Chapter 13: A Worthwhile Distraction
Rylee felt like her brain was surrounded by cotton. Her mouth was dry, and she wanted to scratch her arm where the IV tube hooked up. She felt unbelievably exposed in this hospital gown, and would have killed for something heavier to cover her torso than this stupid sterile blanket. She took steady breathes to hold back her anxiety, her face flushed with the effort.
'It's going to be okay. Zane has insurance, you have insurance, and work shouldn't fight you for having a medical emergency. Everything will be fine.'
So why did her heart race when she felt the bandages on her side? Her right leg felt heavy, and she didn't dare lift the blankets to look closer.
"This idiot in an SUV ran a red light and T-boned the truck. If it wasn't a tank on wheels, it could have been worse," Evan was trying to explain. Rylee's body ached even more as she thought about it, letting her head rest against the pillow.
"I'm scheduled for a double tomorrow. I feel like this is already pretty hard to swallow."
"They know you aren't coming." Rylee looked over in surprise. Her pink haired roommate was standing in the doorway, looking strangely reserved. She still had her name badge on, her eyeliner slightly smudged at the corner of her eyes.
Evan quickly stood, but Tara held up a hand to stop him. "Don't move on my account. Evan, right? Your Zane's friend. Thanks for taking care of her." Rylee was stunned by the genuine nature Tara was displaying. Maybe the pain medicine was stronger than she thought...
"If we took care of her, she wouldn't be hurt in the first place," Evan said unhappily.
Tara dropped into the seat next to him, crossing one leg over the other. "I've seen Rylee get hurt tripping over her own feet." Her reserved attitude disappeared. "We had to go to the ER because she stabbed herself with a butter knife. At least this is a legitimate injury."
"Hey!"
"Truth hurts, Ry. What about you, Evan? Looks like your arm is sporting a new accessory."
He looked at the sling with mock surprise, "Hey, when did that get here!"
"Don't make me laugh... it hurts," Rylee begged. They stopped teasing so she closed her eyes again, trying to find a comfortable way to rest.
"So Evan, what do you do for a living?" Tara changed the subject.
"Contract based design," he easily responded.
"Aha. Is that nerd for 'starving artist?'"
"No it's nerd for 'freelance artist'," he defended. Rylee opened one eye in time to see Tara's impressed reaction.
"Oh, so you actually make money doing that? You should tell Rylee how, because she has this massive room of art supplies—"
"Tara!"
"And she needs to prepare for this artist alley thing—"
"Knock it off!"
"Yeah, she kind of mentioned that," Evan seemed to catch Rylee's gaze in his own. "I was looking forward to seeing some of her work."
How did the room feel so unbearably warm now? "I'll show you mine if you show me yours," Rylee bargained.
Tara snorted, "That's what she said."
"Tara!"
Rylee pulled the blanket over her face. It wasn't thick enough to block out the sound of Tara's next whisper. "If I embarrass her enough do you think it'll trigger an alarm or something? They might think she is having a heart attack..."
"If you keep harassing me, I'll call the nurse and have you kicked out," Rylee growled through clenched teeth. She wanted to throw something at her annoying roommate, but didn't want to lose a pillow in the process.
"Tara, I didn't call you just so you could come pick on Rylee."
Zane walked in, his expression tired as he stopped by Rylee's side. The room felt more somber with his arrival. There was a light touch on her arm, and Rylee peeled her blankets back as he held out her cell phone. "I had to borrow it for some contacts, I hope that's okay. I uh, used your fingerprint to unlock it..." he seemed guilty at the tactic.
Rylee caught his arm and smiled. "Thank you. You didn't need to apol—"
Her words were cut off as he suddenly yanked her into a crushing hug. Her bruised body protested, but she was frozen by his actions. "Zane?"
Her hair was in his face, and she could feel his mouth move as he spoke. "I'm so sorry, Ry. I'm so so sorry..." it was a broken sound that hurt her more than the car crash had.
Memories from the accident returned, of his terrified yell, his desperate attempts to free her. His hug held all the guilt and fear he has been carrying, pressing her into his chest. She felt his shoulders shake, and tried to move where she could touch his back, comfort him.
"Zane, it's okay. It wasn't your fault," she whispered, her voice muffled by his shirt. Without realizing it, she found she was crying too. She could only imagine how awkward it must feel to the rooms other occupants, but for once, Tara didn't say a word. After a few moments, he finally pulled away, swiping at his face with the back of his hand.
"Next time you don't want to hang out, I won't say a word, okay?"
Instead of looking pleased Rylee frowned. Zane withered under her glare. "I may be stuck bedridden for who knows how long. If you aren't entertaining me all through this miserable experience, so help me, when my leg gets better, the FIRST thing I'm going to do is kick your ass!"
That did the trick and his sheepish smile returned. "You win. I promise to entertain you." He agreed, and she wouldn't tolerate another apology out of his mouth after that.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone