“Excuse me, but I just dropped off my boyfriend. Can you tell me where I can find him?” My eyes clouded with tears, but I quickly blinked them back.
“Name?” The nurse’s unfriendly voice left something to be desired.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and replied, “Cory Shields.”
It felt like minutes passed by as she casually shuffled through her papers, then finally checked the computer. “He’s behind curtain number three,” she said, pointing down the hall.
“Thank you,” I said, then turned ing the direction she pointed. A moment later, I heard Cory talking as I got closer to his curtain.
“Yes, can you please check my girlfriend, too? She got shocked by an electrical fence and passed out.” My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. I snapped opened the curtains to see Cory lying on the bed with his jeans torn open, exposing his bare, bloody legs. Thankfully, his underwear was still intact. There was a male nurse and a female nurse standing over him, examining his wounds.
“I’m fine,” I said, glaring.
Cory chuckled, then cringed. He was in more pain than I thought. I looked down and from what I could see, there were at least six puncture wounds. Feeling queasy again, I sat down in the chair next to him and held his hand as the two nurses continued to look over his wounds.
“You’re going to need some stitches,” the male nurse said, looking too hairy to be a nurse. His hair was brown and curly, reminding me of my brother Wayne, and he had a beard and mustache. He kind of reminded me of Grizzly Adams. Shouldn’t there be some kind of hospital rule for doctors and nurses on how hairy they can be?
“Annie, are you alright? You look pale.” The small lines on his forehead creased as he stared at me. He was right; I didn’t feel well. My stomach was doing flip flops and I could taste my breakfast in the back of my throat.
“Excuse me,” I mumbled and ran through the curtain doors. Thank God there was a woman’s restroom across the hall.
“Annie! What’s wrong?” My mom’s voice resonated behind me as I quickly closed the door. I felt bad losing most of the delicious chocolate pancakes Dad made for me. I gargled some water and washed my hands, then stepped out into the hallway. Mom was leaning against the wall talking on her cell phone.
“She’s here now, gotta go,” she said, then quickly snapped her phone shut. “Annie, are you alright? What happened?” She gently grabbed my arm and walked me out the front door and guided me to an empty bench.
I sat down and felt the queasiness come back. Mom sat beside me in silence, waiting for me to begin. I stared down at her long purple sparkly nails and sighed.
“Cory and I went for a nature walk and spotted an apple tree up on a hill. We … we wanted to …” I stopped, not sure how much to tell my mother. “There was a barbed wire fence and we decided to climb …”
“Annie, those are electric fences!” she yelled. Her dark eyes were as big as quarters.
“Yeah, I found that out when I tried climbing underneath it. Cory said I passed out.”
“You passed out!” I turned to watch an ambulance that had pulled up next to the doors.
“Yeah, it scared Cory so bad he jumped back over the fence and ended up cutting himself on the barbed wire.”
“Oh my! Is he okay?” Mom grabbed my hands and held them in her lap.
“He needs stitches, but other than that, he seems okay.”
The sound of a baby wailing made us both turn toward the ambulance. I gasped when two paramedics pulled out the gurney with a baby strapped to it. A young mother crawled out from the back and followed them inside the hospital.
“I wonder what happened?” I whispered.
“Why did you run to the bathroom? Are you sick?” Mom asked, changing the subject. Suddenly, another wave of nausea come over me.
“I think seeing the blood on Cory made me sick,” I said honestly.
“You don’t suppose getting shocked by the electrical fence made you sick?” Mom asked, worried.
“I don’t think so,” I replied, looking at her confused.
“Come on, I want them to check you over, too.” She grabbed my arm and pulled me from the bench.
“Oh no ... not you, too,” I whined.
“What?” She turned to face me just as we stepped inside the hospital. The room was hectic as doctors, nurses and paramedics hurried around.
“Cory wanted me to get checked over, too.”
“Smart boy.” Mom turned around to face the same grumpy nurse at the desk. “I want my daughter to get checked over. She got shocked by an electrical fence.” I could feel my face growing hot as the woman behind the desk looked me over.
