Unexpected Love (Unexpected Series)

by Charlene Martin

  He smiles back, “I love it too. Are you going to be okay?”

  Sitting up a little straighter I say, “Yes, I will be fine. If it bothers me too bad I will go home after my test.”

  He looked at me and gave me a stern, “You better.”

  I get myself out of the car and I walk around to the front and give Damon a little kiss as I run off to class. As I walk into history class, my head begins to throb. I start to feel a little dizzy, but luckily, I make my way to my seat. I grab my pencil from my bag as I listen to Mr. Braddock explain the test. His voice begins to fade and everything goes dark.

  Wishing I could run to Arissa to pick her up in my arms and hold her tight, but realizing I cannot. I watch her anxiously awaiting for her to awake. My heart is beating so fast it feels like it is going to jump out of my chest. I feel sick to my stomach, my hands are trembling and every breath is hard to take. She lets out a little moan as she begins to stir. I let out a sigh of relief, but my eyes remain fixed on her.

  I get that all too familiar cold chill as I realize eyes are upon me. My head is throbbing and my back aches. I open my eyes to find that I am laid out on the floor. “Oh my God, what happened?”

  The whole class is focused on me. The school nurse is examining me. I overhear the paramedics coming in the door. Damon is rushing just behind them. The paramedics stop him. I see him getting mad and then I hear him yell, “That’s my girlfriend, and she took a nasty fall this morning.”

  One of the paramedics asks, “Ok, can you tell us more?” I hear Damon explaining everything that happened while the other paramedics proceed to place this huge neck brace on me and begin strapping me down to a backboard. On the count of three, I am hoisted in the air and wheeled out of class to the ambulance. I call out for Damon, but he has disappeared. Where could he have gone? He should be with me. Panic starts to take over and I begin to search franticly for him.

  “Damon? Damon where are you?”

  The paramedic notices my distress and says, “Please try to stay calm. He went to sign out he will be here soon.” Feeling a little better, I start to settle. They load me into the ambulance, just as they are about to shut the door, I notice his car. Breathing a sigh of relief, I say, “Thank God.”

  The paramedics wheel me into the ER and I get a glimpse of my parents waiting for me. I see my dad talking to the ER doctors. “That’s my daughter and I will take the lead on this one.” My mom rushes to my side, she looks so worried. “What happened? I got a call from the school saying you were being rushed to the hospital?”

  Before I can answer her, Dad comes in and starts asking me questions. “Arissa, how many fingers am I holding up?”

  Scrunching my face, “Three.”

  All serious like a typical dad, “Ok good, now are you experiencing any blurred vision or seeing stars?”

  Nodding my head, “I have a bit of a headache and my vision is slightly blurry.”

  “Uh-ha, Ok, well follow my finger.” He moves his finger to the left and I follow and again to the right still following his directions. When he moves his finger above my head, I have to glance up at it. I get a little light headed.

  He writes something on my chart and then faces me, “I am going to send you for a CAT scan to make sure that there is no internal bleeding.”

  All cranky like I say, “But Dad, do I really need to? I don’t think I hit my head that hard?”

  Dad gives me a firm expression, “Yes, you have to.”

  “This sucks!” I complain. Mom gives my hand a little squeeze and motions for Damon to meet her in the hall. Damon looks worriedly to me and then follows her out. I can see them conversing, but I am unable to decipher what they are saying. It looks like she is yelling at him.

  My mom rushes back into the room all pissed off; demanding to know why I did not let Damon bring me back into the house so she could check me out. “I had a monstrous exam in History and it’s worth 80 percent of my grade, I couldn’t miss it.”

  She expresses her distaste in my choice by uttering, “Well, you missed it now, didn’t you?”

  I roll my eyes at her, man she can be so dramatic sometimes. School is more important than bumping my head. “I didn’t expect it to be this severe.”

  “Well obviously it’s serious enough for you to be here.” I swear when the nurse side of her kicks in, she can be so impossible.

