"Is it Seagal like the actor, or Seagull like the bird?" the intern asks me, holding a pen up to his clipboard.
Paradise has only one hospital and its ER is nothing like what everyone sees on TV. For one, there's the absence of frantic running around or screaming. Also, the drool stain on the intern's white coat tells me he just woke up from his nap.
"It's S-E-G-A-L" I correct. "Is the nurse calling my parents?"
"Yeah, she's getting their numbers from your boyfriend" He answers.
"He's not my boyfriend!" I say immediately, sitting up a bit too fast, causing me to wince. I clutch my side as I look over to the nurse's station, where I see Dez talking to a yawning nurse.
"If you say so," the intern answers nonchalantly. "So, I see here that you fell off... a boulder?"
"It's supposed to be a shoulder" I say. "I fell off my partner's shoulder in class"
The intern gives me a weird look, the kind of look which people usually give Ginny's mom when she starts talking about Faye Mendelson's wedding.
"How, exactly, do you fall off... a shoulder?" He says, confused.
I roll my eyes and sigh. "Well, I have a couple of inches to spare, while my partner lacks about six. It wasn't meant to be. Oh, please don't tell my best friend I said any of that."
"It's like a dance thing"I hear Dez say, and I see him approach from the corner of my eye. "Right, Mel? It's when the guy picks up the girl and puts her on his shoulder. It's kinda cool"
"How could you possibly know that?" I ask Dez, a little bit awestruck. "I'm pretty sure they didn't cover that in P.E. class"
"Uh, it's on the internet" He answers, and I note a blush creeping up his cheeks. "I looked it up after you told me about your partner thing"
"Why?" I ask immediately. I mean, I can't exactly imagine Dez reading up on Baryshnikov and the Bolshoi.
"I don't know. You like it so much, I thought I'd check it out" He shrugs. "See what all the fuss was about"
Before I could respond with a joke about Dez checking out tutus and pointe shoes, the intern clears his throat.
"Alright, then" The intern interrupts. "So, it looks like your ribs are only bruised, but we're gonna have to do a chest X-ray to rule out any fractures."
"I'm no good at fractions" Dez offers, facing me. "I hate math"
I let out a little laugh as the intern leaves, giving us another weird look. Jeez, if he thinks we were weird, he's obviously never been given a thorough tour of Paradise. Or at least shopped at Sparkles.
"Oh, and the nurse called your parents" Dez adds. "They were at a conference at Ojai or something, but they said they're on their way back."
Right, Ojai. I vaguely remember Mom and Dad mentioning it this morning, but I was too preoccupied with my Charlie-Avoidance Tactics.
"Hey, thanks for picking me up" I say, and give Dez a smile. "And for, you know, everything else. Once again, it's completely nice of you"
"It's okay" Dez answers with a shrug. "I wasn't really doing anything, anyway"
"Oh" I answer, and I feel a slight twinge of disappointment that he's here only because nothing more interesting occupied his time.
"You really don't have to stay, you know" I say awkwardly. "I mean, you've already done enough, and I'm completely okay. I can get a ride home with the girls."
"But you'll be all alone in here" He notes, frowning.
"It's okay" I chirp, trying to mimic Ginny's perkiness. "I have Tetris on my phone"
"That's still means you'll be alone" He says. "It's kinda scary to be alone in a hospital." He leans back, and for some reason I still half expect him to get up and leave right away, but he stays put.
"You... really don't mind staying?" I finally ask.
"Nah" He answers, and gives me a sheepish smile. "I told you, I don't have anything else to do."
"No plans for the weekend?" I tease.
"I did" He shrugs. "But my best friend isn't talking to me, and the girl I like said needs some space. So today I just did laundry."
This time, I'm flabbergasted, which I only recently learned didn't really mean 'passing a lot of gas'. I briefly consider that Dez is trying to guilt me back into going out with him, but then I realize he's probably just being honest. Honest and straightforward, like how he always is. It dawns on me that I'm probably treating Dez terribly, what with avoiding him all week, calling him out of the blue for a ride to the hospital, and then kicking him out after.
