. I really wanted to say goodbye to Jewell. She’s been so nice; I just wouldn’t feel right leaving without saying something to her.” He could feel his throat tighten at the thought of not seeing her again.
His uncle assessed the emotion in his nephew’s voice, appraised the look in his eyes. He hated what he was doing, hated to hurt his nephew like this, but he knew it was better this way; for both of them, Collin and Jewell. Before they got too close, before their feelings could really grow. This was a relationship that wouldn’t work. “Sorry kid. We have to leave when the ambulance gets here. I’m going to go check on the arrangements.”
Collin watched his uncle leave. He could feel the tears building. He was embarrassed that he was acting like this, crying over some girl he had just met. He rubbed angrily at his eyes. But Jewell was different. Somehow, he felt as if he’d known her forever. It was like waking up one day and realizing that you’re in love with the girl next door. The girl you grew up with, that you ate mud pies with, that you threw rocks at, the one that you chased around the playground at school making kissing noises, your best friend.
After a while his uncle returned with a couple of orderlies. They transferred him to a gurney and pushed him through the hospital towards the exit. Even though Collin knew there was no chance that he would see her, his eyes searched anyway. If he could just see her one more time, let her know that he loved her. He didn’t care if she didn’t feel the same way about him; he just had to let her know.
The orderlies loaded the gurney into the ambulance, his uncle climbing in behind. He was facing the wrong way to look out the door, but he could hear the doors on the ambulance slam, closing the doors shut on any possible future he might have had with Jewell.
*
Jewell’s father was home when she came in; he wasn’t working today. He was watching something on the television, probably golf – how he could watch that game was beyond her. “Jewell, is that you?”
“No dad, it’s armed robbers, come to kill you and steal your twelve inch tube TV.”
Her father laughed. He didn’t watch a lot of TV so he didn’t see any reason to buy anything bigger. As far as he was concerned, this TV was perfect. He was more likely to be out with the guys from his Krewe, playing softball at the fire house, or reading a book. He used to tell Jewell that the quality of television had diminished in direct proportion to the number of channels available, so he didn’t see any reason to get a bigger TV – or cable. He saw no desire in watching the prolific stupidity of reality shows on a larger screen or in higher definition.
“Dinner from last night is in the fridge,” her father called as Jewell started into the hall.
Jewell poked her head into the refrigerator as she called to her dad, “you know dad, you could at least get cable. You know, you’re going to have to if you want to keep watching TV after the digital switch.”
“The what?” He had no clue. Jewell wasn’t surprised. Technology and Tommy McKean mixed about as well as oil and water.
“Never mind dad. What’re you watching?”
“I don’t know. Good Morning America I think. I don’t even know why I have this on. I should probably go to the bookstore, I need a new book.”
“Why don’t you do that dad? I’m going to bed anyway. I’ll see you when I get up.”
He grunted an acknowledgement. He liked to be home when Jewell was home and awake. Sometimes he felt that he didn’t spend enough time with her.
Jewell ate a salad while watching an interview with some sports guy. When she was finished, she took her bowl into the kitchen, rinsed it out, and put it in the dishwasher. She walked into the living room and stood in front of her dad, blocking the TV. He looked up at her. “I really love you dad. Thanks for everything you do for me.”
Her dad reached out and pulled her into his lap. She was an adult in so many ways, but felt a child in so many more. She sat on her dad’s lap for a few minutes, her arms circling his neck, just content to be in his arms. Then she turned, kissed him on the forehead and gave him a quick hug. “I’ll see you when I wake up dad. Don’t worry about dinner. I don’t have to work tonight so I’ll fix something nice.” She used the arm of the chair to lever herself off her father’s lap and walked slowly to her room.
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br /> When she woke, she looked at the clock and was surprised at how long she had slept. It was nearly six. She got out of bed and walked to the kitchen. She had promised both Collin and her dad a good dinner but it was already six and it would take her a half an hour to get to the hospital. She opened the refrigerator, leaning on the door to see if there was something she could heat up. She found some seafood gumbo that her dad probably picked up at Morton’s so she threw some of that in a Gladware container with some rice that was left over from Chinese her father had brought home, and popped it in the microwave to heat. Her dad wasn’t home; he was probably out with some of the guys or playing softball at the firehouse. She wrote him a quick note:
“Dad: had to run to the hospital for a while. Didn’t have time to make dinner. Saw some Gumbo in there. Thought you could eat that. Sorry. Love you. Jewell”
She ran into her room and threw on some clothes. She tried to choose clothes that Ashley would pick out. She grabbed a pair of khaki pants, and a pink blouse. She had a pink, western style belt that she threaded through the belt loops quickly and then threw on a pair of white and pink Skechers with pink laces. She checked herself in the mirror and thought that she looked like she was thirteen, but she didn’t want to take the time to change. She ran to the kitchen, grabbed the gumbo from the microwave and her keys from the table and ran out the door.
On the causeway, she was pushing it. She knew that she couldn’t afford to pay for a ticket, but she couldn’t seem to ease up on the accelerator. She also knew that any extra time she gained by speeding would be lost if she was pulled over. She scanned the bridge, looking for police cars parked in the crossovers scanning for speeders. Fortunately, in the whole twenty-four miles she did not encounter a single officer. She had to slow down once she got into town, but the distance from the bridge to the hospital was the shortest part of the trip.