“Oh, good.How are you feeling?”the doctor asked as she read the monitors.
“Should she be awake after the sedative?”Kaleb asked.
Jessica turned to them.“Yes.It was a very mild one.It would have just taken the edge off and not really put her to sleep.The trauma and shock did that.”
Jessica looked into Myla’s eyes.“Do you have a headache?”
“A very mild one.”
“Good.I’m glad it’s not worse.You have a mild concussion—nothing to worry about.You might have a slight headache for a few days, but a Tylenol will take care of that.Your blood pressure is good.Now tell me if anything else hurts?”
Myla raised her hands.
“My palms hurt a bit.”
“You scraped them up, but I washed them and made sure there was no debris in the wounds.”
“I mostly just ache.”
Myla tried to concentrate on what the doctor was saying as she watched the nurse take out the IV and then move everything out of the way from the bed.
“That’s understandable.You’re going to be sore for a few days.Just take it easy and rest.May I have the psychologist come down and talk with you?”
Myla shook her head.“It’s not necessary.I have a friend who deals with this kind of thing.This has happened before, so she knows my whole story.”
“Good enough.I have nothing to keep you here.You have someone to take care of you so I can discharge you and you can go home to your bed.”
She gripped the blanket that lay across her waist.“I would feel better at home.Thank you for everything.I know it wasn’t easy to care for me right after.”
The doctor lay her hand on Myla’s forearm.“You were just fine.Give yourself a break.You’ve been through a horrible experience.The fact I don’t need to have you fully sedated tells me how strong you are.”
She tried to smile.“I hope so.”
“I’ll have the nurse bring in some scrubs for you to go home in.”
“Thank you again, Doctor,” Myla said.
The room got quiet once again.The nurse had turned off the monitors, so there wasn’t even a beeping sound to break the silence.
Myla looked at Kaleb as he stood with his hands in his pockets and stared at her.“You wouldn’t happen to know where my purse is, would you?”
He nodded and got into the closet.“They only found one of your shoes and this.”
“My clothes?”
“The police have them for evidence.”
She nodded and then rummaged through her purse.
“What are you looking for, Baby?”
“My phone, I want to call Kelly to come get me.”
Kaleb’s eyebrows snapped together.“Wait, why would you do that?”
She stopped to look up at him.“Because I’ve imposed on you enough.”
He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.“Listen, I know we have a lot to talk about...”