"Dez?" I finally say after the what felt like the longest pause. "Thanks for coming... and staying" I say.
"It's no problem" He answers, giving me a smile that goes all the way up to his eyes, and before I lose my nerve, I lean over to kiss him on the cheek.
...
As far as X-rays go, it was pretty uninteresting. The only unfortunate thing about it was that I had to take my shirt off again and change into a hospital gown, which really only made me uncomfortable for about five seconds.
In fact, I spent most of the procedure blanking out and wondering if Madame Fanny would still give me a part in the recital. If she is, it's definitely not going to be in the Pas de Deux.
As the nurse wheels me out of the X-ray room- which, by the way, I found completely unnecessary- I hear muffled shouting coming from the ER.
"Dude, how are you doing this to me? Again?" Charlie shouts, angrily facing Dez. The previously sleepy nurse is between both of them, trying to keep Charlie away from Dez.
Crap! Now Charlie's here?!
"It's not what you think, bro" Dez tries to say, trying to keep calm.
"Don't bro me. I can't believe you're still sneaking around my back!" Charlie spits out. He whirls around to face me angrily. "And you're no better!"
"Charlie, what are you doing here?" I ask, which probably isn't the best question to get him to calm down.
"I'm picking you up, sis" He sneers. "I get a hysterical call from mom, saying you were in some Ballet accident, and I come here to find Dez, again. Was it really a ballet accident? Should I call Fanny Flowers to confirm?"
"That's no use, her new phone is touchscreen and she can't figure it out yet" I mumble, exasperated.
"What the hell were you doing, anyway?" Charlie continues, his ears red. "Are you going to send my sister home with something broken every weekend? That, along with some of your spit fest cupcakes?" He hisses, turning around to face Dez.
"I fell, you idiot!" I finally shout and get up from the wheelchair.. "I fell, at ballet. That's it. Ask Carl, ask Boo, ask the whole damn town!"
"Then why is this doofus even here? Or are tights and tutus your thing now too, Dez?" Charlie hisses.
"He's here because you don't answer your damn phone, Charlie!" I shout, kicking my wheelchair out of the way. "You never do! You're probably doing nothing, but God forbid you answer when I call!"
I'm breathing heavily, and I hear the nurse trying to calm me down, but I'm pissed now. I'm more than pissed, I'm belligerent, which is SAT for pretty fucking mad.
"Dez is here, because for once in my life, someone paid attention to me!" I say. "Not you, not Dad, Dez. And that's why he's here! Because he picked up his phone when you couldn't!"
"Mel-" Dez starts, trying to get the second Segal sibling to calm down but I hold my hand up to him, indicating that he should just back off.
"And you know what else, Charlie? I'm sorry. I'm sorry you feel angry, or betrayed, or whatever it is you feel. I'm sorry, I really am. But you know what I'm not sorry for? I'm not sorry for going out with your best friend, and having a good time. And if you don't like it, then it's fine! But talk to me like a damn adult. Don't come in here, throwing a fit, and acting like a damn child!"
I kick the wheelchair again out of anger and shove some stuff off the nurse station's counter for extra effect, which is ironic seeing how I just told Charlie to stop acting like a child. I turn on my heel and walk out, leaving Charlie visibly shell shocked. I slam the glass door on my way out and it makes that weird slapping sound that glass doors have. I see the intern stumble into the hallway looking confused and with another fresh drool stain on his shirt.
"What was all that noise?" He asks me, yawning.
"A druggie came in and tried to con the nurse into giving him some heavy pain killers" I say, starting to feel the tears sting my eyes. "He's brown haired and kinda looks like me. I think you'll need to sedate him"
"Oh, okay" the intern frowns, still confused and makes his way to the ER.
I roll my shoulders back and keep walking up the hall, brushing a tear away with the back of my hand. I don't exactly know where I'm going, and I probably can't leave the hospital just yet, but I do know I sure as hell can't see Charlie's face without breaking it anytime soon.
*A/N: I hope you guys haven't forgotten about this fic ;) I know I haven't :)
