Dylan was standing in the recovery area speaking with Parker's nurse when she heard movement behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Parker struggling and heard her moan. She raced to her bedside and took her hand in her own. “You're ok, everything is fine.” She spoke in a calm voice, leaning over Parker trying to comfort her. “You're in the hospital. You broke your leg and had to have surgery but you're ok now, you're going to be ok.” Dylan tried to project calm to Parker. Her heart broke when she noticed the tears swimming in the corners of Parker's eyes. “Oh sweetheart, don't cry. I'll stay here with you. You're safe.” Dylan wasn't sure where the term of endearment had come from, but it felt right so she went with it.
Parker seemed to calm somewhat but she never took her eyes off of Dylan and held her hand in a death grip. Sam returned to the room then and rushed to Parker's other side. Parker moved her eyes until she found Sam's smiling face and felt a little more of the anxiety ebb away.
“Hiya kid, can't take you anywhere huh!”
Parker gave a half smile at that. She felt the drugs she had been given taking hold of her consciousness. She stared at Sam pleadingly and whispered one lone word. “Home,” and then her eyes closed again.
“I know. We're gonna take you home friend.” Sam whispered. She looked across the bed at Dylan who had never let go of Parker's hand. “How soon can we get her out of here?”
Dylan looked back at Sam and nodded decisively. “I'll find out.” She replied and reluctantly let go of Parker's now limp hand and went to find the doctor.
The doctor was not at all happy about Dylan and Sam's wish to take Parker out of the hospital and back to her house so soon. “She just had surgery. She hasn't even come out of recovery yet!” The doctor slammed Parker's chart down on the nurses’ station desk making Dylan jump at the unexpected noise.
“I understand that.” Dylan replied patiently, trying her best not to lose her temper. “But she has a condition that will make it more detrimental to her recovery to stay in the hospital rather than return home early. Besides, I will be staying with her and aiding her in her recovery, and as you know I am more than capable of doing so.” Dylan knew that the doctor was new, not long out of medical school himself, so she used her position as a nurse of long standing to her advantage. She just hoped she looked more confident than she felt.
“Nurse, understand...”
“Dylan.”
“What?” the doctor looked at Dylan not understanding.
“My name. It's Dylan, not nurse. And I think it's you that needs to understand.”
The doctor was taken aback by Dylan's forceful words. “Well, yes of course,” he replied pompously. “If you insist on taking her home, I can't stop you. But I won't sign off on it either. You will have to check her out Against Medical Advice.”
Dylan nodded, and tried not to smirk as she took a step forward and watched the young doctor take a step back away from her. She had figured that they would be signing Parker out AMA. “That should be fine. Thank you, doctor,” she replied snidely and walked away hoping the fresh young doctor had learned an important lesson about trying to verbally best an experienced nurse. Dylan made her way back to where Sam and Parker were waiting. Sam looked at her expectantly when she entered the room and breathed a sigh of relief at seeing Dylan's sly grin. “Well the doctor was a bit reluctant to release her so soon but I—well, let's just say I persuaded him. She will have to sign out AMA but that's not a big deal. At least we can get her home where she will feel safe.” Dylan looked at the sleeping Parker and her eyes softened.
Dylan’s gaze was not lost on Sam and she tried to hide her smile behind a cough. “Great, thanks, Dylan. Really. For everything.”
“My pleasure. Truly. As soon as she can get up under her own power we'll get her out of here.” Dylan looked down at Parker again and couldn't help running her knuckles down the side of her face. She realized suddenly what she had done and in front of Sam no less! She averted her eyes, embarrassed at her show of intimacy towards a woman she barely knew. But there was—something—Dylan couldn’t put her finger on what it was that drew her to this young woman. Sam pretended that she hadn't seen the act, not wanting to make her friend uncomfortable. It wasn't lost on her that Dylan seemed to genuinely care for Parker as well as be a little bit smitten with her. That set her heart and mind at ease. She knew if nothing else, Parker would be well cared for and protected, and that was all that Sam could ask for, at least for now anyway.
