Painted Lines

by Brei Betzold

  “You’re awake,” he said quietly opening his eyes and looking at me. “You keep scaring me, Bella.”

  “Sorry.”

  “When you screamed, my heart stopped, and I ran in there and you looked so small. I didn’t like it, I can’t handle anything happening to you, Scout.”

  “I’m f—” I started but had a hand over my lips stopping my words.

  “I swear if you say that you are fine, I will put you over my knee.”

  I smiled and nodded he moved his fingers. “My arm throbs, I am thirsty, and I want to go home.”

  The nurse walked back in with a plastic pitcher of water. “Here you are, honey.” She put the pitcher down and checked my IV once more. “Any pain?”

  “My arm throbs.”

  “Okay, I will get you something,” then she was gone again.

  Thayne poured me a cup of water and handed it to me. “Slow,” he warned.

  I sipped the cool liquid watching him. “You okay?”

  “I’m just worried about you, Bella.”

  “I’ve had worse.”

  He took a quick inhale and shook his head. “Not thinking about that, so as long as you follow the rules you should be released tomorrow.”

  “What rules?”

  “You are so not going to like this,” he muttered.

  “Just tell me.”

  “No work”

  “Huh?”

  “No work, Scout, not for a few weeks.”

  “Why not?”

  He looked at me for a moment and shook his head, “Uhm, because your arm is stitched together and an artery was nicked, they had to put a couple of stitches in it to keep it together.”

  “So?”

  He sighed. “Infection, Scout, plus with what you do, you run the risk of pulling stitches.”

  “Don’t care, I have to be there Monday morning.”

  “We’re working it out, okay?” he said trying to reassure me.

  I looked up at him and could see it on his face, he didn’t see a way to work this out.

  Chapter 43

  I dozed in and out throughout the night, being woken what felt like every fifteen minutes to be poked and prodded by nurses. By the time morning came, I was so ready to go home. I hated hospitals. I never had a good experience in them. When the doctor and a nurse came in that morning, I was bouncing with nervous energy. Thayne had left to go get coffee and Liam had shown up to annoy me. I had kicked him out to go find someone else to bug, so that left me with Kale who was passed out in the chair beside me.

  “Ms. Lewis,” the doctor said, “how are you feeling?”

  “Better, ready to go home.”

  He nodded, “Well let’s take a look, shall we?”

  I watched as he cut away the gauze over my arm, when I saw the angry red skin around the line of black, I flinched.

  “How many stitches?” I muttered looking away.

  “Forty-two in all,” he answered while looking down at my arm prodding at the skin around the stitches. “It’s looking good. We should be able to let you out as soon as the paperwork is finished,” he told me smiling at me.

  “Thank you.”

  He nodded, “I will get it started, along with prescriptions and after care.”

  He left and I laid back down exhausted after not getting much sleep the night before. The nurse began spreading some ointment across the wound. I watched Kale sleep but when he started snoring, I reached over and smacked his leg. He jerked open his eyes and looked at me for a minute not really focusing, then he noticed the nurse and cringed and looked away. I was relieved when she began to cover it with gauze once again. My arm was beginning to hurt again, but I really didn’t want whatever they had been pumping me with, so I stayed quiet.

  “You okay,” asked a groggy Kale noticing me wincing.

  “Yeah, just sleepy.”

  “Well, you should be able to get out of here soon and get some sleep.”

  “Hope so.”

  “So where is everyone?”

  “Thayne is on a coffee search, and I kicked Li out.”

  “You kicked him out?”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “Why?”

  “He was irritating me.”

  “Okay,” he said stretching, “do you know where he went?”

  I shrugged, “Dunno, probably harassing someone else.”

  “You’re cranky,” he muttered.

  “I’m in pain, haven’t had coffee, or my meds. Yes, I am fucking cranky,” I snapped.

  The nurse watched me wearily but finished taping my arm up. “You’re in pain?”

  “Yeah, but I don’t want that stuff you’ve been giving me. I don’t like how it makes me feel.”