  This guy with dark spiked up hair walks into the room. He has these weird glasses on his face they are somewhat yellow with back frames, but the lenses are see through. He is really tall and lanky and he is dressed in grey scrubs. “Hello, my name is Derek and I am here to take you to the CAT scan.” I nod in agreement as he releases the brakes from the bed; strolling me out the door.

  I get nervous as the tech brings me into a large room with white walls and a big machine sitting in the middle. The technician proceeds to tell me that I need to lie completely still and flat on my back while the donut looking thing moves around me. I wish my mom could have come in with me, I am nervous to say the least. Did I mention I hate being in confined spaces, so yea this is going to suck?

  “What the hell?” I mutter in shock, the machine starts talking to me and at first; it scares me because I was not expecting to have a conversation with a machine. But I do as it instructs me, “Lay still and take deep breaths.” I repeat this series about 10 times before the technician comes aloud on the speaker and tells me the test is complete. Thank goodness, I mean you just never know; that machine could have sucked my brains out.

  Mom is waiting for me outside the door. She escorts us back to the emergency room. Damon is in the chair with his head between his knees. He appears lost in thought. He senses our arrival and glances our way with a worried expression. I smile at him and he nods to me. “Damon, you can go home, you don’t have to stay.”

  Looking at me absurdly, “I’m not going anywhere until I know you are okay.”

  Trying to relieve his guilt I calmly reply, “I'm fine. My parents are here with me so I understand if you’re bored and you want to go.”

  Damon takes my hand, “Baby, I wouldn’t leave you at a time like this.”

  “Awe, you are such a sweet heart!” How could I possibly turn him away with that?

  We are watching TV; waiting impatiently for my dad to come back with the results. It is so early that there is nothing on the TV so we are watching “The Today Show.” They have a few great tips on makeup, but other than that, it is uninteresting. I look to the door to see if I can catch a glimpse of my dad and I see him headed this way. Anxiously I try to sit up in bed.

  Dad enters the room saying, “Everything looks good honey!”

  With bright eyes, “Are you sure Dad?”

  “Yes honey you will be fine. You didn’t manage to lose your brain out there on the street.”

  Glaring at him, “Ha-ha, Dad you are so funny.” Feeling a little tired I ask, “Can I go home now?”

  “Well, that depends on Damon.”

  Not understanding his response I ask, “Huh, what do you mean?”

  “Mom has to start her shift, she has had a nurse covering for her and that nurse has been here all night. I cannot leave until five I have three surgeries scheduled for today. So unless Damon wants to take you home and keep an eye on you, you’re going to have to stay here until five”.

  With pleading eyes, I ask Damon, “Please take me home and stay with me. I don’t want to be stuck in here all day.”

  With a sympathetic look, “Yes I think that is manageable.”

  “Awe, thank you so much, I don’t want to spend the day in the hospital. That would suck!”

  Mom hands me my clothes and I go to the bathroom and get dressed. When I get back to the room Dad is explaining everything to Damon. I watch as he tells him to make sure that I do not fall asleep and if I do and if Damon cannot wake me up that, he should call 911 right away. My dad gives him my prescription and instructs him that I need to take it every 4 hours. What am I, a child? Damon accepts t
hese terms and we leave.

  We pull into Walgreens and before I can get the door open, Damon is opening it for me. He helps me out and then holds my hand as we walk back to the pharmacy counter. Looking up from the computer the pharmacy tech asks, “Can I help you miss?”

  Stepping forward I answer, “Yes. I need to fill this prescription as soon as possible.” While handing it over to her.

  She takes the prescription from my hand and confirms my information, “Name and date of birth?”

  I am quick to answer, “Arissa Lyn Perry, November 20, 1996.”

  Typing in the info she says, “Ok, I got it here. This will be ready in about 20 minutes. You can have a seat over there and wait.”

  Looking to the chairs, “Thanks,” and motion for Damon to stop playing with the stuff on the shelf and follow.

  It was less than 20 minutes before I had my prescription and even less than another 15 before we arrived at my front door. Damon again helped me out of the car and as I handed him my key, he opened the door for me. He was being such a sweet heart. He helped me to the couch then went to my room to fetch my favorite pink furry blanket and matching pillow. I get settled on the couch and Damon claims the chair across from me. I immediately begin to close my eyes and rest. I guess I let out a light snore, because Damon was instantly by my side in minutes waking me up

  Chapter 3

  Damon hears my tummy grumble from across the living room, “Do you want me to make you something to eat?”

