Damn. I’d lost two days? Classes had been shut down?
Pain lanced through my body as I shifted a bit. I didn’t want to ask what I was about to, but I needed to know. “How bad is it?”
“No hope for the Hornet. Dead and gone in the Pacific. You, on the other hand, aren’t missin’ any pieces, so that’s a plus.”
I looked down to see all my limbs were indeed intact, no casts to be seen.
“If I’m okay, why do I feel pummeled to shit?”
“Just because you didn’t lose an appendage doesn’t mean you’re okay, Mr. Hughes,” the nurse said, as she pushed a syringe of drugs into my IV. “You’re badly bruised and need to take it easy.”
“You’re saying I hurt this bad from a few bruises?”
“More than just a few. Take a look.” Houdini pulled up the camera app on his phone and handed it to me, and…holy shit. I didn’t even recognize myself. There were streaks of purple all over my face, and blood vessels in both eyes had burst, which was enough to scare anyone looking my way, myself included.
Curious about the way my upper body felt like it’d been hit by a train, I pulled down the neck of my hospital gown, and when I saw the massive black bruises across my shoulders, I could only stare.
“I heard your doc say you’re lucky you didn’t break your collarbones from the force of the straps pullin’ on you when you ejected,” Houdini said.
I had a feeling I’d see the same marks around my ribs, since it hurt to take a good breath, but I’d look later. I was alive, and that was what mattered.
I stayed silent while the nurse finished up what she was doing, and then she left to let the doctor know I was awake.
“Wanna talk about it?” Houdini said once we were alone.
“It all happened so fast…” I picked up the cup and took a small sip of water, and that small move felt like it took a massive effort.
“We were all watchin’. About gave everyone a heart attack when you made that call. Man, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Solo lose it like that before.”
“Solo? Why? What happened?”
“Well, we didn’t see ya at first, and I don’t know what happened. He went apeshit, tried to leave the room like he was gonna go rescue you himself.”
“That’s crazy.”
Houdini nodded. “I know. Rescue got to you fast, though. And almost everyone’s been by while you were out, so that’s where all those came from.”
I looked around the room at where he gestured to well over a dozen get-well and fighter jet balloons hovering around the ceiling, as well as one massive bouquet of tulips on the stand beside me. “Who are the flowers from?”
Houdini reached for the note, and when he flipped it open, both eyebrows shot up.
“What? My parents?”
“No, they brought the roses over there when they came.”
“Then who?”
Houdini didn’t say a word as he flipped the card around.
Panther,
I’d appreciate it if you tried harder not to get killed. I can’t beat you if you’re dead.
~Solo
I laughed, the vibration fucking my chest over, but I couldn’t help it. That card was about as sentimental as anyone would ever get from Solo, but that’d been part of my attraction to him, hadn’t it?
“Guess he felt guilty about not comin’ by.”
