Jealousy (10 page)

Justin gulped down a small sandwich, but it sat in his stomach like a brick.  His stomach rumbled, and he wished he never ate anything.  His mind was suddenly drawn to Heather, and
he feared something was wrong.

As he briskly walked back to her room, one of the nurses got his attention
.

“
She’s awake,” the nurse said with a smile.

Chapter Eighteen:

Heather slowly opened
her eyes.  Her lids were heavy and her vision was blurred.  She was disoriented and immediately gagged at the tube in her throat.  She blinked several times before she focused on her surroundings.  A nurse told her to relax, but she was scared.  Her mind was fuzzy and she didn’t remember what happened or why she was in the hospital.  Her heart pounded almost as loud as the monitor next to her, and she looked at Peter with large frightened eyes.

“
You’re OK,” Peter said.

Heather searched for Justin as far as her eyes could see, but she couldn
’t find him.  She traced a large letter J on the sheet with her finger and looked at Peter.

Peter sort of half-smiled, half-smirked at her. 
“Justin’s here,” he said.  “He’ll be right back.”

She moved her arms and legs and tried to assess her condition.  She only m
oved them a fraction of an inch before a sharp pain cut into her.  It shot from her lower back, ran through to the front of her body, up into her ribcage and settled in her chest.  She grimaced and tried to cry out, but the tube in her throat silenced her voice.

“
Try not to move,” Peter said.  “You had surgery.”

The orderlies that were at t
he foot of her bed stepped back and Justin ran between them.  Heather convulsed with a silent whimper as soon as she saw him.  She reached out to him, and he took her hand and kissed it.

“
Thank God you’re finally awake,” he said.

“
She was asking for you,” Peter stated.

Tears welled in Justin
’s eyes, but a small smile appeared on his lips.  “I’ve been here for two days and the one time I leave for 10 minutes, you wake up.”  He placed a delicate kiss on her forehead, rested his cheek on the top of her head and wept softly.

Heather clung to Justin
’s hand as hard as the pain in her gut would allow her.  She needed his strength.  His presence and his touch consoled her.  She still didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she knew that Justin would take care of her.  She was still scared, though, and tears streamed down her cheeks.

“
Take it easy, Justin,” Peter said, harshly.  “You’re upsetting her.”

“
I’m sorry, sweetie.  Don’t cry.”  Justin wiped Heather’s eyes with a tissue and cradled her hand to his chest.

“
When can you take the tube out?” he asked the nurse.

“
The doctor said we could remove it this morning,” the nurse replied.  “I’m sorry.  I wanted to remove it before she woke up, but we had a small emergency.  I’ll do it right now.”

Heather
’s eyes widened with fear.

The nurse asked Justin and Peter to step outside the curtain, and Heather started to panic.  She squeezed Justin
’s hand tighter and pulled him back.

“
It’s OK,” he said.  “I’ll stay with you.  I’m here, sweetie.”  He rubbed her hand.  “Don’t worry.  I’m right here with you.”

Heather coughed vigorously as the tube vacated her lungs, and she rubbed at her sore, scratchy throat.  The nurse handed her a small paper cup filled with water, and she drank the entire conten
ts to quench her thirst.

“
Everything hurts.”  Her voice squeaked like a mouse.  “What happened to me?”

“
You were hit by a car,” Peter said.  “Do you remember anything?”

She searched the inner depth of her memory.  Everything was a vague blur, like a dream
she barely remembered.  Bits and pieces were revealed to her – a loud car horn; the smell of burnt rubber; something hard and cold underneath her legs; she was in the air, flying.  The images disappeared.  She was left with nothing except intense pain. It terrified her. She imagined multiple broken bones, possibly the loss of a limb.  She tried to move her legs again, but the pain was too severe.  Maybe her back was broken.  Maybe she was paralyzed.  Her erratic heartbeat set off the monitor behind her head. Maybe she was having a heart attack. Her chin trembled and she let out a small sob.  “What’s wrong with me?  Why does my back hurt so much?  And my stomach?  And my leg?”

Justin and Peter looked at each other, bu
t neither one of them answered.

Heather
needed to see what her body looked like.  She needed to look under the covers.  She needed to make sure both of her legs were still there.  She tried to throw the sheet off of her, but she moved in slow motion and she was too weak.

“
Wait.”  Justin put his hand on her arm.  “We’ll tell you what happened.”  He looked to Peter, but Peter shook his head.

Justin took her hand and told Peter to hold her other one.

“You’re scaring me.”  She whimpered.  “What’s wrong?”

Justin explained that she lost her kidney and her spleen in the accident.

The news horrified her.  They were vital organs and she didn’t know if she could live without them.  Her entire face began to quiver.  “My kidney?  My spleen?”

Justin nodded and stroked her arm with a loving touch. 
“You’re going to be OK, sweetie.  Everything is going to be OK.”

Heather bit her lip and wrinkled her brow. 
“Am I going to die?”

Justin smiled at her. 
“No.  The doctor is gonna talk to you, but so far, they said everything’s fine.”

Two larg
e tears spilled down her cheeks and she watched Justin as he gently wiped them away.  His hair was messy and his clothes were wrinkled.  “Were you really here the whole time?”

The semi-strong demeanor Justin attempted to portray quickly disintegrated. 
“I couldn’t leave you.  I was so scared I was going to lose you.”  He kissed the back of her hand and held it to his cheek.  “I don’t know what I would have done if anything . . .”  A soft sob cut his sentence short.

Heather
’s eyes filled with fresh tears. “You’re gonna make me cry again.”

