Two

It was like something out of a fairytale.

Dazed and confused she leaned against him as they entered the hospital. Several voices and sounds echoed lowly in her ears as he guided her through the ER. He helped her sit on the edge of a bed and she could see his lips mouth the words “Be right back.” She blinked hard,  trying to clear her vision in the bright room as he disappeared. Her head throbbed painfully and her stomach twisted with nausea. In her disoriented state she clumsily reached for the plastic tub next to the bed and retched. She coughed and lifted a hand to her mouth as she noticed footsteps appearing. She felt a hand reach out and take the bin, passing it off to a second pair of feet in sneakers and scrubs. Her eyes focused on the pair of shoes that remained and she gazed up to their owner only to find that Jesse had returned.

“How are you feeling?” He asked, setting the items in his hands on a small tray. She identified them as gauze, tape, a needle and some thread. “Better?” He prompted, fitting his hands with blue latex gloves.

She lowered her hand and took a deep breath. “Are you a doctor?”

He smiled as he continued preparing his tools. “That depends,” He began. “Do you like doctors?”

She could feel herself smile slightly. “Maybe.” She answered as he brushed her hair away from the cut on her forehead. “It depends.”

“On what?” He asked. “This might sting a bit.” He warned, placing a damp cotton ball over the cut and dabbing gently.

She inhaled sharply and winced. “How good you stitch me up.”

“Well, I should tell you I graduated top of my class from med school. I’ve got some pretty steady hands.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She said laughed.

“Something funny?” He asked, carefully sewing the laceration.

“This isn’t how I pictured tonight going.” She answered simply. “This feels like a movie. Almost like it’s not real. Like I’m dreaming.”

“Well, you did hit your head pretty hard on the pavement. You have a concussion.” He answered, clipping the remainder of the thread. “That would explain the dream-like state.” He continued, taking off the gloves and setting them on the tray.

“I only hit my head because you ran me over.” She replied.

“Right. I am sorry about that. Profoundly so. Not how I imagined meeting you.”

She smiled and grabbed her coat from the bed. “What can I say? You made a pretty good first impression.” She slid forward on the bed, her feet hitting the floor as she stood. In a wave of vertigo she swayed and felt his hand reach out to steady her.

“Whoa,” He said, placing his hand on her side. “Perhaps you should sit? There’s no pressure to be ready. Take your time.” He steered her back to the bed. “There.”

She leaned back against the mattress, closing her eyes. “Now what?” She asked.

“You should get some rest. Just for a bit. I’ll come back in a short while to see how you’re feeling.” He instructed. “Deal?”

She sighed contently, a small smile forming on her lips. “Deal.”