I looked around for his father. Or his stepmother. But there was no one except a nurse coming out of his room. I had all his homework. All his textbooks. And I was eager to dive into everything. I jogged down the hallway, slipping in my old tennis shoes along the freshly-waxed floors. The smell of disinfectant hung heavily in the air, but soon I stopped in my tracks.
When I saw some male nurses wheeling Clint out of his room.
“Where are you taking him?”
“Rae?”
I rushed to his side, taking his hand as he smiled at me.
“Hey, you’re here.”
I laced our fingers together. “Of course I’m here. What's wrong?”
He shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just get a normal room now.”
“A normal roo—wait. Where’s your neck brace?”
The nurse giggled. “Old handsome here’s no longer got a concussion. Did well with his physical therapy today. So he gets a normal room and no more catheter.”
Clint rolled his eyes. “She could’ve done without that part, Nurse Nina.”
I furrowed my brow. “So you’re doing okay? Nothing’s wrong?”
“How could anything be wrong when you’re here?”
I smiled at him, holding his hand as the nurses navigated his bed down the hallway. With this ‘Nurse Nina’ at the helm, directing traffic. She kept shamelessly flirting with Clint and he flirted right back. And while part of me was jealous, part of me was also thankful he had that kind of banter going on with something here at the hospital.
Someone who made him smile whenever he didn’t have anyone else.
“Wow. A regular room. I wonder what it’s like. Does it have a cotton candy machine? Floor to ceiling windows? A nice tub for me to soak in?”
I giggled at Clint as we came to a stop in front of another hospital room.
Nurse Nina smiled. “Well, Cee, this isn’t the DoubleTree. You get a private recuperation room with your own window, and a toilet that doesn’t stink.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “Cee?”
Clint winked. “That’s what she calls me when her husband isn’t around.”
I nodded playfully. “Oh, okay. And here I thought I was supposed to be jealous.”
“What? You mean you’re not jealous, beautiful? I’m hurt.”
And as the two of us laughed together, the male nurses got him situated into his new room.
I turned my back so the nurse could relieve him of his catheter. I took the time to set up our station for schoolwork, pulling out history, the one still fresh in my mind. I knew exactly what he’d missed and what he needed to get done before Friday. I flipped open to the page and things like that as the nurse walked beside me. She patted me on the back, causing me to look over at her. And with a friendly smile, she nodded.
“He’s ready when you are, lucky girl.”
“Thank you. For everything.”
The nurse snickered. “Don’t thank us yet. PT only gets harder from here. I’m sure he’ll be cursing my name before too long.”
Clint chuckled. “Never, Nurse Nina! How could I with that pretty face?”
I shook my head at the two of them as I turned around. And even after only a couple of days, Clint looked worlds better than he had. His neck wasn’t braced. He didn’t have oxygen tubes running up his nose. He only had one I.V. as opposed to two. And his face seemed a lot less swollen. I walked over to the edge of his bed and sat down, taking his hand within mine. And as I brought it to my lips to kiss, I felt him bend over. Freely.
To kiss me on top of the head.