  “Okay, we can get you something else.”

  “She needs her meds,” Kale piped in.

  “What meds?” the nurse asked.

  “It’s in her chart,” Kale answered, “we talked to them about it last night.”

  The nurse nodded and picked up my chart looking it over and pursed her lips. “Hmm, let me call the doctor,” then she headed out the door.

  I looked over at Kale, “What was that about?”

  “Dunno,” he said, “she took it with her.”

  I nodded and stared back up at the ceiling counting the tiles hoping to distract myself from the increasing pain in my arm.

  I was to a hundred and twenty-seven when the door opened again, I looked up and saw Dr. Carter standing there with a self-satisfied smile, “Ms. Lewis we meet again,” he said coolly.

  I groaned, “Not in the mood for this today.”

  He walked into the room and Dr. Lawrence following behind looking down right pissed.

  “Scout,” she said with a kind smile that looked brittle around the edges “how are you feeling today?”

  “Honestly?” When she nodded, I answered her, “In pain, pissed off that he’s here, and ready to go home.”

  She smiled a real smile at me, “Well let’s see what we can do about getting you home today.”

  Dr. Carter scowled at her then had his fake placating smile back on his face when he looked at me again. “We just have a few concerns.”

  The door opened again and I smiled widely at Thayne carrying two cups of coffee, “Hi.”

  “Hey you’re awake, Bella,” he said walking towards me and kissing me gently. “Here I got lost,” he said sheepishly handing me a cup of coffee.

  I took a drink and sighed, “Thanks.”

  He looked over at the doctors, “So can she leave soon?”

  “They were just discussing it,” Kale said quietly watching Dr. Carter. “Her doctor said yes, but now we seem to have a problem.”

  “What problem?” asked Thayne.

  Kale nodded at the two doctors in the room.

  “We just have a few concerns,” Dr. Carter stated smoothly, “and you are?”

  “I would be the boyfriend, what concerns?”

  “Can we discuss this alone with Ms. Lewis?”

  “Uhm, no I don’t think you can,” I answered. “I know what your concerns are, and I dare you to try it.”

  “I’m sorry what?” he asked confused.

  Thayne gave me a questioning look, I shrugged, “He thinks I am a harm to myself and wants me held for an evaluation. Now what he doesn’t know is that Kale over there has my lawyer on speed dial. I have a history of fainting, comes with the territory of panic attacks, the panic attacks alone do not constitute harm to oneself especially since I am being treated for them. So he can continue with this, and I will call my lawyer then my regular doctor. I’ll be leaving today regardless.”

  Thayne nodded. “Sounds like a lot of fun,” he muttered.

  I shrugged, “Not the first time it’s happened.”

  “Ms. Lewis, Scout, I am just trying to make sure you’re all right.”

  “No you’re not, you want to find out about me. You want to write up a case about me, which you can do without my consent if you have me legally held. What you
don’t know is that my case has already been written. My current doctor was given permission by me, so now that you know this, can we drop it, and let me go home?”

  Thayne reached a hand out and started playing with my hair. “Been through this before, have we?”

  “Yeah, Cas always dealt with it before, but I knew what was going on most of the time, apparently I am intriguing.”

  “Thank you, Scout,” Dr. Lawrence murmured smiling at me. “We’ll be leaving now. Oh and Dr. Carter will be removing the stop he put on your normal medications.”

  She walked out the door with Dr. Carter following closely behind and I flipped him off. I heard her start in on him before the door closed.

  I smiled up at Thayne, “Hopefully I will be going home soon.”

  “Good,” he whispered and gently kissed me again. “Drink your coffee.”

  I did as I was told, drinking it quickly. The nurse came back with my regular meds and the added bonus of pain medication.

  I sat in the front seat of Thayne’s car heading home, listening to Kale talk to Cas on the phone about what had happened at the hospital. I leaned my head back just happy to be out of there.

