Anger, I could work with. It sharpened my blade and made me keenly aware of everything around me. It kicked me into overdrive and allowed me to take control, which was exactly what I had to do in this situation.
Gwen needed to get home, and I was going to see to it.
I strode into the room and nearly ran into the petite nurse with a tablet. I barely gave her a glance and instead focused on Gwen.
Red scratches on her cheeks and what looked like the beginning of a shiner. Hair messy, gown half off her shoulder. A beeping machine next to her bed.
It took all my strength to keep from sweeping her into my arms.
“There he is,” Gwen sat up. “Hi.”
She almost lookednervous.
“Hello.” The nurse scanned me up and down. “And you are?”
“Harrison Ashford, I’m here to take Gwen home.”
“Ah, okay,” she said with a nod. “I’m Samantha, her nurse, and we were just going over discharge instructions, so it’s good you’re here too. Let’s talk about wound care.”
I was laser focused as she went over how to clean and treat the cuts on Gwen’s face and how frequently she could take the prescription ibuprofen for any pain.
I was good at this sort of stuff. What time, how much, how often, what’s next.ThatI could do. Facts. Concrete steps. Measurable outcomes.
“Okay, so we can leave now?” I asked as Samantha finished.
“Not quite yet. The doctor wants to come and review the last scan with Gwen.”
“Why?” I asked, my voice sharper than I’d intended. “Is something wrong?”
I held my breath in the two seconds it took her to stop shuffling on her pad and look at me.
“Not at all,” she replied, forcing a smile at me like she’d probably been trained to do. “It’s standard procedure. Once he signs off, we can set Miss Ackland free.”
“How long do we have to wait? She’s already been here for a while, and if nothing’s wrong then why can’t we just go now?”
I was starting to feel claustrophobic. The curtain was drawn, so I couldn’t see out the window, and I was in desperate need of fresh air.
“Harrison, it’s fine,” Gwen said softly. “I don’t mind waiting. They’re busy.”
“Aw,” Samantha grinned at Gwen. “Model patient right there.Thankyou. Now, do you need anything else? Water? A snack?”
Gwen shook her head. “I’m fine. Thank you for everything; you’ve been wonderful.”
“Yes, thank you,” I added, although even I could hear that it didn’t sound convincing.
Samantha gave me one of those fake scrunch-nose smiles as she moved past me. I paced the small room, strategizing on what needed to happen next.
“You’re probably hungry,” I said. “We can stop for takeout on the way back. In fact, why don’t you figure out what you want now, and I can time it so that it’s ready when we leave, so we don’t have to wait. You have quite a few options in this area.”
I was way too familiar with the culinary choices around the hospital.
“What are you in the mood for?” I continued. “Something easy like soup? A smoothie maybe? Or we could do a real meal—it’s late enough that we could call it dinner. Anything you want, just say the word.”
“Harrison, what I want is for you to get over here and give me a hug,” Gwen said in a soft voice.
Her lower lip trembled as she reached out her arms.
Fuck. How could I have forgotten? I strode over and realized at the last second that she was fragile. As much as I wanted to crush her against me, she was probably in pain. Not to mention, there were the wires attached to her arm.
