“It will if this is what you want. This is still what you want, right?” He paused for a moment, his hands going still. “Have you had any second thoughts on dental school?”
My defenses went up almost instantaneously. Just the mere mention of dental school had me feeling all sorts of prickly.
“Same thoughts,” I assured him, my tone a little sharper than I intended. “I don’t want to go back.”
“Hey, easy. I’m not asking you to defend yourself.” He reached for the scissors and cut the suture. “I only asked because I didn’t know if some distance had given you a different perspective or if your feelings on it are the same. I was only curious.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, hating how sensitive I was around all things dental related. “It’s just?—”
“You don’t have to explain yourself.” He pulled out some clear tape from his first aid kit and carefully pressed it over the sutures. “I get it.”
I was about to say something else, but then he stepped back from the space between my legs, and I lost the courage. He went over to the garbage to carefully dispose of the needle and bloodstained gauze and napkins.
“It’s done,” he said, the lid of the trash clinking shut. “The stitches will dissolve in about a week or so.”
I reached up to lightly touch where the stitches were. “Thank you.” I pushed myself off the counter, and as my feet hit the ground, a slight lightheadedness swept through me. I clutched the counter, but Jay was at my side again almost instantly, his hand meeting the curve of my waist, steadying me.
“Whoa, hey.” His brows pulled together in concern. “Are you feeling dizzy?”
“It’s nothing.”What is wrong with me?I really needed to get a grip.
“Hope, you might have a concussion.” His jaw clenched, but then he finally released me, and I stepped away, begging my body to behave so I wouldn’t look like such a freaking damsel in distress.
“I couldn’t have hit my head that hard,” I grumbled.
“Even if it’s a minor concussion, someone should probably wake you up periodically to monitor for any dangerous symptoms.”
I immediately shook my head. “I can’t ask someone to do that. Every few hours seems like a bit much. I can just set an alarm.”
“If you’ve lost consciousness, Hope, an alarm won’t wake you up. I should probably come up and check on you once or twice, at least, to make sure you’re okay.”
I flushed, imagining him anywhere in my bedroom. No way would I be able to sleep knowing he would be coming up to check on me.
“I really don’t think it’s necessary.”
“One night of monitoring, okay?” Jay said, giving me a small, tight smile. “More for my sanity than yours.”
I rolled my eyes but found myself nodding. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
“That will.”
“Okay, fine.”
“Just leave the side door open. I’ll come up in a few hours.”
“Okay,” I said, wanting to argue more but deciding against it. He was already walking away, putting the kit away in the cupboard, and I had a feeling any further arguments would be futile.
Because that was just how he was.
Insufferable. Always insufferable.
CHAPTER 29
Iretreated to my side of the house and immediately decided to take a shower. It was hard not to get my stitches wet, but the effort was worth it. The warm water felt incredible on my aching muscles. I had a few bruises from the fall, and surprisingly all the hiking and zip-lining had worked sections of my body I hadn’t moved in a very long time.
I toweled off and changed into a pair of flannel pajamas. As I walked by my closet, I noticed the clothes I’d worn zip-lining in a pile on the ground, my muddy shoes the cherry on top of the dirty sundae. My white shoes were caked with brown and green stains, and I sighed.
“I’ll deal with it in the morning,” I muttered to myself.
