“Very well. I’ll see you soon,” the doctor replied, leaving the office.
Allison reappeared to help me off the table. She handed me a pair of used crutches that looked like they had seen better days and watched me carefully as I clumsily made my way back out to the lobby. The clinic was empty except for the two of us and the doctor, it seemed.
“Are you closed?”
“Mostly. As soon as we’re out, the doctor will lock up for the night.”
“I can wait outside,” I offered.
“Don’t be silly. Do you have a ride coming for you?”
“Not yet. I need to call someone.”
“I can drive you, if you don’t mind. It’s not very far from my house.”
“I couldn’t. I mean, you’ve been more than kind as it is.”
“Let me get you home. No sense in you waiting for someone to come out when I’m going right by there,” she said.
“OK then. If you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind at all. Wait here, and I’ll go pull the car around.”
I nodded and sat down on a nearby chair, looking up only when the door opened again.
“You ready to go home?”
I looked up, surprised to see Jon standing there.
“Allison is going to take me,” I said.
“I saw her in the parking lot and told her I would take you.”
Allison was nowhere to be seen. I assumed she was just staying clear until we left so she could lock up. I would have to thank her again when I saw her, not only for offering me a ride, but also for facilitating me being face to face with Jon. I’d been unfair to him in a lot of ways and it was time to get past my own stubbornness.
“Thank you,” I said.
Jon helped me up and stayed beside me as I limped out the door on the crutches. His car was parked in a nearby spot designated for pickups, and we were on our way in a matter of minutes, Allison pulling out of the parking lot ahead of us and leading the way. She honked as we approached my house, and I reached over and honked back, drawing a weird sideways look from Jon.
“She’s a nice person,” I said.
“I know,” he replied.
“You and I have a lot to talk about.”
“I know,” he said again.
“Tomorrow, OK?”
“I’ll be there when you tell me to be.”
“Great, and, um, could you do me a favor?”
“What’s that?”
“Could you have this prescription filled on your way over?”
“What’s in it for me?” he teased.
“My undying devotion,” I replied.
“Sounds like a good deal to me,” he replied, turning off the ignition and getting out to help me from the car. “Are you sure you don’t need me to stay?”
“Nah. I’m good with these crutches, and I’m just going to take some ibuprofen and go to bed.”
“Oh, the prescription. Do you need me to go find somewhere in Moseley to get it filled tonight?”
“It can wait. It’s just a stronger dose of ibuprofen.”
“Ah, OK,” he said, helping me up the steps and into my bed. “I’ll get you those from your medicine cabinet and some water before I go, then.”
He didn’t wait for an answer, instead disappearing down the hallway and returning with the tablets and a bottle of water. He shook out a handful of pills for me to take how many I needed and then gave me the bottle of water to wash them down. He set the bottle on the bedside table and smiled at me.
“Tomorrow, then.”
“Tomorrow,” I said, feeling exhausted.
I knew we had a lot to talk about, and I wanted to talk about it all right then and there, but I just felt too tired to do it. Tomorrow would be a fresh day and we could hash it all out between the two of us when we were in a better state of being. There was one thing I wanted to say though.
“I love you, Jon.”
“I love you too, Rain,” he replied, kissing me on the cheek and leaving me to sleep.
26
Rain
As it happened, the next day brought more rain, a lot more rain. It had started in the wee hours of the morning and poured down well into the daylight hours. Jon had made his way to the small drugstore in town and gotten my prescription filled but had to just drop it off and leave again to go to the hardware store.
“I will come back as soon as I can, but the storm tore off a section of my roof, and my entire kitchen is flooded. I’ve got to try to get something up over it before I lose everything in there. Are you doing OK? I can get Dad to come over and stay with you if necessary.”
“No. I’m fine. It’s just a twisted ankle, and I have crutches. I’ll be just fine.”
“OK. Call me if you need help. I’ll just buy a new kitchen if I have to do that.”