  “No I swear, Cas it was like listening to you. She just told them this is what’s going to happen, and you are releasing me today. It was funny I looked around for you for a moment.”

  I heard a couple of sounds of agreement before Kale passed me the phone. “He wants to talk to you.”

  I took the phone and a deep breath, “Cas.”

  “You okay, baby girl?”

  “Yeah, tired and my arm is sore.”

  He sighed, “I shouldn’t have left.”

  “Would have happened anyway.”

  “Maybe.”

  “It would have, it’s not the first time.”

  “I know.”

  “How’s San Diego?”

  “Hot. I hear you let the doctors have it.”

  “Eh, I wanted to go home.”

  “I know, you hate hospitals.”

  “Mmhmm.”

  “So according to Kale you sounded like me, how did you know what to say?”

  “Lots of practice pretending to be asleep, you learn a lot that way.”

  “Ah.”

  I smiled when we pulled into the driveway. “Cas, we’re home, I’m going to let you go so I can get some real sleep.”

  “Okay, Scout, call me if you need something.”

  I looked over at Thayne and smiled. “I’ll be fine, lots of people here.”

  “I know, I just worry.”

  “I know and I love you for it. I’ll call you later, k?”

  “Okay, talk to you later.”

  I hung up the phone, opened the door, and headed into the house ready to get some sleep that wasn’t constantly interrupted.

  When I walked in, I found the producer, Marc sitting in the living room with Matt, Simon, and Eddie Zant. I sighed—guess I wasn’t going to bed yet.

  “Seraph,” Matt said standing up I walked towards him and he hugged me hard. “How you feeling?”

  “Exhausted.”

  “Hmm, then go to bed.”

  I shook my head. “What’s going on?”

  Simon hugged me next. “Trying to figure out what to do next week.”

  “Any ideas?”

  “A few,” he said looking over at Thayne.

  “Okay…and they are?”

  “Sit down and we’ll all talk,” he said leading me to the couch. I nodded at Marc and Eddie then took my place between Simon and Matt.

  Thayne sat down on the floor beside me putting his hand on my knee, stroking up and down my calf muscle, I leaned back relaxing.

  “So?” I asked eyes closed.

  “Well, we can still compete as long as you’re there. Each team is going to take on a team member from the last team cut,” Matt explained.

  “Hmm, this helps us how?” I asked.

  “You need someone who can paint, and help the guys, they had such a person,” Eddie said.

  “Thayne,” I mused.

  “Yeah,” said Matt, “your team will choose Thayne and we’re choosing someone else I have my eye on.”

  I nodded, “That could work.”

  “Well it’s either this or disqualify your team and bring Ace & Lace back,” replied Marc.

  “Uhm, most of the guys are already gone, they went back yesterday after we were cut,” chimed in Thayne.

  “Just trust us, okay, Scout,” Eddie said kindly.

  I nodded. “Is that all?”

  Marc made a disgruntled noise but I looked at Matt and Eddie. “I am tired, my pain killers are making it worse, so if that’s all I need to be here for I am going to bed. I trust my team to handle anything else.”

  They both nodded and I went to stand up but stumbled nearly falling. Thayne jumped up, steadying me. He reached down swooping my legs out from underneath me and carrying me to my room.

  “Same goes for me, it’s been a long night,” Thayne said over his shoulder.

  I heard a chorus of sleep wells and goodnights then I was in my room, the door shut, and I leaned further into Thayne.

  “So tired,” I said around a yawn.

  He kissed my forehead, “I know, Bella, let’s get you out of these clothes and something comfortable then you can sleep.”

  I nodded drowsily and he sat me down on my bed. I pointed him to where my bags were lying and he quickly pulled out a pair of pajama pants and a tank top. I lifted an arm, a leg, whatever he asked while he carefully undressed and redressed me. I laid back in bed, watching him strip out of his jeans and T-shirt. He crawled into bed, spooning around me. I sighed contently and wiggled further into him.

  “Love you, Thayne,” I muttered before sleep pulled me under.

