“I think it depends on the guy,” I said, tenderly touching the back of my bruised head. Luckily I didn’t feel any blood.
Shannon agreed and settled a hand on Quinn’s shoulder. “This one straddles the line between grossest and most awesome guy in the world.” She gave him a fond smile and swung her gaze my way. “You hanging in there all right?”
I nodded and rested my head back on the seat.
“We’ll be there in a minute.”
I shut my eyes as she continued bantering with Quinn. The sound of their voices comforted me, and I suddenly began to laugh. Quietly at first, but then the bouts got louder and my breathing became more labored. Tears tickled the edges of my eyes.
“What’s so funny?” Shannon asked, and Quinn frowned in the rearview mirror.
Funny? No idea. Nothing. Everything.
I shrugged and burst into another uncontrolled bout that squeezed my stomach so hard it hurt.
“Jesus,” Quinn said with a half-laugh, sending me into another episode. “I think I better drive faster.”
Antiseptic and linoleum,the smell markers of a hospital. The walls were covered with pictures of superhero-doctors that must have been donated by a local school. I took off my glasses and cleaned the lenses with my shirt.
“I’mfine,” I said again to the rather tired-looking Doctor Carter who was scanning her clipboard of notes. “I don’t need to stay here.”
It wouldn’t be the end of the world to be admitted overnight. Hospitals didn’t bother me like they did some. Butmy laptop was at home and my report needed writing. Ideas gnawed at me, sentences rolled through my mind—and it didn’t help that MyAngle, Quinn, was right there. My column seemed to be hanging in front of my nose, but I couldn’t write it with doctors prodding and poking and policemen asking questions.
I slid the glasses back on.
Other than a bit of tenderness and slight headache, I reallywasfine. Perhaps still alittlejumpy from the attack, but on the whole, I was okay. Certainly good enough to go home.
I smiled at the doctor as she narrowed her eyes and gave me an assessing once-over.
Shannon and Quinn stirred somewhere near the door, talking in hushed whispers. Except, they really weren’t so hushed.
“Lee should stay here,” Quinn said, “to be on the safe side, right?”
“Pretty sure it’sLiam. Let’s see what the doctor says, but we’re not leaving until we know he has a ride home if he needs it.”
“Fine with me. Not like I have a home to go back to anyway.”
Shannon sighed, but it sounded fake. “If you promise there’ll be no Pringles, Isupposeyou can crash with me and Travis.”
Doctor Carter glanced over my shoulder at the two of them. “If one of your friends here will take you home and keep an eye on you overnight, then I’ll sign the release forms.”
“Oh. No, I—” The urge to laugh overcame me again. “They’re not my friends.”
“Do you have someone to call? To take care of you?”
“Well, I...” I pushed my glasses higher up my nose. My shoulders slumped forward. Of course the answer was no. I leaned forward and asked quietly, “For future reference—though I’m hoping this will not occur again—would it be enough to say I owned a cat?”
The doctor let loose a small smile as she shook her head. “Sorry, no.”
There was more shuffling behind me, and then Quinn yelped. I turned to see him rubbing his side and glaring at Shannon. “Fine,” he said, and then looked up at Doctor Carter. “I’ll stay with him, if he wants.”
“You would?” I asked, sliding off the bed and reaching for the notebook inside my jacket.
“Sure—as my darlin’ here just pointed out,” Quinn looped an arm around Shannon, tugging the back of her hair until she jumped. “I’m homeless anyway. Why not crash at your place?”
Of courseI said yes to Quinn’s offer. Why not? I had the space in my apartment, and I could finally write my piece.
It didn’t hurt his case that he was built like one of the superheroes in the pictures that lined the hospital halls. I mean, for tonight, while I was still a touch jumpy, having him between me and any possible Freddy visitation wouldn’t be a bad thing...
