Whirlwind (38 page)

His parents didn’t comment, but his mom nodded her approval at me.

Jason’s clarity returned slowly. He perked up a little when breakfast arrived, nibbling on the toast and fruit offered by the nurse, but he rejected what she claimed was oatmeal. By the time the attending physician came in at nine, Jason was able to discuss his injury with the interest expected of a pre-med student. Now fully awake, he didn’t protest when I hesitantly let go of his hand.

The doctor predicted Jason would be released the following morning if there continued to be no indication of infection or swelling. I sat by the window during the exchange, watching Jason analyze his own condition. Finally the doctor finished, and Jason smiled at me.

His mom took the doctor aside for a few more questions, and Mr. McAlister filled her spot next to Jason’s bed.

“When you’re released tomorrow, we’ll drive you home,” his father said.

I inhaled sharply. Tomorrow was Thursday.

“We brought the minivan, so you’ll have lots of room to spread out,” he continued, unaware of my rising panic.

No! Friday—I have until Friday!

Questions finished, Mrs. McAlister joined her husband. “A good night’s sleep in a real bed wouldn’t hurt, either,” she added, poking at the plastic-covered mattress.

I turned away, my jaw tight. Her unintended insult sliced through me, another reason for Jason to leave. Excusing myself, I hurried to the bathroom, my chest heaving.

“Melissa,” Jason called, but I didn’t stop. I barely got the door closed before I broke down.

I sank to the floor and buried my face in a towel. Sobbing violently, I couldn’t stop the enormity of the situation from burying me. I’d nearly lost Jason last night, and now I was losing him tomorrow.
Tomorrow!
I’d focused so hard on Friday that this simple change crushed me.

It was completely logical for him to go home with his parents, and I knew it was in his best interest…but piled on top of everything we’d been through, it was too much. I wanted to scream—but gagged myself with the towel instead.

When I heard the faint knock on the door, I jumped up. Had they heard me? How long had I been in here?

“Just a sec,” I choked. I turned on the faucet and doused my face. Both the surprise of the knock and chill of the water helped re-bottle my emotions, but my eyes remained puffy and bloodshot.

“I’m just tired,” I mouthed to the mirror, preparing to face Jason again. I had to pull myself together to make it through these last hours.

With one last deep breath I opened the door. Mrs. McAlister met me, worry creasing her forehead. “Are you all right, Melissa?”

I swallowed quickly, unable to dislodge the lump in my throat. “Yes, I’m fine. Just tired, thanks. Sorry for taking so long.” Jason’s dad had replaced me in the chair. He followed Jason’s eyes when they rose to me.

Mrs. McAlister touched my arm. “Why don’t we take a little walk? I could use a cup of tea. How about you?” she asked.

“I’m fine, really,” I said. Jason’s gaze flashed to his mother and then back to me.
Uh-oh.

“A Coke sounds good too. Melissa, do you think you could scrounge one up?” he asked. “Please?” His eyes said
trust me
, and I sighed, defeated.

“Okay. I’ll be back soon,” I promised.

His eyes bore into me and my heart lurched. “I’m counting on that,” he said.

I followed his mother out of the room, directing her toward the elevator. “The nurse said the cafeteria is downstairs.”

Once inside the descending car she took my hand. “I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Jason. We spoke to the police when we arrived, and they explained how you risked your life for him. Thank you so much.”

Her gratitude made the lump in my throat grow larger. I looked at the ring on her finger as I spoke. “You’re welcome. He protected me first, Mrs. McAlister.”

“Please, call me Lynn,” she said. The doors opened, and a different beige hallway appeared in front of us, along with a sign pointing toward the cafeteria.
Lynn
invited me to lead. “You really should think about going home and getting some rest, dear. I can imagine how tired you are, with everything that’s happened. We’ll keep an eye on Jason while you nap.” She wasn’t condescending or demanding; she actually sounded like my mom. But with so little time left, there was no way I was leaving.

“No, I’m okay,” I said. We entered the sparsely populated cafeteria, and I went directly to the drink station. I picked up the largest cup I could find and filled it with coffee. In lieu of my normal hot chocolate addition, I added three packets of sugar. I needed the extra kick to fight off my growing exhaustion.
Lynn
met me next to the cooler, waiting while I picked out two Cokes.

We were halfway to the cashier when I remembered I had no money. Everything was in my car—back at the stable. I looked apologetically at
Lynn
. “I just realized I don’t have my purse. May I—”

She put her hand on mine and nodded. “I was going to insist, in any case,” she said.
Lynn
had much more than tea on her tray; she’d filled it with pre-made sandwiches, pudding cups, and chips. I waited by the exit while she completed the transaction.

With everything paid for,
Lynn
pointed at the tables. “Can we sit here for just a bit? I think Frank would like a couple minutes with Jason alone.”

Checking the wall clock, I sat.
Five minutes
.

