She must be reading my mind, because I don’t trust myself to walk steadily just yet. “Yes, please.”
She raises the head of my bed and lowers the side rail. Only then do I realize we’re not alone. Nate sits up in the visitor’s chair in the corner by the window and stretches his arms over his head.
“You stayed all night?” I ask.
“Yeah. Becky was with the kids.”
I realize this is a new reality for me—having an attentive husband who prioritizes me over everything else.
“Did you sleep okay?” I ask. “That chair doesn’t look too comfortable.”
“Compared to my night in jail, this was a five-star hotel.”
The nurse supports me under my good arm as I swing my legs to the floor. “We’re all glad to see you out of there,” she says to Nate. “I love your restaurant, by the way. That’s where my fiancé proposed to me.”
He sits up a little straighter. “No kidding. When was that?”
“About six months ago.”
“What did you have?” he asks. “I hope it was good.”
“Honestly, I don’t even remember. I just remember the candlelight and how it reflected off my ring.”
I give Nate a private smirk because I know that response will drive him mad. For him, it’s all about the food.
He simply grins and shrugs at me. Maybe there’s hope for him after all.
When I emerge from the bathroom, the nurse is gone and Nate is sitting forward on the edge of the chair, elbows on knees, reading his phone. He looks up and immediately slides the phone into his back pocket. “I need coffee. Do you want anything from the cafeteria?”
I take in his appearance—the greasy hair, a faint sheen of oil on his face, and his wrinkled clothing. “You haven’t been home in two days. Why don’t you go take a shower, change, have breakfast, and come back later?”
He looks down at himself. “Is it that bad?”
“Kind of,” I reply with affection as I climb into bed and glance at the clock on the wall. “The kids probably haven’t left for school yet. If you go now, you’ll see them. And if you feel like it, you could let Oscar out. Or, better yet, take him for a walk. He’ll be your new best friend.”
Nate adjusts the blue sheet on my bed to make sure it covers my feet. “I could use a friend. Are you sure you’ll be okay for a while?”
“Positive. They’ll be bringing breakfast soon.”
Nate hesitates, and I appreciate this side of him—a caregiving side that I haven’t seen in years.
I use my good hand to fan my face. “Please go, because you’re starting to reek.”
He smiles. “Message received, loud and clear.” He moves to collect his jacket from the chair and promises to return before lunch.
It’s surprising how busy and exhausting it can be, lying in a hospital bed all day. The nurses come in to change my bandage, the doctor makeshis rounds with a group of medical students, and three bouquets of flowers arrive.
By noon, I realize I’m famished, which is a welcome sensation, knowing that my appetite is returning to normal. Compared with my husband’s cooking, the food on the tray is below par to say the least, but I enjoy it, nonetheless.
As soon as I’m done, Nurse Melanie walks in. She’s young and fit, and I suspect, by the look of her biceps and quads, she lifts weights.
“Time to go for a walk.” She lowers the side rail on my bed. “It’s the best thing for you right now, to get moving again.”
I eagerly toss the covers aside because I want to get better so that I can go home. Besides that, her enthusiasm is contagious.
I’m on my second lap around the ward when I glance at a clock and notice it’s past one o’clock. I recall that Nate promised to be back before lunch, and again, I find myself leaning into old insecurities. With every passing moment, I feel more and more certain that he’s gone to the restaurant and gotten himself caught up in something.
But then I hear his jovial voice behind me. “Look at you!” He appears at my side, freshly showered and dressed in a clean pair of jeans and the off-white fisherman’s knit sweater I gave him for Christmas a few years ago.
