Page 10 of Kaine

Chapter Five

HER

“Get back into bed!”Harriet yells at me when I shuffle into the kitchen.

“Nooooooooooooo, bed and I are no longer getting along. I think we’ve spent too much time together and now we need some space. He got custody of the bedroom, so I’m moving out.” I sit down at the table and grab a banana from the fruit plate.

“Let me...” Harriet starts.

“Let you what? Peel my banana for me?” I laugh, smiling at her gratefully. “I think that that’s one step away from choo-choo train feeding me, and I’m, like, 22 years too old and 80 years too young for that.”

Harriet balls up her tissue and throws it. It hits me on the forehead and I feign pain, “Owwwww... it hurts... I need help. Peel my banana for meeeeeeeee.”

“Oh hush. I was just trying to help,” she pouts.

“Oh really, with that kind of heinous violence?” I say, pointing at the crumpled tissue on the floor. I look back up at her and smile. “I’m okay. I really am. My headache’s completely gone and the stitches in my back itch more than anything right now. Only thing left is this bitchin’ black eye, but I thought I’d keep it, scare people and young children away in the ice cream line, you know?” I wink at her with my good eye.

She shrugs and goes back to her sandwich, “Fine. But, if you’re sick of bed, just sit on the couch and watch some TV or something, okay? It wouldn’t hurt you to rest for a few more days.”

“I was going to go back to work with you tomorrow.” I admit.

“Yeah. Definitely not. Next topic of conversation?”

“Why not? I’m BORED and anyway, I need the job, I’m dreading that hospital bill. Dealing with insurance is a bitch.”

“Honey, the way Harold feels, you’re going to be there after we’re all dead and dust. You’ll have a job there for life.”

“How does Harold feel?” I hadn’t really had a chance to talk to him since the incident, just a quick call once we got back to Harriet’s house to let him know I was okay.

“He still feels SO guilty. He thinks it’s his fault because he made you stay late for the delivery.”

“Awww, it’s not his fault, it could’ve happened to anyone at any time. Does he not remember where we live? Giuliani only cleaned it up so much.”

“You try telling him! Not to mention, those manuscripts have gone missing,” Harriet makes a sad face.

“Yeah, damn. I was so looking forward to going through those as well...you know, when I go back to work tomorrow.”

“Nice try.”

“Fine, I’ll stay home, and you know, climb up on this chair here and dust the tops of your cabinets... then I might go out on the fire escape and clean your windows before...”

“Okay, okay! We’ll see how you feel when you wake up tomorrow. Something tells me, you’re going to be just fine!”

I grin at her, “Yay! I win. Hey, hand me my phone, will you? I’ve got to call the hospital make sure they have my insurance details.”

***

“You are NOT going tobelieve this,” I yell through the bedroom wall to Harriet on the other side.

“What?” She yells back.

“HE paid for it.”

“He who paid for what it?”

“HE, my guardian angel! He paid for my hospital bill!”

“WHAT?!!?” I hear a thump and an ‘ow’ then she comes running into my room. “He did what?” she repeats climbing into bed next to me.