“Well … she’s not critical. She may have to wait for a few hours. We have an accident coming involving six people.”
“Mom, I’m fine. Please ... don’t make me sit here all day and night,” I begged, pulling at her arm. “Let’s check on Cory and see how much longer he’s gonna be,” I suggested.
Mom hesitated for a moment, then gave in to my pleas. “Okay, let’s go check on Cory.” We held hands and walked down the hall to his curtain. My heart fluttered, worrying about what he was going through. I pulled open the curtain and found him sitting on the edge of the bed. He was wearing all his clothes, minus his jeans, and both of his thighs were wrapped with bandages, stopping at the knees.
“Hey love, where have you been? Are you okay?” he asked, concerned.
I looked at him confused, “Okay?”
“Yeah, you ran out of here looking green ... like you were going to puke,” he said, chuckling lightly.
“Oh, yeah, I’m okay. I think seeing all that blood made my stomach queasy.” Honestly, I wasn’t sure what made me queasy. I wasn’t usually one of those type of people who got sick at the sight of blood.
“Well, I’m all cleaned up now. They just need to give me a tetanus shot, then we can leave. Good thing it’s warm outside because it looks like I’m gonna be leaving here in just my skivvies,” he said, laughing, as Mom laughed along with him.
“Do you want me to get you a pair of pants?” I quickly asked.
“No, that’s okay. By the time you got back here, I’d already be discharged. I don’t mind walking out of here in my boxers. I’m just glad I didn’t wear a thong today,” he joked, trying to get me to smile. Mom burst out laughing. I couldn’t laugh, too, even though I was worried about him and now myself, wondering why I got sick.
“Annie, are you okay?” Cory asked, grabbing my hand into his.
“Yeah, I just want to get out of here. This place …” Suddenly, the nausea came back worse than ever as I quickly ran to the bathroom.
By the time I came out, Cory and Mom were standing in the hallway waiting for me. My face was pale and clammy and my hair was no longer spiked with hairspray; it was just flat and sticky.
“Are you okay?” Mom asked again. I nodded and walked toward the doors with Mom and Cory following close behind. In the parking lot, I immediately spotted Mom’s car and walked toward it. The car alarm chirped just as I got to the passenger’s side door.
“Do you want me to follow you home?” Cory asked. The deep lines in his forehead creased as he looked down at me with a pitiful look in his eyes.
“I’m just going to go home and take a nap. I think you should do the same. Besides, I think I’m coming down with something and I don’t want you getting sick either.”
“I don’t care if I get sick, Annie. I just want to spend my Sunday with you like I always do.”
I reached into my pocket to fetch his keys, then handed them to him.
“Maybe it’s best if you both take it easy for the rest of the night, Cory. You can leave little Annie with us tonight. I’ll watch her so you can rest,” Mom suggested. Cory hesitated for a moment, then nodded in agreement. I quietly opened the door and slid into Mom’s car as Cory closed the door.
“I’ll call you later to see how you’re feeling,” he said. I nodded and smiled at him. The stupid tears
welled up inside me again as I watched him walk to his car.
The day was going great until I spotted that stupid tree and suggested we sit under it. Stupid tree! Stupid fence! Stupid me! I thought, letting out a jagged sigh.
Neither Mom nor I spoke a word on the drive home. I was glad. I didn’t feel like talking, but the small dimple above Mom’s eyebrows indicated that she had a lot on her mind. We pulled into the driveway and Dad walked out the front door with Annie by his side. Her little butt started shaking vigorously as soon as she spotted me.
“There’s my baby girl,” I cooed as she ran up to me. I scooped her up in my arms and buried my face into her neck, not wanting Mom and Dad to see my tears. I passed by Dad, into the front door and up the stairs. Then, I quietly closed and locked the door behind me and set Annie on my bed. I peeled off my shoes then climbed into the bed beside her. Within seconds, I fell asleep.
The sound of someone pounding on the door and Annie’s barking woke me up from a deep sleep. I quickly jumped from the bed and unlocked the door. Annie ran out of the room and down the stairs.
