Page 103 of Puppy Love

On the way to urgent care, Avery talks to someone over the phone. I can only make out the words “eye,” “concussion,” and “Banksy,” but I tune the rest out. Listening to his voice is painful enough, but actually processing the words coming out is damn near impossible. Plus, I can only think of two things right now:

Ouch

Violet

I don’t know what it means. Any of it at this point. The contract, the bet. The night she showed up, covered in blood, and that day last week when she held me in the storage closet.

My eyes drift closed. I just need it to be dark.

“Hey,” Avery says, pulling in next to a bright red sign. I can’t read it, but I assume it’s the entrance to the Urgent Care. “We’re here. Don’t fall asleep.”

He tells me to wait in the car, then leaves. He quickly appears with a tall woman, who is gripping the handles on the back of the wheelchair. I’m embarrassed and slightly irritated at Avery for doubting my capabilities. I look over at the nurse.

“Oh! Thank you, um,” I look down at the woman’s name tag, “Natalie, but I’m okay. I can walk.”

I force a smile that hurts more than I let show.

“Just get in the chair,” Avery commands, his voice low as if I’m embarrassing him. Natalie looks at him, then back at me.

“It’s Natalia, and it’s policy,” she says in a thick Russian accent. “All head injuries must be brought in veelchair.”

I swallow, squinting harder at her name tag. She’s right. It says Natalia.

She helps me into the wheelchair, and I feel ridiculous right now, being pushed around like a simple head bump makes it impossible to walk. I’m taking resources away from people who actually need it, and it’s embarrassing. It’s embarrassing in the parking lot, embarrassing in the lobby, and even embarrassing when I’m taken back to a curtained room, with just Avery. I’ve asked him to leave twice, but apparently, it’s “routine procedure” for the manager on shift to stay with the employee until family can come. The only “family” I have is Adrian and Hayden, and Adrian is at home sick with COVID.

Avery pulls out his phone and taps on the screen, before holding it to his ear. I can only hear his side of the conversation.

“Hey. Yeah, sorry. Cam got her face smashed in by a dog. No. Yes. We’re here right now. Yup. Okay. Cool, I’ll tell her.” He puts his phone back into his pocket. “Hayden’s on his way.”

Nurse Natalia enters the room and asks me a string of questions, like “are you experiencing dizziness?” and “do you have nausea?” “Any chance of pregnancy?” and “what happened?”

I answer all of the woman’s questions as she takes my vitals. I have no problem taking deep breaths as instructed, but I struggle when it’s time to follow a long black pen with my eyes. Well, eye.

After Natalia listens to my heart, and reads my blood pressure, she types furiously on the computer, then turns to me.

“Your vitals are good,” she says, her brows furrowing. “Your eyes, is… not so good. We will have to take tests.”

“At least you’re still cute,” Hayden whispers when Natalia pushes me back into my room. I’m not at all upset about Avery being replaced by him. Major stands next to him, as he helps me back into my bed.

“Results should come back within an hour,” Natalia says, turning to leave.

“Excuse me,” Hayden says quietly with a shiny grin. “Would it be okay if I turned off these lights for her?”

With his charisma and charm, he hardly ever gets told no. I simultaneously hate and love it. Natalia flashes him a smile, which proves to be fake as she quickly drops it.

“No. We must wait for results first.”

He tips an invisible cowboy hat at her and gives her a real smile.

“Thank you anyway.”

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