LHM
I woke to a hand on my shoulder.
"Come lie down, honey. Get some rest."
The nice nurse, Carol, gave me that look that reminded me of my grandmother: soft worry that settled in her wrinkles and her eyes sinking into her face. I liked her the best. She was gentle with me in a way the other nurses weren't, withholding her judgement when I offered my own medical advice. It was hard to be off my own turf and stay out of the way when I so badly wanted to help, and Carol knew that.
I let her shuffle me to the fold-away set close to Edward. I had no idea what time it was, but the moon was shining low through the window, and the hallway was quiet.
"I don't even know where Jacy is."
Carol tucked a blanket around me. "She's next door, sleeping. It's a quiet night. Don't worry."
"He was talking nonsense earlier. Maybe he needs another-"
"You and I both know the drugs make them talk nonsense." She slipped off my shoes and hung my jacket on the door. "And most times the nonsense is more truth than not."
She patted my shoulder and shuffled out the door, and I lay awake for hours, listening to the monitors and Edward's breathing and the occasional phone ringing. Listening to my thumping heartbeat and the alarms going off in the next room—a flurry of agitated activity and then calm again. Listening to the echo that wasn't just in my head but in my bones too.
So loud it hurt, even though it was so far away I had to concentrate to hear it.
AN:
The terror toddler gave me pink eye and strep for Christmas.
Someone come talk to him about gift etiquette, because I really wanted a pony.
HH is my number one and only.
xo
HBM