  “That would be great Damon.” He walks over to me and places a kiss on my forehead, “I’ll be right back, let me see what you’ve got in the refrigerator.”

  I wait patiently, until I hear him moving things around in the kitchen. It is not until I am greeted with the wonderful smell of bacon that I realize what he is making. My stomach grumbles aloud just before Damon brings in a plate of bacon, eggs, and toast.

  Standing in front of me with one hand behind his back and the plate being offered to me with the other he says, “Here’s your food my lady.” We both chuckle loudly. “Would my lady prefer chocolate milk or orange juice?”

  “Chocolate milk please.” I say with a grin, “Thank you this looks amazing,” I take a bite and moan a little. “Um, where did you learn to cook like that, I ask?”

  Looking disappointed he says, “My dad isn’t around much and my mom works a lot, so I had to learn how to cook if I wanted to eat.”

  Feeling a sudden pang of sympathy for him, I solemnly reply “I'm sorry”, not knowing how hard it was for him to basically grow up without parents.

  Damon shrugs it off, “Don’t be, after all, that is why my dad bought me the mustang”.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked with a confused look on my face.

  Letting out an exasperated breath, “Because he was too busy sleeping with his secretary to actually be home to spend time with me. He thought the mustang would help me overlook all of that.”

  I respond apologetically, again not knowing what else to say. He shrugs it off like it's no big deal but I know it bothers him.

  Damon removes the plates and takes them into the kitchen to be washed. When he comes back, he sits next to me on the sofa. I grab my pillow and lay it on his lap then I lay my head on my pillow.

  Damon stares at me, “You scared me today. I thought I had lost you.”

  Wanting to reassure him that I am fine, I plaster on my biggest smile and say, “It would take more than a bump on the head to take me away from you.”

  Looking into my eyes Damon tells me, “You know you are so beautiful and I love the bangs.”

  I laugh, “I didn’t think that you noticed.”

  Shaking his head he says, “I noticed, I was just so worried about everything that was going on with the bump on your head that I failed to mention it.”

  Leaning up to kiss him, I tell him, “Thanks for noticing.” He gives me a cheeky grin, reaches for the remote, and turns on the TV looking for something to watch. As he begins to flip through the channels, he passes over the Soap Network and my eye catches that ‘One Tree Hill’ is on. I love that show so much that I ask him to stop and go back so I can watch it.

  After a few seconds, he scrolls back to the Soap channel and asks, “What? You want to watch this crap?”

  Nodding my head vigorously, “Yes!”

  Damon protests, “No, I'm not watching this drama crap,” while rolling his eyes at me.

  With puppy dog eyes I say, “Well, if you want me to stay awake then I need to watch something that interests me.”

  Cockily he expresses, “Wouldn't watching ‘Criminal Minds’ or something like that be far more interesting, than whose kissing who this week?”

  Staring at him as if he is nuts, I tell him, “No way! I love watching the love triangle between Lucas, Peyton, and Brooke.”

  Jokingly he states, “Well, I guess since you are a few screws loose today, I will let you watch your show.”

  I snippily reply, “Gee thanks!”

  We watch the three episodes of ‘OTH’ when I start getting a headache. I know that Damon senses my discomfort from the look on my face. After checking his watch, he stands to go retrieve my pain medicine and a Dr Pepper to wash it down. After taking the pill, I lay back on the couch with my head in Damon’s lap. He starts rubbing my head and it feels so good I slowly start to drift off. Not only does rubbing my head make my eyes close, I know the pain meds are starting to kick in and it will not be long until I am fast asleep. Damon leans down and softly presses a kiss to my head. My eyes pop back open, knowing I should not fall asleep. Its times like these that make me feel loved and cherished.

  I watch as that ‘Donkey’ Damon gets to baby her. I am so aggravated by the fact that he gets to be the one to comfort my girl. I want to burst through that door and beat the living crap out of him, but I know I cannot.

