Oswald comes to the other side of the bed and half lifts me until I’m in a sitting position. I feel his fingers trace over my back, and the ends of the strings tickle my skin as he ties them. Then, without instruction, he grabs the other gown, shakes it out, and slides it up my arms just like a robe.
“Something tells me you’ve done this before,” I remark.
“A time or two. It’s okay, it’s just your nerves.” He brushes his finger down the side of my face, and I try to stop my teeth from knocking together by clenching my jaw, but then my body starts to feel jittery.
“Here we go. Want me to do it?” the nurse offers.
“I’ve got it,” Memphis says darkly and angles himself so the nurse can’t get any closer.
“Be careful. They are really sharp.”
Memphis doesn’t make a sound, but in my head, I hear,I’m not an idiot.
Once he makes the first cut, the process is pretty painless, until I need to lift my butt up for Oswald to pull out the wasted jeans after his brother cuts both sides.
“Let me get that IV started and we can get you down to X-ray.” The nurse nudges Oswald out of the way, so he ends up on the same side as Memphis. “You guys will need to wait here for her to get back.” She barely looks up at them while scrubbing my arm with a cold alcohol wipe.
I turn my head to the side and close my eyes. I don’t hate needles, but I hate watching them go in my skin. It freaks me out. Memphis cradles my head to his chest, and I breathe in his scent. It reminds me of the first day I ran into him. It’s strange how things change so quickly. I didn’t want him to know I existed then, and now he consumes half of my thoughts.
Oswald grabs my hand in his, rubbing his callused thumb over the back of my palm, and I let out a sigh. Too bad they can’t come with me to X-ray. This is probably the most relaxed I’ve been since it happened.
I jump a little when the needle slides in, prompting Memphis to slip his fingers into my hair and massage my head.
CONFESSIONS
Oswald
It’s late as fuckwhen I pull the car around to pick up Waylynn from the hospital. Memphis is standing behind her wheelchair, looking a little more relaxed than he has in the past few hours.
Her sprain is pretty bad. The doctor said it was between a grade two and three and sent her home with a prescription for crutches. After the images came back, they gave her something for the pain, and she’s been extra sleepy since. When the nurse was looking over the cut on her chin to see if it needed a stitch, she confessed to making out with Memphis when it happened. If the nurse thought it was strange that I was holding her hand while it was happening, she didn’t react.
Memphis helps her into the front seat, lifting her leg for her, then closing the door. Waylynn lets out an exhausted breath, closing her eyes. “I’m so glad that’s over.”
“Me too, baby,” I tell her softly. I’ve apologized twenty times, but it doesn’t feel like enough.
“I like it when you call me baby. Did you say that out loud, or were you talking in my head?” She blinks over at me.
I grin. “Do you mean didyousay that out loud?” I ask.
“No, I’m all fuzzy, and I can’t tell if your words are real or coming from in here.” She points to the side of her head. “Don’t tell, but I’ve been hearing you guys in there since I was little. That’s why I was so freaked out when you talked to me. I thought I really was losing my mind,” she whispers and shakes her head slowly.
“Oh yeah? What do I say?” I question, wondering what kind of drugs they gave her.
“Just stuff, words…words…words. Is that how you say it? It sounds weird now. Words,” she mumbles.
“Let’s get her home and into bed,” Memphis tells me while I continue to smile at Waylynn. At least she’s not in pain, and adorable I might add.
I’m pretty sure she falls asleep on the short ride home. When we get to her house, she doesn’t stir as I park. “Get the door. I’ll carry her this time,” I tell Memphis. He grabs her bag and fishes around for her keys.
“Do you think she changed the alarm code?” Memphis asks as he climbs out.
“Let’s hope not. She probably won’t be able to remember what it is if she did.” I lean down and slide my hand under the backs of her legs.
Waylynn’s eyes pop open, and she stares at me all glassy and confused. “You don’t think I’m crazy, do you?” she asks, sounding like she’s about to cry.
“No, baby, you’re not crazy.”
“Stick around for a while, everyone eventually does,” she mumbles, and her head falls backward while her eyes roll up in her head.