Parker came fully to about an hour later and they made haste signing the AMA paperwork and getting her released. Parker was reserved as Sam took control of the wheelchair and directed her towards the elevator. Dylan had gone to the parking garage to bring the car around front and Sam was nervous about the conversation she was about to have with Parker. “So, you doing ok Parks?” Sam stalled for time.
Parker looked at her and silently nodded, feeling like the walls were closing in on her. She only wanted to get back to her sanctuary where she was safe. She was thankful for the pain medication that her nurse had administered after she had signed all of her release paperwork. Not so much because of the pain she was in, although her leg did hurt. More for the foggy effect it gave her. She felt the anxiety acutely but the medication made it somewhat muted. The hospital was relatively quiet at this time of night, but it still set Parker on edge. The noises of machinery beeping and pulsing. The antiseptic smell that reminded her of death. She couldn't wait to get out of there. She looked over her shoulder at Sam again and noticed that she looked nervous. Which made her own anxiety rise a couple of notches. “What Sam? What is it? I know you want to say something. Out with it.” Parker was in no mood to play games tonight.
Sam nodded her head and cleared her throat. “Well. Okay, look Park, you know you can't stay home by yourself like this. I don't have the know-how to take care of you either. So, Dylan and I decided. Well we talked about….”
Parker couldn't take Sam stumbling over her words anymore. Her patience, which was short to begin with had completely run out. “What? What did you and Dylan, who I barely know by the way, decide about MY life, hmm?”
“Well, Dylan is a nurse. A good one. She has lots of experience with your kind of injuries and well, she volunteered to stay with you and help in your recovery.” There, she said it. Sam felt a modicum of relief.
Parker was about to argue. She took a deep breath to start yelling at Sam for making decisions about her life without even waiting to get her input. But then she remembered Dylan holding her hand in the trauma bay. Telling her she was safe. She remembered Dylan's concerned blue eyes, like the ocean looking down at her in recovery when she was so scared and didn't know where she was or what was happening to her. For reasons Parker couldn't even begin to understand herself, this woman had a calming effect on her. Something she hadn't felt in a long time, over 5 years to be exact. She was still somewhat upset that her life was discussed without her and that she didn't seem to have a choice in what happened in her own home. Considering the alternative of having to stay in the hospital, Parker knew that she really didn't have many choices and she was secretly pleased, if not a bit anxious to know that she would be seeing Dylan again. “Ok, that's fine,” Parker told a stunned Sam.
Sam merely nodded and continued to push Parker out of the hospital shaking her head. Some things, she thought to herself, she just wasn't meant to understand. “Okay then,” Sam said with a smile in her voice. “Let’s go home.”
CHAPTER THREE
Dylan was waiting outside the main hospital doors. She wondered if Sam had talked to Parker and told her about Dylan taking care of her. She hoped that Parker would be okay with that—with her. She knew it was a big deal for someone with Parker's condition to allow another person to stay in her home, and a virtual stranger nonetheless. She got out of the driver’s seat of her Saturn and went around to the passenger side to open the door when she saw Parker and Sam exit the hospital. She looked apprehensively at Sam as she opened the p
assenger side door. Sam gave her a little wink and Dylan breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her eyes to Parker. Parker gave her a slight nod but seemed to avoid making eye contact. Dylan put it down to Parker being anxious and wanting to get home. She smiled at Parker and helped Sam get her stretched out in the backseat, making sure to be extra cautious with her casted leg. She ran back around the car and situated herself in driver’s seat once again. Dylan looked in the rear view mirror and caught Parker's brown eyes in the reflection. Parker’s matted blonde hair framed her face. It didn’t matter Dylan thought she was beautiful. She noticed the lines of strain around Parker's eyes and ached to bring her comfort. She thought the only thing she could really do for her now was to get her home safely, as quickly as possible and she set her mind to completing that task. She knew it would be a couple days before she could fully move all of her things to Parker’s. Right now, Parker needed the comfort of the familiar. She started the engine, made sure her passengers were belted in and pulled out of the half-circle drive that fronted the hospital.
