“I think it’s the least you can do to assuage your son’s obvious concern,” Dr. O’Brien replies. His words are another point in his favor.
Mom huffs again and sends me a nasty look as if to silently demand I tell the doctor not to bother. All I do is stand back and cross my arms. Our quiet standoff is met with the doctor’s ministrations as he jumps into asking her the various questions needed to determine if there are any further injuries—perhaps a concussion from where her head slammed into the side of the door when she was hit from the side. When he’s done, he nods and clicks off the penlight.
“Well, I’d say you got off lucky, Eliza,” he says, squeezing her shoulder. “I don’t see any signs of a concussion, but you know what to look out for.” The man looks at me. “If she suddenly feels dizzy or lightheaded, vomits, has any memory loss or confusion that is out of the ordinary, you bring her back.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Ugh.” Mom rolls her eyes. “I told you both that I’m fine.” She holds up her left arm which is already in a cast. “This is theworst of my injuries and I’m right-handed, so it shouldn’t even hinder me too much.”
O’Brien sighs. “I still think you should take a few days off for recovery,” he insists, and I can’t agree fast enough.
“You’re staying home,” I say before my mom can protest. “Doctor’s orders.”
“I’ll write you a prescription for eight hundred milligrams of ibuprofen and you’re to take at least three days off. No hardcore physical labor.” He glances over his shoulder at me as he goes back to his computer. “I’m sure your son can see to that.”
“I can.” And I will.
The curtain to the room squeaks as it’s pulled slightly back. I turn in its direction, half expecting to see another one of mom’s nurse friends popping in to check on her. Instead, I’m met with the pale face of Juliet.
“Jules?” I step away from my mom and pause. “Is something wrong?”
Juliet looks at me for a long moment, but instead of answering, her gaze drifts past me to where my mom is sitting up in the patient bed of the temporary room. “I just wanted to come back and check on you,” she says. “The nurse at the desk said I could—even though they don’t normally let this many visitors back here.”
Mrs. Neely is known for being pretty hardcore about the hospital’s policies. I’ll have to thank her when we leave. Stepping towards Juliet, I offer her a smile I’m sure seems weak, but I try to shore up one anyway.
“That was nice of?—”
“Nolan?” my mom interrupts what I’m about to say, and I whirl to face her as she’s peering past me with a curiosity and wicked glint in her eye. Oh no. “Is this your friend?”
“I, uh…”
Juliet takes the opportunity to march past me and stride straight up to my mom’s bedside, holding her hand out. “Hi, Mrs. Pierce,” she begins. “I’m Juliet. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Mom takes Juliet’s hand and grins. “So, you’re the girl he’s been sneaking into my house when I’m not home.”
I close my eyes and groan, long and loud. “Mom.”
When I reopen my eyes, Juliet’s face is less pale and more flushed with embarrassment. She carefully extracts her hand from my mom’s. “Uh, yeah, I’m sorry about that. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
Mom laughs. “Don’t make promises you can’t keep, young lady,” she says. “I know who my son is. Now, tell me, are you two dating?”
Juliet’s blush deepens and despite everything I’ve done in my life—killing my father, running drugs for Darrio, fucking up some pretty shit assholes’ lives—nothing can make me feel more human and childlike as my own mother grilling the girl I’m interested in.
“Mom, you’re hurting,” I say quickly, rushing up behind Juliet and gripping her by her shoulders. “I don’t think now is the right time for an interrogation.”
“Oh, I think now is the perfect time,” she replies, still grinning. “In fact…” She pats her bedside. “Why don’t you have a seat, Juliet? Let me ask you about all of the things my son gets up to. He’s pretty sneaky, but I know him well. Just because the school hasn’t called me in years doesn’t mean he’s given up his wayward tendencies.”
“Mom!”
Juliet coughs out a chuckle as if she can’t help herself. God, I wish the floor would open up and swallow me fucking whole. I roll my eyes to the ceiling. Unfortunately, neither God nor the universe seems to be listening because nothing happens.
Resigned to my fate, I lower my head back down and release Juliet’s shoulders. “I’ll put the prescription in and you can pick it up at the hospital pharmacy,” Dr. O’Brien says, taking pity on me as he interrupts the beginnings of my mother’s cross-examination of Juliet. “Other than that, you’re good to go. So long as you have someone at home that can look after you.”
“I’ll look after her,” I say quickly. “Thank you, Dr. O’Brien.”
The man smiles my way and as he moves to exit the room, he claps me on the shoulder. “Good luck, son. I know how Eliza can be. You’re going to need it.”
Fuck me, but I know he’s right.