“Why in hell did you lock the door? Annie has been barking for the last fifteen minutes. Didn’t you hear her?” Molly hollered at me.
“I’m sorry. I must have been out of it,” I said with a yawn. That’s when I realized how dark my room was. I glanced at the clock and it was 11:02 p.m.
“Yeah, I guess. Poor Annie has to pee. She should have peed on your bed. I know I would have.” Molly grunted and turned to walk down the stairs, but I grabbed her arm and stopped her.
“Molly, what the hell is your problem? You’ve been a royal bitch to me ever since the day Cory took me to the hospital for my knee. I’m so sick of you treating me like shit and Cory, too.” I clamped my lips together to keep from speaking anymore. Lord only knows, I had a slew of profanities that I wanted to spit at her.
Molly rolled her eyes, which pissed me off even more. “Yeah, whatever.”
“Don’t ‘whatever’ me. Grow the hell up! We’re nineteen years old now. Don’t you think you should start acting like it?” I sighed for brief moment. “It’s sad, really. We used to be the best of friends and could tell each other anything. I miss that.”
Molly rocked back on her heels, staring at me, but the evil glare in her blue eyes was gone. “I miss that, too,” she whispered so softly that I barely heard her. I sighed again, this time with relief.
“But you knew I liked Cory and now you shove him in my face every chance you get,” she cried as my mouth dropped open.
“Molly, I’m not shoving him in your face. He’s my boyfriend ... and I didn’t steal him away. If you remember, I turned him away the first time because I knew you liked him. I tried to help the two of you get together, but he just wasn’t interested in …” I stopped when I saw tears flowing down her cheeks. “Do you know how many times I asked myself why he chose me and not you? You are much prettier than me, and taller … and slimmer,” I added.
“Oh, please. We’re twins. How can I be prettier than you?”
“We aren’t identical, stupid,” I said with a chuckle. “Besides, you inherited Mom’s big boobs. Guys love that.” The smile on Molly’s face grew bigger and so did mine, as the wall between us was slowly crumbling away as we talked. It felt like years since I could laugh and smile at her. It felt good. I really did miss my sister.
“Yeah, I did get her boobs and you got Grandma’s child bearing hips,” she replied, snickering.
I rolled my eyes. “Please, don’t remind me.” What she did next totally shocked the hell out of me ... she leaned in and hugged me. We both stood in the hallway, hugging and crying.
“I’ve missed you,” Molly choked, as tears flowed down our cheeks like two blubbering fools. After we let Annie in from outside, we made a huge bowl of popcorn and took it upstairs to my room. We sat up all night talking, eating popcorn and drinking pop, just like old times. We talked about graduation, me going to the local college for nursing and her job as Mom’s assistant in the nail salon. Molly’s hands were all dolled up like Mom’s, except hers were neon green with hot pink crackle. Because of Cory, I decided not to move to Maryland to live with my Aunt Kelly after graduation. I had checked into the nursing program at the local college and it seemed fitting for me.
“Damn, it’s after two and I got classes in the morning,” I said, yawning.
“You know, Cory’s been calling all night,” Molly replied, yawning after me.
“Well, I can’t call him back now; it’s too late,” I said, snickering, as Molly lay down next to me in bed and turned off the light. Little Annie was lying between us, already snoring. The room was pitch black except for the soft glow of the moon shining through the window.
“Can I ask you something personal? I promise I won’t get mad,” Molly whispered.
“Sure,” I said with my eyes closed, trying to think about going to sleep.
“Have you and Cory … you know … had sex?” Molly asked, hesitating.
I lay there for a moment, motionless. “Yeah.”
“Huh … what’s he like?” she asked, giggling quietly. I thought about it for a moment. What was I supposed to tell her? He was my first. It wasn’t like I had a ton of guys under my belt to compare him to.
“Promise not to say anything?” I whispered. The bed shifted as she turned to face me. Her eyes glistened in the dark.
“Promise.”
“Well, the first time we got intimate, he apologized.”
“Apologized for what? Oh, wait a minute, it’s true,” Molly said.
“What’s true?” I asked curiously, turning on my side to face her.
