Joshua
‘Is it okay if I go in?’ Pocketing his mobile after ringing the school to explain his absence, Josh nodded towards the cubicle curtain.
‘And you are…?’ asked the harassed-looking doctor exiting it.
‘My boyfriend.’ Kim’s voice came from behind the curtain. ‘He can come in.’
Josh arched an eyebrow. He’d obviously gone up in her estimation, considering she’d all but called him a total shit only hours earlier.
The doctor smiled. ‘That’s fine,’ she said. ‘I’ve asked a porter to bring a wheelchair. Do you think you could help Kim through to reception when he does? We need the cubicles, I’m afraid.’
‘Will do.’ Josh nodded, then slipped through the curtain. ‘How are you doing?’ he asked.
‘Okay.’ Kim managed a smile. ‘It’s not too badly swollen. They think it might be sprained, but they’re giving me an X-ray just in case. Sorry about pretending you were my boyfriend, by the way. I didn’t think they’d let you in with me in a state of undress. I hope you don’t mind me flashing my ankles.’
‘Not at all.’ Josh smiled back at her, though in truth he was feeling a bit awkward. He’d wanted to make sure she really was okay, and to patch things up between them – he could never be comfortable knowing he’d upset someone, however inadvertently – but still, he was concerned about sending out the wrong signals. If things had been different, maybe they could have got together, assuming it was something she wanted. He liked her, her smile, her enthusiasm, her quirkiness – or he had until things had got surreal between them that morning. In his current situation, though, a relationship with anyone wasn’t something he would be considering for the foreseeable future.
‘Thanks for coming with me,’ she said. ‘Being here. I hate hospitals. I seemed to spend my life in A&E when I was with…’ An alarmed look crossed her face, as if she were about to divulge something she shouldn’t, and she trailed off and glanced hurriedly down.
‘When you were with…?’ Josh urged her. He had a feeling in his gut he knew what she’d been about to say. ‘Kim?’ He stepped closer.
She glanced up at him. He noted the fearful apprehension in her eyes, the fingers she was knotting and unknotting in her lap. ‘My ex…’ she said eventually, leaving him to draw his own conclusions.
Josh’s anger mounted. Her gaze was fixed on her lap again, as if she was ashamed of what had gone on in her previous relationship. He recalled what she’d said at the station.None of the things he said were true… he tried to make me think everything was my fault, that I deserved all I got…Her eyes had been filled with guilt. Now it made sense, her defensiveness, though he hadn’t really accused her of anything. He dearly wished he could get hold of the bloke who’d done this to her and give him a taste of what it felt like to be on the end of bullying, abusive behaviour.
‘He really was a piece of work, wasn’t he?’ he growled, his throat tight.
She nodded, a visible shudder running through her.
Bastard.Josh cursed silently, hesitated, then carefully reached to take hold of her hand. ‘We’re not all like that, Kim,’ he said softly. ‘I promise you.’
Swallowing, she wiped her other hand across her eyes and then looked back at him. ‘I know.’ She attempted a brave smile. ‘You’re clearly not. I’m really sorry I was so horrible to you.’
‘You’ve already apologised,’ he reminded her. ‘And it wasn’t necessary that time either.’
‘Er…’ She closed one eye and laughed. ‘A bit, possibly.’
Thinking it prudent to say nothing, Josh smiled instead.
‘Did you ring the school?’ she asked, her eyes growing wide, as if she’d just remembered there was somewhere else he should be. The guilt was back, he noticed despairingly.
‘I did. They’re okay about it. No problem.’
‘Good.’ She breathed out a sigh of relief. ‘Even so, you should probably go,’ she said. ‘I’ll be fine now. I’m really grateful for your support, Josh. Thanks again.’
‘Right,’ he said. ‘And you propose getting home how, exactly?’
‘Um…’ She furrowed her brow. ‘I have no idea. The train, I suppose, if I ever get out of here. They seem to be taking ages to organise the X-ray.’
‘Backed up probably. The waiting room’s packed,’ Josh said. ‘Don’t worry about how you’ll get back. I’ll pay for a taxi. I rang my stepdad hoping he might be able to fetch us, but he’s out on site, so a taxi’s the only other viable option.’
Kim looked at him aghast. ‘I can’t let you do that. It will cost an absolute fortune.’
‘It’s not open for debate,’ Josh said firmly. ‘It’s the least I can do. There’s no way I’m going to let you hop about on public transport. I don’t know whether you’ve noticed, but I suspect you might be just the tiniest bit accident-prone.’
He winced inwardly as soon as the words were out of his mouth. He’d be willing to bet that was how she would have explained away her injuries on her many previous hospital visits.
Thankfully she didn’t seem to pick up on it. ‘Damn, I’m found out.’ She sighed dramatically. ‘It’s a ploy,’ she said, ‘to win men over in the hope I’ll find my white knight.’
