Page 139 of Well Played

“No!”Awesome!Now I sound desperate. “I mean, I don’t mind the company. I just feel bad that you spent your day here with me yesterday. I’m sure you have better things to do.”

“Watching you sleep isn’t doing nothing. Besides, I brought gifts.”

“Gifts?” I light up. Who is this imposter, and what did he do with the real Nico?

He hands me a black reusable bag that he had sitting next to his chair. It’s too dark to see through, so I have no clue what’s inside, and I’m excited to dig into it.

“Kaitlyn blew up my phone all day, so I met up with her when I left here ... blah, blah, blah.” The second I hear her name, I shut down. Not on purpose. Disappointment poisons my thoughts and kills my excitement like a deadly dose of venom. I set the bag down.

“Aren’t you going to take a look? At least see if I need to pick anything else up.”

“I’m sure you did a great job. And whatever is in here is better than what I had before.”

Niko’s eyes dull. They sparkled like chocolate diamonds when I first woke, and now they don’t. He’s upset. Why? He gets to his feet, and my heart drops, sinks through the bed, and burns a hole through the floor. He picks up his coffee cup and heads toward the door. He’s leaving, and I don’t know why or how to stop him.

15

Nico

“Did you hear the good news?”Summer’s nurse, Angela, comes in with her lunch tray before I make it out the door. She’s wearing a yellow gown over her scrubs, a mask, face shield, and gloves, and I wonder why I’m standing here without any personal protection.

Yet another reason I should walk out, but I’ve already spent a lot of time with her; a mask isn’t going to help me now. Wanting to hear the news, I lean against the wall and listen to what the middle-aged woman has to say.

I have no faith that Summer will reach out to update me otherwise. I shouldn’t care. I don’t want to. But if I leave her in a lurch, Kaitlyn and the other women in the group will have it out for me.

Why couldn’t I have been charged with checking on one of the guys? Or one of the other women?Anyonewho wasn’t Summer. She’s infuriating. For every step forward I think I take, I find myself back at the starting line, frustrated.

“You’re a very lucky woman,” Angela directs to Summer. “Your fiancé called twice to check up on you, and then he sat at your side for at least two hours before you woke.”

Great, now I feel obligated to stay and continue playing this role for a woman who doesn’t appreciate it. If I beeline out of here, I’m the one that will look like a horse’s ass.

“Iamlucky,” Summer replies. Her gray eyes, full of emotion, lock on mine. At least the eye that’s open enough for me to see. “I don’t know what I would do without Nico.” Who is she putting this show on for?

“Are you hungry, Baby?” Angela turns to me. “Can I get you a tray?” At least someone appreciates me.

“No thanks. You said something about good news?”

“You’re going home tomorrow.” She informs Summer. “Isn’t that great?”

“Tomorrow?” Summer jumps in, sounding panicked. “Last night, the doctor said I’d be here for fourteen days.”

“You’re responding well to the medication. There’s no sign of shingles in your eye anymore. Besides, they wouldn’t keep you hospitalized the entire fourteen days, in any case. You’d be sent home with a PICC line, but now, you can take the pills orally.”

“But it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.” I chime in, confused.

“Like I said, good news. Can I do anything else for you?”

Summer shakes her head.

“Press the call button if you need me.”

Summer raisesthe head of the bed and sits motionless with her eyes closed. The simple action either pained her or drained her energy. I’m not sure which.

I adjust the rolling tray so that it sits over her lap and she can eat easily, then turn the main light on.

“Ooh, that’s so bright,” She closes her eyes and raises her forearm to block the light. “Can you turn it off?”

“Of course.”

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