Chapter Thirty-One
Devon stopped in his tracks, blinking several times, and he pieced together what was going on.
Finally he got it. I desperately tried to meet his gaze, but he wouldn’t so much as look at me. He asked questions about me, to Mauve and Barry, rather than asking me.
He was acting like I wasn’t even there. Once he had as much of the story as he could get without talking to me, he finally glanced at me. All I saw in his cold dark eyes was disappointment. And shame.
He handed me a blanket. Or rather, he threw a blanket in my general direction.
“Come-on. I need to get you to the hospital.” His words had bite to them. Nobody else seemed to notice his coldness toward me. His partner, an older man, had already left with Charlie.
He helped me to my feet and led me to the ambulance. I shrugged him off, not wanting his hands on me.
“Whatever.” He mumbled, under his breath. Jumping in the back with me, he avoided my gaze. I rolled over and closed my eyes, feeling his gaze burning a hole into my soul.
I wanted to explain, but what was the point?
He wasn’t going to listen, much less accept why I had done what I’d done, that and the fact I was barely conscious.
Pain radiated through my head as the ambulance officer prodded at it, covering it with gauze.
“Ouch!” I gasped, gasping again as pain stabbed through my ribs.
“You’ll need a few stitches there. It’s pretty deep.” He said, taping the gauze in place. The pain intensified under the pressure of the gauze.
I didn’t answer. The worst thing was that I wasn’t ashamed, or embarrassed about what I had done. I had done it for the right reasons, and because of that, Neri would never have to worry about her education. I was embarrassed at the way Devon was ignoring me. I was ashamed for him.
This was how he treated someone he loved? What a joke.
The ride to the hospital was somewhat quiet. I faded in and out of consciousness. Every time I woke up, it took me a few moments to remember what had happened, and where I was. The whole trip I avoided looking at Devon.
Inside I was taken through to emergency. After the doctor stitched my head, I was admitted overnight for observation. My scans had shown slight swelling on my brain, something that needed to be monitored.
Devon had long gone by now.
Though the nurse had ordered me not to get out of bed, I was bursting to use the bathroom. After no answer ringing the bell, I realized it was unplugged. Sighing, I eased myself out of bed. Clutching onto the sides, I gently moved toward the bathroom. My head throbbed. It was the worst pain I’d ever experienced. As the room swayed, I began to lose balance. I felt like I was falling. Falling through the sky, like a leaf that had just broken off a tree. Floating.
Suddenly I felt the strength of being lifted. I felt myself being carried to the bed. For the next few moments, I fought to keep consciousness. My eyelids felt so heavy, as I struggled to keep them open. Finally I gave up, letting myself fall into a deep sleep.
The pain in my head hit me first when I woke. I half opened one eye and squinted around the room. Two eyes open was just too much. Someone sat next to the bed, hunched over, as though they were asleep.
“Hello?” I mumbled. My voice sounded like a teenage boy who’d just hit puberty, all crackly and broken.
“Kait?” Devon shot up in the chair, his hand reaching for mine, “Kait are you okay?”
“Thought you hated me.” I mumbled, trying to fight off the urge to fall back asleep. I was so, so tired.
“I don’t hate you.” He replied quietly.
I nodded and drifted back into a deep sleep. A little smile formed on my lips. He didn’t hate me. He didn’t hate me…
When I woke again, I was alone. Pressing the buzzer, I looked around the room, trying to figure out what time it was. Through the crack in the blind I could see it was dark out. That had to put it somewhere between nine at night and five in the morning.
“You’re awake.” A cheery woman came up to the bed, a big smile stretched across her face. From the stethoscope around her neck, and the grey scrubs, I figured she was my nurse.
“I’m awake.” I agreed, smiling weakly, “What time is it?”
“It’s one in the morning, honey. That nice young man of yours stayed until almost midnight. Now he’s a looker, isn’t he?” She smiled in a way I couldn’t help but smile back.
Was she talking about Devon? It made me happy that he cared enough to stay with me.
“What about the kids?” I panicked. Had Devon even told Ara and the kids what had happened? They would all be so worried about me. What was I going to tell Sam and Neri? I couldn’t tell them the truth.
“Right, he said you’d ask about them.” She paused as she tried to remember, “Told me to tell you not to worry.”
Not to worry?
Well of course I was going to worry. It was probably too late to call them now, and hopefully I’d be out of here in the morning.
“What’s wrong with me?” I asked, realizing I couldn’t remember any of the doctor’s visit the day before.
“You have a pretty nasty head cut, which needed ten stitches. You bruised three ribs pretty badly from what I hear, and you have a few other bumps and bruises that will heal over time.” She shook her head sympathetically, “You’re a very lucky girl, Kaitlin.”
She left me to sleep after piling me with more painkillers. As I waited for them to kick in, I thought about Devon. He had stayed with me. That had to mean something, didn’t it? I was sure I felt him kiss my forehead last night, but I was on some pretty heavy medication. I could have dreamt it.
Wincing in pain as I rolled off my back, I let myself fall back to sleep.
Ara arrived shortly after ten the next morning, once I’d been given the all clear from the doctor. I must have still looked a mess, because she gasped when she saw me.
“You sure you’re ready to go?” Ara looked doubtful as I dressed myself. I winced in pain. My bruised ribs were freaking sore, my head ached, but I couldn’t stay a moment longer in this hospital. It seemed every time I dozed off to sleep, the nurse would wake me to take my vitals.
“I’m sure.” I replied dryly, “You haven’t heard from Devon?” I said uncertainly, sure the answer would be no. Ara shook her head.
“Not since he came to tell me what happened.” She sat down on the edge of the bed with me, “He was really cut up, Kait. I think seeing you hurt like that really shook him up.”
“Maybe.” I mumbled.
Or maybe he was cut up about the fact that I’d been working as a hooker. The latter seemed much more likely to me.
“Ara, you should have seen his face when he got there. I can’t even put into words the mix of disappointment and shame I knew he was feeling. But then he spent half the night here, while I slept.” My mind ached as I tried to figure him out.
Ara punched my arm, hard. A red welt appeared in its wake.
“Hey.” I glared at her, rubbing my arm, “That hurt.”
“Good.” Ara shrugged. What the hell was her problem? “You need to stop this. You have two kids sitting at home who are worried sick about you, and you’re pining over some guy who obviously can’t, for whatever reason, appreciate you.” She was right, I just didn’t want her to know that I knew she was right.
“Fine.” I said icily, “Can we go now?” Ara rolled her eyes, offering to help me stand up. I shook her off. I didn’t need her help. I eased myself onto my feet, pain surging through my stomach, taking my breath away momentarily.
“For f*ck’s sake, Kait.” Ara grabbed my arm and steadied me. I grudgingly let her lead me out of the hospital.