  Although I know he loves me, I am a little worried about our future together. He told me that he was not sure if college was in his future, because his dad offered him a position in his company. His dad is a stockbroker and promised to teach Damon everything he needs to know to succeed in that line of work. I know being a stockbroker is a lot of hard work and long hours, I just cannot help but think; where do I fit in all of this?

  Peering up at him, “Hey Damon, what to do you think about our future?” I ask, dying to know if he even sees me in his future.

  Answering without pausing, “I have been thinking a lot about our future, and well I decided that I can get a job wherever you decide to go to school. I love you and want to be with you forever.”

  With a little less conviction than him, I retort with, “I guess that could work, I mean I love you too. I am just trying to figure this entire relationship out, you know. College is right around the corner and it's a lot to deal with in such a short time period. We haven't been together that long and in a few months I will be off to college, I guess I just needed to know if you saw me in your future.”

  Reassuringly he declares, “I promise everything will be okay. We will do whatever needs to be done to have a future together.”

  Bobbing my head in agreement, “Okay.” I still do not see how this is going to work but I keep that to myself, I don't want to hurt him by sharing my concerns about our future.

  A few hours later I hear my dad enter the front door. Damon and I are in the living room watching TV. Damon is propped up on the corner of the couch and I am laid across his lap. I sit up and grab my head from the pain. Dad looks at me worried. I wave him off and say, “It’s just from sitting up too fast, I will be ok.”

  With a concerned expression, “When did you take your last pain pill?”

  I look to Damon, “I gave it to her at one.”

  I watch as dad does the math in his head, “Ok then it’s that time again. Why don’t you walk Damon out and I will go get your pill. Thanks Damon for taking care of my girl.”

  With a curt nod Damon responds, “You are welcome, sir.”

  Shaking hands goo
dbye, Dad says, “Drive safe son.”

  “I will sir,” as Damon starts to walk out of the kitchen.

  I am quick to follow. I open the door, place my arms around Damon’s neck, look into his eyes, and express my gratitude. “Thank you so much for taking care of me today. I am so glad I didn’t have to stay at the hospital all day.”

  Squeezing me to him he whispers, “I wouldn’t wanted to be anywhere else.” We lock lips and I get a little dizzy from the lack of oxygen before I pull away and tell him, “I love you babe.” Releasing me from his grasp, he lifts my hand to place a feathery kiss and conveys his message clearly, “I love you my sweet.”

  I walk back in and watch my dad as he grabs the pills from the counter then proceeds to go to the fridge and get the milk. I watch him as he takes out the chocolate mix and then a glass. He knows just what I like before bed. He mixes the chocolate milk and then joins me at the table. I grin, “Thanks Dad. This is just what I needed.”

  Grinning, “It was always your favorite sweetheart.” I nod in agreement.

  “Dad I am really grateful for the chocolate milk, but can I please go to sleep now? I am so tired I hardly got any sleep last night and then just lying around all day has not helped. I am just so worn out.”

  Annoyingly he asks, “Just let me check you out and then I will let you go to bed.” I had to be the one to have not one, but two parents in the medical field. I cannot do anything without having to endure a full medical examination every time I hurt myself. Dad is satisfied with his findings and I am cleared to finally go to sleep. Thank God.

  I put on my pink worn in tee and my new grey yoga pants and climb in my soft bed. I close my eyes and instantly fall asleep.

  I see this blue plaid blanket lying in the grass in a park; the moon glows just right so I can see these beautiful tiny purple flowers surrounding it. I lie back on the blanket gazing up at the stars. I know he will meet me here soon. I hear something behind me and when I turn over, I see him. He smirks at me and pulls a rose from behind his back. He bends down, places the rose in my hands, and plants a kiss on my forehead. This warms my heart, making me blush just a little. He slides next to me on the blanket and I snuggle into his side and peer into his eyes. He puts his strong comforting arms around me and gently rubs my back. He rolls to his back and I lay myself over his chest listening to the soft beats of his heart, it is not long before I am fast asleep in my dream too.