“Guys with big muscles have small penises. They lift weights and bulge out to compensate for their … well … smallness,” she said, snickering.
“Oh no, it’s nothing like that; he’s not small at all. He apologized because he got off without having sex with me,” I corrected her.
She sat straight up in bed.“What? He did what?” She busted out laughing hysterically, waking up Annie who started barking. Molly continued to laugh out loud, while I tried to get Annie to quiet down.
Suddenly, we heard footsteps, then my door burst open.
“What the hell is all this ruckus about?” Dad hollered. What hair he had left was standing straight up and he was wearing nothing but his tighty whities.
“Sorry, Dad. Molly and I were just talking. We promise to keep it down.”
“You two are talking again? Well … that’s nice. Just keep it down. You know how miserable your Mother gets when she doesn’t get enough beauty sleep.” Molly and I both nodded in agreement.
“Good night, Dad,” Molly chimed in.
“Good night, Dad,” I repeated, but with less spirit in my voice. My eyes lids were getting heavier and heavier by the second. I lay back down in the bed and closed my eyes. Thankfully, Molly took the hint and did the same. We were both out in seconds.
I woke up the next morning feeling better than I had in weeks, which was odd considering I only got about five hours of sleep. Molly had it made working for Mom; she got to sleep in a little longer.
I tried calling Cory first thing in the morning, but got his voice mail. I left a message telling him that my last class was over at two. I quickly showered, got dressed then ran downstairs to grab a bite to eat before heading off to class. Mom had already put Annie outside and fed her before I was even out of the shower.
“Are you feeling better today? You look better,” Mom added with a smile, setting a bowl of Wheaties on the table in front of me.
“Yeah, much better, thanks.” I scarfed down the cereal and ate a banana, then grabbed my backpack. I gave Annie a quick kiss on the head and walked toward the front door.
“Annie, wait. I have something to ask you,” Mom said in a serious tone. I stopped short at the door and slowly turned around, as my heart beat a little faster. She hesitated for a moment before walking through the dining room. My hands were getting sweaty as I wai
ted for her to speak.
“Are you pregnant?” she finally asked as my jaw dropped and my eyes bulged out of their sockets.
“Wha … what?” I stammered, floored.
“Well, you seem moody lately and yesterday you were puking …”
“I must have eaten something bad. I feel fine now,” I interrupted her. She stared at me for a moment, trying to read my thoughts.
“Okay. Go on to school.” She leaned over and kissed my head, then opened the door for me.
“Thanks, Mom,” I said smiling sheepishly, then walked out the door. My legs felt like they weren’t moving, but the truck kept getting closer. Numb, I opened the door and threw the backpack on the passenger seat, then climbed into the truck. Even after losing a few pounds, I still had to strain to pull myself into this stupid thing. One of these days, I was going to save my money and get myself a nice, short car ... one so low to the ground that I would barely have to lift my legs to get into it. I pulled out of the driveway and saw Mom looking through the dining room window. I quickly turned my head so she wouldn’t know I saw her.
Class was unbelievably slow today and I couldn’t concentrate on anything. Mom’s question kept eating at me all day. Why would she ask such a thing? Ugh! The gall of that woman! When my last class was over, I grabbed my books, shoved them into my backpack and headed toward my truck.
“Looks like you have a visitor,” Wanda, one of the other girls in my class said. I looked up to see Cory leaning against my truck. The expression on his face was unreadable, a cross between sorrow and anger.
“Have a great afternoon. See you tomorrow,” I told Wanda and waved good-bye as she walked toward the other end of the parking lot.
“Hey,” I said, giving him a half a smile.
“Hey, yourself,” he said, not looking up at me, keeping his eyes on the pavement.
“How are your legs?”
“Are you trying to avoid me? Are you mad because I took you on the nature walk? Annie, I assure you, I didn’t plan on you getting shocked. I didn’t plan on my legs looking like I had a fight with a meat cleaver. I just wanted us to spend a nice day together and everything went to hell. I had the whole day planned for us; even your mother knew of my plans. I had reservations and ...”
Novel Hearts Page 21