Her father moved close and took her hand. “What can we get you?”
“Nothing. I just want to sleep.”
“I have your medication schedule already made,” her mother said.
“Of course you do.” Victoria shifted slightly, then groaned. “It’s only pain meds, Mom. And I don’t want to be on them too long. Once I’m feeling better, I’ll head home.”
“You’ll stay here as long as you need to,” Ava countered. “There’s no need to be ridiculous. You have serious injuries.”
“Listen to your mother, Victoria. She’s right about this.”
Because her father always took her mother’s side. It was a thing with them. Annoying, but a constant in her life. Unlike her friends, she’d never once worried about her parents getting a divorce.
“You make me tired,” she muttered, speaking to both of them.
She was sure her parents exchanged one of their looks, but she’d already closed her eyes so she didn’t have to see it.
“I’ll bring up lunch in a couple of hours,” her mother said.“Milton, there’s no reason you can’t go into the office, if you want.”
“I do have that meeting.”
“Then you should go.”
“Victoria, sweetie, is that all right?”
OMG, they were going to fuss over her forever. She raised the bed a little and opened her eyes.
“I’m fine. Leave, both of you.”
They exchanged another look, as if not sure whether or not they could believe her.
“Go.” She pointed to the door.
Neither of them moved. She sucked in a breath. All right—if they wanted to be difficult, she could play the game better.
“Who’s feeding my cat?”
Her parents stared at her with equally wide-eyed expressions of shock.
“You have a cat?” her mother asked. “Since when? Oh no. The poor thing. I’ll go over right now and feed it.” She paused. “I suppose I need to bring it here and—”
“Mom.”
“We can set up the litter box in the guest bathroom and—”
“Mom! There’s no cat.”
Ava looked at her. “Victoria,” she began.
“No cat. I was making a point. I don’t have a head injury, I can still be funny. It’s all going to be fine. Please leave me alone so I can sleep. Or I will get a cat. A really big one who sheds and claws the sofa.”
“There are days I just don’t understand you,” her mother muttered before heading out of the room.
Her father winked at Victoria before kissing her forehead. “See you tonight, kid. Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
And just like that, order was restored to the universe.
