“It’s fine, Freckles. I’ll be right back,” I say, standing and kissing the top of her head, tucking her hair behind her ear before I follow the nurse out. The nurse takes me around to the far side of the nurses’ station and starts repeating the paperwork I filled in when we arrived, question by question, slowly retyping my answers. We’re only halfway through the first page when I hear Parker’s voice rising from across the room.
“… would never lay a finger on me! … Are you out of your damn mind? … Excuse me?! No, I will not calm down!” I can hear the doctor trying to placate her, but clearly, she’s not having any of it. “You think you can judge him because of how he looks? GET OUT!”
I round the desk in a second, heading for the room, half afraid she might punch the doctor and break her other hand. When I yank the door open, Parker is standing next to the hospital bed, her face fiery as she clutches her hand to her chest.
“I said get out!” she yells at the doctor. He’s holding his hands up, trying to apologize, his eyes wide. I almost feel sorry for him. Whatever he said, it’s obvious he didn’t realize the hell he was about to unleash.
“Parker, it’s ok. We’ll get you another doctor,” I try to soothe. “Come sit down,”
“This is bullshit,” she mutters, calming considerably but refusing to sit.
Doctor Weaver takes this moment to try regaining control. “I’m very sorry, Miss Thompson. Why don’t we get you that imaging and—”
“No,” she replies icily. This controlled anger is somehow scarier than the yelling and it’s hard not to grin at the wide-eyed expression on the doc’s face. “I. Told. You. To. Get. Out. You’re not my doctor anymore.”
Doctor Weaver throws his hands up and walks out.
“Come sit down,” I cajole. She lets me settle her on the bed again.
“Why are you so calm?” she asks, looking at me stone-faced.
“Because I knew. The second we walked in the door, I saw the looks.” I smile and shrug, trying to convince her that it’s not a big deal. “It’s fine. It just comes with the territory,” I say, gesturing to myself.
“It’s not fine!” Parker says. Her face crumples and tears well up in her eyes. “It’s bullshit! They don’t even know you!” She turns her mouth towards the open door and yells, “THEY DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!”
I laugh and rub her back. “But you stood up for me, Parker.”
“Of course, I did,” she replies. Her brow wrinkles as if I’m out of my mind. She pats the bed, scooting over to make room for me on her good side. It takes some careful wiggling to get my big frame on the narrow bed without jostling her hand. Parker lays her head on my shoulder, her body pressed against my side and her injured hand resting on my chest.
“I’m not surprised you came to my defense. Not really. That’s just you in a nutshell. You’re basically a marshmallow until someone threatens something you love. You almost hulked out on that doctor,” I laugh.
“Yeah, well… he would have deserved it, but I can only hulk out so many times in one day,” she mutters, making me laugh. Parker lets me hold her in silence for a minute. I can feel her heart thumping against my side, hard at first but settling down with each passing minute.
“I’m grateful for you,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “I’m not used to people standing up for me like that. For loving me fiercely.”
“Your family loves you,” she whispers.
“I know,” I reply. “It’s different though. You chose me.”
Parker cranes her neck back to look at me, her eyes shining with adoration. “I did. And I’ll keep choosing you.” I cradle her cheek in my palm and kiss her, trying to show her how much that means to me.
A breathless Julia chooses that moment to fly around the corner in her purple hospital scrubs. “What did I miss?”