/Author's Note: Welcome back to another summer of Life in a Wine Bottle! I swear, I haven't abandoned this fic, I just lose interest every time summer ends and Quebec enters its harsh, long, unforgiving winters. So enjoy a new chapter to start the summer off, with hopefully plenty more to come! Leave a review, if you feel so inclined :) End Author's Note/
(28) Sunburnt
If it wasn't yet clear, summer was kind of Karen's thing. She'd have no qualms with hibernating the rest of the year away, if she could. Summer was her everything; she was the the daughter of the beach, the swain of the sea, the lover of the sun.
Which made it all the more infuriating when her lover betrayed her and decided to host a barbecue on her back.
"C'mon, guys! Do I really have to sit here all day?! It's just a sunburn!" whined Karen, sitting up on a white-adorned bed in the clinic. The doctor gave her a reproachful look as he scribbled on his clipboard, and Elli sighed.
"It's not all day, Karen. You just need to get out of the sun for a couple of hours."
"Hours are practically days, El! We can't let any more of summer go to waste!"
"I assure you, summer will still be here once your back has healed up."
Karen grumbled and fell back onto the bed in defeat - causing pain to course through her back upon impact. You know - that whole 'insult to injury' thing. "Friggin' hell!"
"Your back is extremely sensitive right now," said Elli, walking over and taking a seat on the end of the bed, "And the skin is likely peeling. You'll need to apply some lotion and moisturizer to ease the process."
"W-What?!" Karen gasped, clutching her blonde hair in her fists, "Elli! I've only got one layer of skin! I can't walk around skinless! I'll look terrifying! And I only just convinced Popuri that zombies don't exist - now she'll think I was lying! She'll think I was part of a conspiracy to bring about the zombie apocalypse in Mineral Town! My best friend is going to try and murder me before I eat her brains!"
The nurse exhaled slowly out of her nose, forcing calmness in the face of her patient's hysterics. "You're blowing things a little bit out of proportion, Karen."
"Are you sure? 'Cause Pope still won't go to bed without a flashlight-"
"Sunburn is not that traumatic. Your skin will heal and you can go back to lounging on the beach - as long as you remember to put on sunscreen next time."
Karen frowned. "I'm pretty sure I did put on sunscreen this morning. I mean, trust me, I always remember to use protection. What happened?"
"Mayonnaise."
"Excuse me?"
"You put... you put on mayonnaise."
A heavy silence filled the small, one-room clinic.
"...Huh. Well, that would explain why I've been super craving egg sandwiches all day." remarked Karen knowingly.
"Yeah, that's... one mystery solved, I suppose."
More silence followed as the two girls pondered Karen's innocent mistake.
"You know..." Karen started, and Elli perked up to listen, eager for some light to be shed on this odd, odd scenario, "I could be wrong, but do you think there's a chance Rick might be... into that? I mean, should I stock up on mayo-"
"Get some rest, Karen." deadpanned Elli, getting up from the bed and returning to her work.
