Page 101 of Freshman

“They’re busy people.”

“I’ve been waiting for hours.”

His nurse, Sally, poked her head through the curtain. Her hair was black and curly, and many times Alfie had found strands on his sheets. She wore a professional smile that didn’t reach her eyes, and Alfie didn’t blame her for faking it. He wasn’t a happy sight to look at.

“It’s the day you’ve been waiting for,” she said.

“Yeah, and I want to leave in the day, not at night.”

Tia flicked the back of his hand. “Stop it. You’re a terrible patient.”

“Yeah, I am. I just want to get home and take care of myself.”

“Your keys and your smashed phone are at reception, along with your prescription, but what do you want to do with this?”

She lifted the bag in her hand and raised an eyebrow.

Alfie stared at it, then at Sally. “What?”

“These were the clothes you were bought in wearing. Do you want to keep them?”

Alfie looked again, and his heart quickened when he saw the charcoal coat through the clear plastic. “No-no thanks.”

“Are you kidding?” Tia squeaked. “The coat is worth a fortune. There’s no blood on it, right?”

Sally drew her eyebrows together. “Erm, maybe a little.”

“No matter, I’ll take it.”

“No!” Alfie snapped. “No one’s taking it. I want it thrown away.”

Tia and Sally shared a concerned look that Alfie pretended he didn’t see.

“Okay, I’ll throw it. You’ve just got to come to the front desk with me, and we’ll do the paperwork.”

Alfie closed his eyes slowly. “Thank you.”

He dropped down as gently as he could onto his feet and took a step forward.

Sally shook her head. “I’ve got a chair for you.”

“A chair?”

Sally slapped her professional smile on. “Yeah, to wheel you out.”

“Great,” he hissed.

Tia chatted the whole way back in the taxi.

Alfie knew it was nervous blabbering.

The entire time he had been in hospital, he’d been snappy and impatient. His ribs ached with every movement, and he breathed shallowly to lessen the burn. His hip felt fine, but they constantly told him off for trying to walk without his crutches.

Worse than the discomfort and the frustration, he hated relying on others. He knew eventually they would turf him out, and he wanted them to do it as quickly as possible, not let him linger and get familiar with the staff.

Tia had been there.

She wasn’t there because it was her job or out of a sense of duty like Henry, Glen, and Marie, but because she cared about him.

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