  Chapter 44

  I stretched and felt the pull of stitches then pain. I winced and pulled my arm down closer to my body. I blinked a few times trying to figure out where I was, I remembered coming home, talking to people about the show, and then somehow I had ended up in my bed. I wiggled further into the cozy warmth of my bed not wanting to get up, but quickly the need to pee outweighed the thoughts of warm comfort. I threw off the covers and realized I was wearing a pair of pajama pants. I could have sworn I left the hospital in jeans, I’d figure it out later. I rolled out of bed glancing at the clock but not really seeing the numbers. I stumbled out of the room into the bathroom nearly knocking Kale over.

  When I walked out, Kale was standing there holding a magazine smirking at me, “Feel better?”

  “Yeah,” I mumbled. I looked back at my door debating the merits of climbing back in bed or searching for something to drink and pain pills since my arm was really starting to hurt.

  “Nuh uh,” said Kale grabbing my arm and pointing me away from my door, “kitchen, coffee, food, meds, and then sleep.”

  I nodded and headed that direction without falling down. When I walked into the kitchen five heads turned and looked at me. I flipped them all off and headed for the coffee pot. Taking a deep drink of caffeinated bliss, I sighed. I took another gulp of coffee before turning around to face the peanut gallery. A plate was handed to me immediately by someone, I set it down, and tucked into it not really caring what it was at this point, I was starving. They restarted their conversations but I didn’t pay them any attention more concerned with caffeine and food. When I finished off both, I put my plate in the sink and refilled my cup.

  I turned towards everyone feeling relatively more human and everyone’s heads turned towards me. I gave them a finger wave then went in search of my meds.

  “What do I have to take?” I asked not caring who answered. “I can’t remember what I was given in the hospital.”

  Simon rolled his eyes, “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Pain pill if you need it, antibiotic after food two times a day and then your regular meds.”

  I nodded and started opening bottles and pulling out pills. Once I had everything I needed, I popped them all in my mouth and chase
d it with coffee.

  “Mmm, breakfast of champs,” I muttered, “now can I go back to sleep?”

  “Nope,” said Simon.

  I sighed, “Okay, what else?”

  “Do you remember talking to us last night, Harper Lee?”

  I stood there for a minute trying to go back through the foggy parts until I finally remembered. I nodded, “Thayne’s joining our team for the last phase to help paint.”

  Five heads shook no. “Thayne is painting, you’re napping,” said Thayne.

  I shook my head no, “Nope, you can do most of the work, but I am in there with you.”

  “Don’t trust me?”

  “It’s not that at all. I am just an anal bitch and I will be there the entire time you are painting or you can all bite me and then I will do it myself.”

  “The risk of infection, the pain meds on top of your normal stuff, and many other reasons is why you shouldn’t be in there. But that isn’t going to change your mind, is it?” asked Thayne.

  I shook my head no.

  He sighed, “All right but you will not be doing any work. You will wear the protective clothing at all times in that room, and you will tell me if you need to leave, not ignore it until you pass out, got it?”

  I looked up at him, pulled my best doe-eyed pout, and only got a look that said it wouldn’t work this time. “Fine,” I muttered.

  “Promise me, Bella.”

  I looked up at him and stuck my tongue out at him. “I promise but you have to follow my design to a T and my instruction on how to do it.”

  He nodded and reached for me, pulling me into his arms. I leaned into him further cuddling into his chest and nearly purred when he rubbed the scruff on his chin against my neck.

  “How did he do that?” muttered Simon.

  “Do what?” I asked lazily enjoying Thayne being so close.

  “How did he get you to agree so easily? You don’t let anyone mess with your designs.”

  I shrugged, “He promised to follow my orders.”

  I heard Liam and Cam giggling. I glanced over at them and by the look on their faces, I didn’t want to know what they were talking about.

  “Can I go to bed now?”

  “Yeah,” said Thayne, “let’s go take a nap.”

  I nodded then covered up a yawn and headed back to my room after dropping my coffee cup off at the sink.