Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85888 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 429(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 286(@300wpm)
“Hey,” Cleo greeted me behind the curtain with a wan smile. “Breathe.”
“I’m breathing.” Though hyperventilating would be a better description. “How is he?”
“Not bad considering he got hit by a car.”
On the bed, a shirtless Lars lay among the white sheets. Jeans covered his bottom half. He looked paler than normal. There was a brace around his neck, a cast on his left wrist, a freshly stitched cut a couple of inches long on his cheek, and bruises and grazes everywhere. The dark marks on his torso were horrific. Holy shit.
“This is the princess I was telling you about,” said Lars with all due seriousness.
“She’s very pretty,” the doctor tending to him said and gave me a smile. As if to say she’d seen and heard it all before. The tag on her white coat read Dr. Kelly Lopez.
“Don’t tell her I call her Princess, though. It’s just in my head.”
“Got it.”
Tore leaned closer. “They gave him the good stuff.”
Lars shuffled on the bed and winced. He might be high as a kite, but he was still feeling some pain. “We’re going to get married, but then we’ll get divorced.”
“That’s a pity,” said Dr. Lopez.
“Yeah.” He sighed. “Fourth of December. Damn shame.”
Dr. Lopez’s brows went up. “You’ve picked a date?”
“Lars loves a plan.” I laid my hand on his arm. Doing my best to avoid any damage. “Hey there.”
His smile was blissful, his gaze glued to the region of my chest. “Susie. Hey. Great dress. It’s really tight.”
“Thanks.”
“Sorry I missed our sex date.”
Tore made a choking noise.
“Oh, sorry,” Lars said. “Not supposed to call it a date.”
“That’s okay.” I smiled. “What happened?”
“I was buying you that bottle of wine and some fucker ran a red light.” His words were slurred. “Sent me flying. Can you believe that shit?”
“This happened when you were buying the wine?”
“Not your fault, Susie,” said Tore.
Lars frowned. Which made him wince again. “Of course it’s not her fault. Fuck’s sake, Tore. Why would you say that, man?”
“Sorry. My bad,” said Tore, keeping a straight face. “Susie, I apologize.”
“Do you forgive him?” asked Lars in a grave voice. “You don’t have to. It’s okay.”
“Um. Yes. I forgive him.”
Tore gave me a wink.
“You’re not going to cry, are you?” asked Lars.
“I’m fine. I promise. You just gave me a scare.” I sniffed and smiled. “What’s the damage?”
Dr. Lopez slipped her hands into the pockets of her lab coat. “Can I just clarify your relationship to Lars?”
“She’s my sig...my signif... She’s my other.” Lars nodded. “I, ah, I love...her and yeah.”
I held my breath and waited, but he said no more. Which was for the best. Lars was on a lot of drugs and didn’t know what he was saying. Obviously. But on the off chance I did suffer from sudden heart failure brought on by his words, I was in the right place.
Dr. Lopez just nodded. “Hairline fracture in the wrist, rib contusion, and neck strain. No sign of a concussion, but it was a hard knock. I’d like you to keep an eye on him for the next couple of days. Just to be safe.”
“Of course. He’s getting discharged tonight?”
“Yes. Bed rest and pain relief for the next seventy-two hours with gentle movement. It’s important you get up and walk around, just take it easy. We’ll make a follow-up appointment for the cast in a couple of weeks.”
Lars stared bemusedly at the light above his bed. Blissfully unaware.
“I can move back into the condo with him,” said Tore. “Sleep on the floor or something. Buy one of those air mattresses from Walmart.”
“You only just moved in with Cleo.” I frowned. “And he’d be alone during the day. I work from home. Why doesn’t he just stay with me?”
“It’s not a bad idea,” said Tore. “But I’m not sure he’ll go for it.”
“Only one way to find out.” I turned to the wounded one. “Lars, you’re coming home with me.”
“But, Princess,” said Lars, tuning back into the conversation, “I don’t want to be like a... Shit. What’s that word?”
“A hassle?” suggested Tore. Then he said more quietly, “Wish they’d give me some of whatever he’s on.”
Cleo elbowed him in ribs.
Lars thought it over. It took a while. “Yeah. That’s it. A hassle.”
“You’re not a hassle,” I said.
“But you don’t have a spare bed.”
“Are you worried if you sleep in my bed you’ll catch girl germs?”
Lars laughed and answered loudly, “No!”
“Then what’s the big deal?”
“I’m just not sure it’s a good idea,” he mumbled.
I gave him my best, most reassuring smile. “Why don’t we try it for a few days and see? I mean, how bad can it be?”
Twelve
“Are you all right?”
Slowly and carefully, Lars turned around to face me. The fridge door sat open behind him. His face was pale and lined with pain. In one hand he held the leftovers from my dinner last night. In the other he held a fork. “Got hungry. This was all I could find.”