Now it’s my day to return home and visit Wyatt, but my body feels as though I went skydiving without a parachute. Okay, I’ve never actually gone skydiving, but I’ve heard that if your parachute doesn’t deploy, it’s not the landing that kills you—it’s the way that first landing shatters all your bones so that the bone fragments puncture your organs when you bounce. I’d consider this a good description of my current aches and pains.
I wish Desiree were one of my roommates so she could pray for my healing in person. She and Vincent invited me to their church after our trip together, but even the idea of climbing down from my bunk makes me want to cry, so there’s no way I’m attending church tomorrow. Unfortunately, my nose is already dripping like tears, and I need to grab some Kleenex. Or a whole roll of toilet paper.
I turn over, triggering my temples to drum the beat for my pity party. A moan escapes.
Angel pops up beside my bunk, bringing her face-to-face with me. Except her face is beautifully made. Once the swelling goes down in my throat, I’ll have to ask what brand of foundation she wears. At the moment, even my ears hurt when swallowing.
She frowns. “You don’t look so good.”
“Can you ...” My voice croaks. I point to the bathroom. “Tissues?”
Her heels click on hardwood, as she’s already dressed in uniform. The sound stabs my brain, but at least she understood my request.
I close my burning eyes.
“Here.”
I jolt at her return, as if waking up all over again. Then I reach for the handful of tissues and bury my face in them. If you’ve ever seen a kid with a security blanket, that’s me and my Kleenex. “Thank you,” I snuffle.
“I got sick a lot too at first. Do you take vitamins?”
I grunt in place of an actual answer. I’m doubting my one multivitamin a day will cut it.
“Extra vitamin C? Zinc?”
This time I groan.
A tall Asian twentysomething wearing trendy plastic glasses props her hip against the doorjamb. “I’m pretty sure her grunt means yes and her groan means no.”
She speaks with the lilt of a valley girl, but at least I have a translator. Now I don’t have to put energy into using real words.
Angel muffles a burp. “I have some extra packets of dietary supplements to mix into your water.” Her chunky heels clip-clop away, so she might be going to mix up the concoction, though she could also be going into the other room to belch louder.
What I really want is some NyQuil to put me out of my misery. But my flight home takes off in two hours. I’ll ask her for DayQuil instead. That is, if I don’t fall asleep before she returns. My eyelids droop.
Instead of heels clicking, I hear more of a scuffling sound. Someone else is entering the room. So much for making a good first impression on my new roomies.
Peeking up, I expect to see the valley girl from the doorway, but instead I find a middle-aged woman who styles her dark chin-length bob to cover one of her smoky eyes. She lifts a little squeezy bottle between us. “This throat spray will help boost your immune system. Open your mouth.” Her husky voice and French accent make her sound like she’s swallowing some of the syllables.
I respond to this stranger in the same way as a trusting baby bird. She squirts four times, and the sweet essence of honey coats my tongue.
I offer what is supposed to sound like “Thanks.” Glancing past her, I check to see if the other roommate is still here to interpret my rasp.
The younger roommate joins us, dressed for the gym—if the gym were actually a set for filming music videos. Her yoga pants are designed with mesh inserts, and her sweatshirt hangs off a shoulder. I doubt I’ve ever made sweating look so cool.
“I’m Brittany,” she says. “This is Vivienne. You must be Claire.”
I wave hello, letting my hand flop back to the mattress. “Do either of you have any cold medicine?”
Brittany shrugs her bare shoulder. “Sorry. I took prescription antibiotics last time I was sick.”
“Oh no.” Vivienne’s tone dips with disdain. “You shouldn’t do that. I only use natural remedies.”
Seeing Wyatt will be both my natural remedy and my prescription drug. He’s all I need.
I drop my head into my squishy pillow and close my eyes again. “I’m supposed to fly home to visit my boyfriend.”
