AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Honey, you have a visitor. Are you up for some company?”
“Oh, Mom, I don’t think so. Were you able to get that prescription?” I really just wanted to get some relief from the throbbing pain and go to sleep.
“I was just heading to the pharmacy now. Are you sure you want me to tell him no? He said he’s your professor?—”
My voice shot up into cartoon character range. “Andrew is here? Seriously?”
Her raised brow pointed out my slip, but I didn’t give her look any attention. It wasn’t unheard of for professors to permit students to use their first names in class. If I acted guilty, she’d assume I was.
“So you do want me to show him in?” she clarified while I tried to improve my ragged appearance.
I finger-combed the hair that had escaped the low braid my mom styled this morning. Taking quick stock of what I mindlessly threw on after we got home, I decided it would have to do because I wasn’t changing again. It took fifteen minutes the first time, and I planned on spending the next three days in the same outfit if I could.
My mother cleared her throat in the doorway, and I realized in my panic and excitement, I hadn’t answered her.
“Yes, please, Mom, if you don’t mind? And thank you for going to the pharmacy. It really hurts.”
“All right, honey. I’m sorry it’s taken me this long. You know how your father likes his dinner at the same time. Then I had to clean up the dishes, and?—”
“Thanks, Mom.” I had to cut her off before she continued listing the myriad chores she did in a day. Guilt upon guilt upon guilt. Whether she knew she was doing it or not, the jury was still out.
In a few minutes, she appeared at my room again with a very dignified but fidgeting Professor Chaplin behind her. I had straightened the covers on my bed the best I could accomplish with one arm and sat back against a stack of pillows. My cast looked like a bright-blue beacon in the middle of my snowy-white bedding.
“Maye.” He sighed. It was like just seeing me calmed his entire body.
“Hi,” I said, suddenly feeling very shy. It was awkward that this man was seeing me in my childhood bedroom, surrounded by all the treasures I’d accumulated through my youth. Never in a million years would I have imagined the two of us being here.
My mom hovered in the hall just outside the door until I cleared my throat and thanked her for showing my guest to my room.
“Honey, just holler if you need anything, okay? Clemson should be home from practice soon, and Dad is watching TV. I’ll be back in no time with your medication.”
If I were on my feet, I would’ve shoved her down the hall to get her moving in the right direction.
“Thanks, Mom. I really appreciate everything you’ve done today.” Even though she was making the scene more awkward at the moment, I couldn’t have gotten through the day without her. Apparently, there were always going to be days when I just needed my mom, no matter how old I was.
Andrew watched her until she was out of sight, then fixed his intense stare on me. He took no more than three strides to dissolve the distance between us and sat on the edge of my bed alongside my hip.
“How are you feeling?” His voice was so deep and sincere, I felt my lower abdomen clench.
My first attempt at speech came out raspier than I thought possible. I swallowed and tried again. “I’m fine. Still hurts, but she’s picking something up so I can sleep.” I motioned to the doorway with my chin to indicate my mother.
He scooped up my left hand in his, and I studied how his body was so much larger than mine. After the day I had, I was feeling very vulnerable and emotional. Just his simple gesture flooded my eyes with unshed tears, and I did everything I knew to choke them back. Of course, he didn’t miss my silly reaction to his simple gesture.
“Hey, what’s all this? I wish I had known you were suffering. I would’ve brought more pain relievers with me.” He gave me a cautious look before saying, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but why is she just going to the pharmacy now? You’ve been home from the hospital for hours, and I can see how much pain you’re in just by the look on your face.” His scowl grew in intensity the more he spoke. “I would think that would have been the priority, no?”
“It’s fine,” I began, but he widened his eyes, and I stopped speaking midsentence.
“It’s not fine. You’re not fine. You should’ve had that relief hours ago. If I had known it was just sitting there waiting to be picked up, I could’ve done it for you. This whole goddamn mess is my fault in the first place.”
And even though he muttered that last part, I was already shaking my head in denial before I could formulate my response. “Andrew, please stop saying that. This was not your fault.” I squeezed his hand after saying that so he would look at me. He had been unusually uncomfortable while I exonerated him.
We needed a topic change. “Thank you for coming to see me. It was very unexpected.”
“I knew if I called and asked, you would have said no, so I took a chance and just came over. I needed to see with my own eyes that you were okay.”
“How do you already know me so well? I have a very thick vein of guilt that runs through my psyche. Whenever anyone does anything for me that I think is putting them out, I get a really bad case of the guilts.”
He leaned closer and kissed the tip of my nose. The gesture was so sweet, but what I really wanted was to kiss him like I experienced last night.
