And then I leave the hospital and head back to my apartment. Alone.
Friday, October 31st
Julia
The smell of maple syrup and bacon grease and cinnamon hits me first. For a second, I think I might still be dreaming. My head’s foggy, my body feels like a wet paper towel, and there’s a dull, throbbing ache in my left hand.
And when I open my eyes, I spot the bandage around my palm.
Oh.Right.
Last night. The glass. The blood.Ace.
I push myself up slowly, my brain swimming from whatever they gave me at the ER. I can hear my mom humming from the kitchen of my apartment, and sure enough, when I shuffle out, she’s standing at the stove like she’s hosting a brunch for twenty instead of only one daughter recovering from blood-loss-induced fainting spells.
She turns the second she hears me. “You’re up!”
“Barely,” I croak.
My mom walks over and kisses my forehead like I’m six years old again, brushes my hair back, and inspects me like she’s searching for leftover trauma.
“You scared the hell out of me,” she says. “But Ace kept it together like a champ.”
My heart lurches at the sound of his name.
“He told you what happened?”
Her eyes soften. “He texted me on the way to the ER and kept me updated the entire time until I could get there.”
I search my brain for memories, but the whole night is a fog. “I don’t even remember you being in the ER.”
“Pretty sure that was the drugs they gave you so they could get your hand stitched back together.” She grins at me over her shoulder as she flips bacon on my stove. “You were pretty loopy, girlfriend, when Cassie and I showed up.”
“Oh God.” I drop my face into my good hand. “Please tell me I didn’t say anything awful.”
“Oh, you did,” she says cheerfully, returning to her army of pans. “But it was adorable. Also slightly alarming. You told the nurse she looked like Harry Styles’s sister and then cried when she wouldn’t sing ‘Watermelon Sugar’ for you.”
“That’s embarrassing,” I say through a groan. “Have you been here all night?”
“Yep.” My mom nods. “Cassie helped me get you home. I slept on the couch.”
My mind silently wonders where Ace fits into that story, but the sound of my front door opening stops me from asking.
“Morning, ladies.” My dad’s voice floats through the apartment. “I hear someone decided to become a human blood fountain last night and figured I’d pop in this morning to check out the aftermath myself before heading into work.”
“Hi, Dad.” I can’t not smile as he crosses the room and wraps me in a gentle hug, kissing the top of my head.
“How are you feeling, sweetheart?”
“I’m good.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re okay.” He leans back, looking me over. “Leave it to my daughter to faint at the sight of blood.”
My mom snorts. “She gets that from your side.”
My dad laughs. “Oh, Georgia. Shall I remind you of the night of our first date? Benadryl ring any bells?”
“Kline,” my mom chastises, but she also giggles. “Pretty sure Evie has interrogated us enough about how we got together. Let’s move on from it.”
