Three

She hadn’t slept like that in a long time.

In the midst of processing her breakup, sleep had evaded her, along with her usual energy and appetite. Perhaps it was the concussion, but she found herself drifting off moments after Jesse had left her to rest. She groggily glanced around, not recognizing her surroundings. It took her a minute to realize that she’d somehow been moved from the ER to an actual room, furnished with a single chair in the corner and a small TV on the wall. She searched for a clock, to give her any indication of what time it was, but with the curtains drawn along the window she couldn’t tell. A soft knock interrupted her thoughts.

“Good morning,” Jesse’s voice spoke softly as he stepped in.

“M-morning?” She mumbled, becoming aware of a dull ache in her head. “How long was I asleep?”

Jesse approached the foot of her bed, lifting what appeared to be a chart. “A while.” He answered simply, returning the chart. “Around 15 hours.”

She was at a loss for words, staring blankly at his response.

“Don’t be alarmed,” He added quickly, taking in her reaction. “Sleep is good, it means you’re healing.” He stepped closer, pulling a small flashlight from the breast pocket of his coat. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay…” She began. “My head hurts.” She eyed the flashlight.

“I’ll be quick,” He replied, sensing her concern. He clicked on the light and held up one finger. “Look here, please.” He instructed. She obeyed. “Any sensitivity to the light?” He asked.

“Not really. I just woke up.”

“That’s good.” He moved his finger to the other side. “And here?” Again, she did as she was told. “Good.” He clicked off the light and sat down at the edge of her bed. “I checked in on you, as I said I would and you were out. After determining you were just sleeping and not dead, I decided to move you here to give you some privacy. The good news is that your concussion was minor, and the swelling reduced, so you’re all clear.”  

“I can go home?” She asked.

“I did have something I wanted to ask you first, if that’s alright?” She nodded and he continued. “Are you hungry?”

Before she could answer, her stomach growled rather loudly. She chuckled, trying to mask her embarrassment. She watched as a small smile appeared on his lips. “Shall I consider that a yes?”

She nodded.

“Can I take you to lunch?” He asked. “It’s the least I could do.”

She smiled. “Like a date?”

“A second first date? I’m not sure spending our first date in a hospital was ideal.” He joked.

“Okay.” She responded after a moment. “Let’s do lunch.” She smiled.

He smiled back and her heart futtered. “It’s a date.”