Justin placed his hand tenderly on her cheek and pressed his lips firmly onto hers in a l
ong, powerful, emotional kiss.

Its intensity surprised her, and the length of the kiss made her feel slightly uncomfortable, until he finally withdrew his lips. 
“Jeeze,” she said.  “I thought you were gonna tongue me there for a minute.”

Justin laughed. 
“You wish. I love you, sweetie. Very much.”

“
I love you, too.” She smiled and invited him into her arms.

Justin laid his head on Heather
’s shoulder, and she fingered the back of his hair.  Her pain was slightly eased by his comforting touch and his warm breath on her neck. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into him.  It was a touching moment shared between two lifelong friends.

Heather slowly opened her eyes and was immediately confronted by Peter
’s harsh stare.  Peter’s eyes were narrowed into two thin slits and his mouth was pursed sharply to the side.  Heather clung to Justin a little tighter and wondered what the hell was going on in Peter’s head.

Chapter Nineteen:

Later that aft
ernoon Heather finally convinced Justin to go home.  She didn’t want him to leave, but he looked exhausted.  She wanted him to get some sleep.

Heather was worried about the time alone with Peter, but whatever was bothering him earl
ier when she was hugging Justin seemed not to be an issue any longer.  Peter didn’t mention it, and she didn’t dare bring it up.

Even though Peter stayed with Heather, she was lost without Justin.  Peter sat next to her and periodically asked if she needed anything, but that was it.  He barely held her hand, and he didn
’t hold her in his arms or tell her everything was going to be OK like Justin did.  Heather wanted Justin back.  She told herself she could survive without him for a little while, but she knew it was a lie.  She kept checking the clock every few minutes, anxious for his return.

She let out a relieved sigh when Justin walked into her room some 40 minutes later.  She knew he didn
’t bother to take a nap, but he looked refreshed, even though he didn’t bother to style his hair or apply his signature black eyeliner.

Justin kissed her cheek and took the familiar chair next to her bed.  He held her hand constantly, and she wondered if it was more for his own security than for hers.
  Justin was a little embarrassed when the nurse asked him to let go of Heather’s hand so she could administer medication into the IV, but Heather thought it was sweet.

The nurse smiled at Heather. 
“I told him you were going to be fine, dear, but he was very worried about you.  I couldn’t get him to leave your side.  Is he your brother?”

Heather smiled affectionately at Justin. 
“No.  He’s my best friend, but he’s like a brother to me.”

Justin kissed her forehead and brushed her hair back with his hand. 
“Do you want me to fix your hair, sweetie?” he asked.

She hadn
’t thought about her appearance or looked in a mirror yet. She probably looked terrible, and that’s why Justin asked.  She ran her fingers through her long hair.  It was a tangled mess.

Justin helped her sit forward by bracing several pillows behind her back.  He smoothed
her hair with his fingers and brushed it with long, gentle strokes. She loved the way he pampered her.  She momentarily forgot about the pains that shot through her entire body and gazed through the glass walls of her I.C.U. suite.  She watched the nurses change shifts outside her room, while Justin lightly massaged her shoulders.  Her male night nurse was cute.  He kept glancing at Justin while the day nurse went over her chart with him.  Although he was smaller in stature, she could see that the nurse had a broad chest and strong shoulders.  His reddish-brown hair fell below his ears and his long bangs dabbled with blond highlights were swept stylishly to the side across his forehead.  His bright green eyes sparkled at Justin from outside the room.

“
My new night nurse keeps staring at you,” she whispered.

Justin made eye contact with the male nurse, and they exchanged
a smile.

“
If I knew you were gonna have such a cute boy nurse,” Justin said, “I would have taken the extra 10 minutes to put on some makeup.”

Heather looked up at his naked face. 
“I can’t remember the last time I saw you in public with no makeup on.”

Peter, who had been dozing on and off in the chair on the other side of the room, snapped to attention. 
“Is that it?” he asked.  “I was wondering why you looked different.”

Justin giggled. 
“I hope I didn’t disillusion you, Peter.  I’m not naturally beautiful.  I need a little help.”

The cute male nurse entered the room and handed Heather a small paper cup.
“Here’s your medication, honey.  I’m Kenny.  I’ll be your nurse tonight.  How are you feeling?”

Heather
’s whole body throbbed at the mention of her injuries.  Everything hurt, but it was the dull ache on the back of her thigh that bothered her the most.  “My leg hurts,” she complained.  “Why does my leg hurt so much?”

“
Your leg?  Where?” Kenny asked.  “Let me see.”

She rubbed the outer part of her left thigh. 
“Over here.  In the back.”

Kenny carefully uncovered her leg. 
“I don’t see anything.  Where exactly does it hurt?”

She tried to shift her weight to expose the painful part of her thigh, but a
sharp pain cut into her abdomen and she cried out.

Justin offered her his hand
and he supported her as she turned a little to the side.

“
I see it,” Kenny said.  “It’s just a big bruise.  It’s nothing to worry about.”

Justin circled the bed and looked
down at her leg.  It was an array of ghoulish colors.  “That looks bad.  Did the doctor see it?”

“
Yes.  This is how I can tell. You see this ink line?”  Kenny glanced at Justin and smiled.  “The doctor drew a circle around the bruise to make sure it’s not getting any bigger.  It’s still well within the margins, and the yellowish tint means it’s already healing.”

Kenny lowered the bed, smoothed the covers back over Heather and adjusted her pillows so she was more comfortable. 
“There you go, honey.  Try to get some rest.”  He smiled at Justin again.  “I hear you’ve been staying here the last few nights. Will you be bunking with us again tonight?”

“
Yeah, I’m not leaving her alone.”