I stirred my coffee in time with the second hand, inadvertently sloshing some out.
Four minutes, thirty seconds.

Lynn sipped her tea and stared across the room. “Jason cares quite a lot about you, Melissa. He’s very worried about you,” she said.

Apparently Frank wasn’t the only one who wanted a private conversation.

“Why? I wasn’t hurt,” I said.

“True, but he can see how exhausted you are. And your reaction earlier…” She paused, and I cringed. “He’s concerned about leaving you alone.” Her voice became hushed. “It’s obvious the two of you have become very close in just a few days.”

I took a drink of the steaming black liquid in front of me. It scalded my throat on the way down, briefly taking the lump with it.

“Yeah, I guess we have.” Thankfully Naughty Melissa remained silent.

“Between phone, email, and texting, it should be easy for the two of you to stay in touch this summer,”
Lynn
probed.

If only.
I didn’t want to have this conversation—not now, and especially not with her. I answered with a vague
hmmm
and set my stirrer aside.

She didn’t respond immediately, and I checked the clock again.

“Did you know Jason’s hoping to come back to
California
in the fall?” she asked.

I looked up at her. Her eyes, identical to Jason’s, stared back at me.

“He’ll only be gone a couple months.” Her soft features relaxed into a warm smile.

Again, I was reminded of my mother. Maybe it was because I had no energy left to argue, or because I was barely awake, but I nodded in agreement. I could see where Jason got his talent for persuasion.

We sat for another minute but didn’t speak any further. When
Lynn
went to refill her cup, I stood in the hall outside the cafeteria. This time she took the hint, and we headed for the elevator.

Frank met us at the door to Jason’s room, showing yet another police officer out.

“I’ll contact Detective Clark. He’ll be able to fill in a lot of the details,” the cop was saying.

Tim
…Jason must’ve mentioned him. I probably should’ve said something, but I slipped past without a word, eager to reclaim my spot at Jason’s side.

I opened the door quietly in case he might be asleep, but was greeted by his tired smile. “Here you go,” I said, handing him a Coke.

He stroked my fingers as he took the bottle but didn’t say anything. The silent communication with his mother continued with another long look in her direction.

Rather than speculate on what they were plotting next, I sat down, grateful to reclaim my chair.

Frank started to close the door, but
Lynn
caught his arm, giving him a meaningful glance.

“Um, well,” he started, and she tipped her head toward the door. “Your mother and I are going to stretch our legs and reserve a hotel room, okay? We’ll be back later.”

“Thanks, Dad. See you then,” Jason said and yawned.

Lynn blew him a kiss before pushing her husband out the door.

Jason exhaled loudly. It took all his energy to open the Coke, and he only managed a couple swallows before handing me bottle back to me.

“You need to rest,” I said.

His blue eyes disappeared under heavy lids. “So do you. You don’t have to stay, Melissa. I’ll probably sleep all day.” His eyelids only rose halfway as he struggled to smile.

“
Shhh
, quit worrying about me. Just rest and get better.” I stroked his hair and his eyes closed for good. I leaned over and kissed him gently. “I love you, Jason. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

“I love you too,” he mumbled, then fell asleep.

Jason slept most of the afternoon and into the evening. I caught a few winks too, sitting in the chair next to him. Our hands stayed interlocked the whole time, and whenever the nurse came in or Jason made a noise, I woke. The sandwiches came in handy; I ended up eating two of them over the course of the day. When his parents returned around five with hamburgers, Jason woke up looking much stronger, though his black eye had worsened.

His mother kissed his forehead. “I’m sorry we bothered you, dear. We can go so you can get back to sleep.” She gave me an appraising look.

Jason gave my hand a squeeze before releasing it and stretching his arms over his head. “No, I’m awake now.” He winced as he shifted in the bed, but quickly smiled to hide the pain.

“We brought an early dinner, just in case the two of you wanted something besides hospital food,” Mr. McAlister said, waving a familiar red-and-white bag.

“Great, I’m starved,” Jason said. His parents went to work laying out the spread on the bedside table. Jason’s eyes tightened again when he shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“You should call the nurse. You’re due for more medication,” I whispered.

“It’s not that bad, really. I don’t like the fog that stuff puts me in.” He reached up and touched my cheek. “You really need to get out of here and get some sleep, Melissa. You look dead on your feet.”

I fiddled with the edge of the sheet. “Where would I go? There’s nothing in my apartment, remember? My car isn’t even here.”

Jason frowned but couldn’t argue further because Frank pushed the table over and handed us hamburgers. While we ate,
Lynn
told us about the hotel where they were staying and about their drive down, laughing at how much traffic there was on the
L.A.
freeways at one in the morning.

The doctor came in an hour later on his evening rounds. He told Jason everything looked great and he’d be back in the morning to sign the discharge papers. My heart fell when
Lynn
offered to make her son’s favorite meal when they got home. I didn’t even know what his favorite food was.