“I just can’t believe this happened to you. What was that asshole thinking?”
“That he could bully every car in front of him out of his way so he could get wherever the hell he was going a minute sooner,” she said, slurring a little.
The nurse walked in and flicked on the overhead light. “Oh, I see your hubby has come to fetch you.” Turning to him, she added, “You have perfect timing. The doc just signed off on letting Jessica go.”
She walked over to the cabinet next to the bed and opened it, then took out Jessica’s clothes and purse, all piled neatly together. She set them on a chair. “You’re going to need to take it easy for a few weeks. And I meanreally easy. Don’t be a hero. Let people do things for you. If the house gets messy or dirty, don’t worry about it. Let the laundry pile up. You’re pretty much going to be living in your pajamas for a while anyway. If you’re not starting to come around after ten days, book an appointment with your family doctor and do yourself a favor—go to physio. They can work wonders with soft tissue stuff.”
“You hear that, Jess? Don’t be a hero,” Mike told her with a soft smile.
The nurse sized him up, then said, “Your hubby looks plenty capable of taking care of things while you recuperate. Remember, that’s your main job right now. Resting and healingisdoing something.”
“Yes, you rest. The kids and I can handle everything else,” Mike added.
But he wouldn’t, at least not the way Jess would, and she knew it. He had heard the thing about letting the laundry pile up and not worrying if the house got messy or dirty, and he would remember to use that line when she finally got fed up. Mike would do only what was necessary, leaving the rest. Her mom would come by every few days and pick up the slack, which was the last thing Jess wanted. She was too old to clean their big house. Hell, most weeks, Jess felt too old to do it.
“Okay, you’re free to leave. If I were you, I’d alternate ibuprofen and Tylenol every four hours for the next few days.” Glancing at Mike, she added, “Don’t let her get behind or the pain will stack up fast.”
“Got it.” He gave her a salute that the nurse probably would find charming, but Jess knew he was mocking her for being bossy, even though that was her job.
The nurse nodded at him, then turned to leave, calling over her shoulder, “Be safe out there.”
As soon as the door closed behind her, Jess pushed the blanket off her lap and slowly swung her legs to the right side of the bed. The effort was enough to make her want to lay down again, but the thought of being snuggled up in her own bed was too tempting to give up on. Mike wrapped a protective arm around her back and helped as she eased herself off the bed, then stood guard while she dressed, as if some phantom wind was about to knock her over.
“Hey,” he said, as soon as she had tugged her sweater over her head. “If I haven’t said it today, I really love you.” His voice caught a little and he cleared his throat.
“I love you too,” Jess told him, guilt gnawing at her for what she hadn’t told him about her day. “Sorry about all of this.”
He bent down a little and gave her the slightest kiss on the forehead. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault. Shit happens.”
“Yup.” Tears filled her eyes as they left the room together, her arm tucked around his elbow. Her strong, caring husband. Was he perfect? No. But then again, neither was she. If nothing else, she had shown herself that today.
9
"Love is blind but marriage is a real eye-opener."
~ Pauline Thomason
The walk to the exit felt impossible to Jess. Each step, a reminder of the collision. She tried to think of the silver lining. Mike was here, being careful and deliberate, reminding her of how he’d been after Winnie was born—hovering over her in case she fainted, so worried, with his more tender emotions right on display for once. Guilt gnawed at her, and she knew now wasn’t the time to casually mention her strange day. If she tried to tell him now, it would come out all wrong anyway. She was exhausted and in pain and wasn’t thinking clearly. What she needed was a long hot bath followed by a huge sleep. Then she could figure out what to say. Her mind wandered to the blissful thought of laying back in the tub and letting the heat envelope her body and soothe her muscles. She would add a full cup of Epsom salts for once. Normally she skimped but tonight, she would indulge herself. After all, it was her job to heal up as fast as she could so she could get back to taking care of everyone.
They had just passed through the sliding doors to the parking lot when Mike halted in his tracks. “Dad?”
His father, Michael Sr., looked up, seeming as surprised as his son. He was standing in front of the parking payment machine with his wallet out, and there was something about him that looked frail, which was not the word one would normally use to describe the tall, barrel-chested man. “Mike. What are you doing here?”
“Jess was in a collision. She’s fine though,” Mike told him. If Jess could’ve easily moved her neck, she would have given him the glare to end all glares. “What are you doing here? Where’s Mom?”
Michael’s eyes welled up a little, causing Jessica’s heart to speed up. “They’re pretty sure she had a stroke.”
“What? When?” Mike asked, letting go of Jess.
“A couple of hours ago. She’s conscious and they said she should recover fully.”
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“You know your mom. She didn’t want to worry you kids. We figured we’d wait until we had all the test results back.”
“And you listened to her? Jesus, Dad, you can’t keep stuff like this from us. What if she…?” Mike huffed and ran a hand through his hair, a clear sign to Jess that he was at the end of his rope. She knew it was only a matter of seconds before he let his frustration take over and he’d wind up saying something he’d regret. So, like she always did, and in spite of how badly she needed to go lay down, Jess stepped in to smooth things over. “How is she now?”
Michael swallowed hard. “Her left arm isn’t working and that side of her face is…” His voice trailed off and he shook his head.