Parker was quiet for most of the ride home. Dylan worried that she was angry. She figured she could discuss that with Parker once they got her settled at home. Sam seemed content to just look out the window quietly and watch the scenery go by, so Dylan was not overly concerned yet. Traffic was light so they made good time and before too long they were turning into Parker's driveway. Dylan looked through the windshield at the house and was impressed by what she saw. The front of the home was stone faced with a warm inviting look to it. It wasn’t overly large, but it was obvious that Parker was financially comfortable. The lawn looked well-manicured and the large front door was painted maroon with a decorative wreath hanging below an elaborate knocker. She smiled at Parker in the rearview mirror and was relieved when Parker smiled back. Parker seemed calmer already once they pulled in the driveway of her home. Dylan understood this as she too felt most comfortable in her own surroundings and at times craved the silence of her own home.
“Home sweet home,” Sam broke the silence with a smile. “Let's get you inside.” Parker smiled and nodded and started to scoot herself towards the open passenger door.
“Hang on a minute, let me help you.” Dylan hurried from behind the steering wheel and went around the back to remove the travel wheelchair that Parker would be using for the duration of her recovery. She wheeled it around to the passenger side and put her hands under Parker's arms to help her into it.
Parker looked up at her, making eye contact for the first time since leaving the hospital. “Thank you,” she whispered to Dylan.
“My pleasure,” Dylan responded, feeling her face flush. She patted Parker on the shoulder somewhat awkwardly and began to wheel her towards the front walk. Sam followed with a secret smile on her face carrying Parker's bags. She noticed the connection between her friends right away. She thought someone would have to be blind not to. She just prayed that Parker would be open to Dylan and anything she had to offer—even if it was just friendship.
Dylan took the keys from Parker and opened the front door. She heard a noticeable sigh of relief coming from the woman in the wheelchair when she pushed her inside. “You have a beautiful home,” Dylan said, looking around at the tastefully decorated clean house.
“Thank you, I like it,” Parker replied, taking control of the wheelchair herself and making headway towards the living room.
Sam took Parker's things upstairs and Dylan went back out to the car to retrieve the bag she had packed for tonight. She would get the rest of her things tomorrow. She came back into the house and noticed Parker sitting at the bottom of the stairs staring at the floor. When she came closer she saw a small bloodstain on the carpet. “Is this where you fell?” Dylan asked, laying her hand again on Parker's shoulder.
“Well, it's where I landed at least.” Parker tried to joke, pretending that the bloodstain didn't bother her, but Dylan knew different.
“Well don't worry about this. I have my grandmother's secret cleaning solution recipe memorized. We'll take care of this and it will look as if it was never here at all.” Dylan hoped that the words were comforting to Parker and decided that cleaning the blood off of the carpet would be the very first thing on her list of things to do.
“If you go upstairs, Sam can show you where the guest room is and help you get settled.” Parker was starting to have second thoughts again about this stranger staying in her home. As comforting as she had been, it was still a big step for Parker.
Dylan looked at Parker, reluctant to leave her there.
“Go on, I'll be ok,” Parker reassured her.
Dylan smiled and made her way upstairs with her bag. The upstairs of the house was decorated the same as the downstairs. Tasteful prints were framed on the walls and a plush beige carpet lined the floor. Dylan noticed the lack of personal pictures anywhere in the house. While beautiful, Dylan thought the home seemed to lack a personal touch, especially for someone who spent all of her time inside. She thought she would refrain from asking about this quite yet not wanting to upset or insult Parker in any way. The upstairs contained three spacious bedrooms and a full and master bath. She ran into Sam coming out of the master bedroom where she had put Parker's things.
Sam waved Dylan over to the doorway of the bedroom right across from Parker's. “Thought we could put you in here in case Parker had a problem during the night. You would be closer.”
“Good thinking” Dylan said and entered the room, throwing her bag on the comfortable looking queen bed. The room was decorated in shades of blue with ocean and beach scenes framed on the wall. It was very relaxing and inviting and Dylan loved it right away. She quickly took off her coat and threw it over the back of a sitting chair, anxious to get back to Parker. “I'll settle in later, could you be here sometime tomorrow to stay with her while I get the rest of my things?”
Sam just nodded and followed her back down the stairs.
Parker heard Sam and Dylan coming down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee. She was determined that she would do all the things she normally did for herself. She treasured her independence and loathed the thought of giving it up to anyone, even a beautiful woman with piercing blue eyes. “Piercing blue eyes? What the hell is wrong with me!” Parked muttered under her breath.
Sam and Dylan entered the kitchen and saw Parker straining to reach the coffee filters from a cupboard overhead. Dylan immediately moved to help her but stopped short when she felt Sam's restraining hand on her arm. She looked to Sam who just shook her head. Dylan understood immediately what Sam was trying to tell her. Parker had to feel that she could still do things for herself. That she wasn't completely dependent on another person for her basic needs.
Parker finally tipped the filters enough that they fell in her lap. She felt oddly triumphant at the small victory and smiled wide as she turned around to face Dylan and Sam. “Thought I would make us all a pot of coffee,” she said holding the filters up.
“I see that, and coffee sounds great, thanks, Park.”
Dylan and Sam took a seat at the round breakfast table while Parker finished filling the pot and turned the coffee maker on. “Did you get settled, Dylan? I hope the room is ok.”
“Oh yes, it gorgeous actually. I always loved the ocean. It calms me.”
Parker smiled her approval and was secretly happy that Dylan has chosen the room right across from her own. It had always been one of her favorites. “I'm glad you like it. I hope you'll be comfortable there. Grace actually decorated that room herself. She loved the ocean too. We went there as often as we could.” Parker trailed off lost in the memory.
Dylan didn't know how to respond and was thankful when she noticed that the coffee was done brewing. “I'll get us all some coffee. Cups?” she asked Parker.
“In the cupboard over the stove.”
Dylan busied herself pouring three mugs and setting them on the table. “Smells wonderful,” she pronounced, and took a long sip.
They drank from their mugs in silence, Parker barely sipping at hers, each lost in her own thoughts. When they were finished, Sam took the cups, rinsed them and put them in the dishwasher. “Well I'm beat. If you guys are all set I'm gonna take off. I have an early day tomorrow,” she declared, reaching for her coat. “I’ll stop back in the late morning, Dylan, so you can get the rest of what you need.”
“Yes, I think we'll be fine, thank you, Sam, for everything.”
“I’ve always got your back, Parks. You know that.” Sam reached down and gave Parker a hug goodbye. “Don't be a super hero now. Let Dylan help you,” she whispered in Parker's ear and Parker smiled her acceptance. Sam hugged Dylan goodbye and told them both that she would call and check in some time tomorrow. Dylan followed her to the front door and locked up after her. She turned around and stood still for a moment and took a deep breath. For many reasons she felt suddenly nervous being alone with Parker. She knew she was beginning to develop feelings for this woman but couldn't decide whether that was a good or bad thing at the moment.
Parker was exhausted. The entire ordeal, the fall, the surgery, the hospital was all hitting her at once. All she wanted to do was fall into her own bed and sleep for days. Her leg was hurting, so she went in search of her pain medication. Dylan was standing at the doorway looking rather lost. Parker felt for her in that instant. She imagined that being in a strange house taking care of someone she barely knew with the kind of baggage that Parker knew she had must be quite overwhelming. She promised herself to try to make Dylan feel comfortable and at home.
Dylan noticed her watching and smiled.
“Do you need anything?”
Parker replied that she thought she would take some of her pain medication and head to bed. Dylan nodded and took two pills out of the bottle on the table beside the front door. She gave Parker the pills and went to pour her a glass of water from the kitchen. “Here you go. Let's get you upstairs so you can rest. Ummm, how exactly do you want to do this?”
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