Page 115 of Absorbed

“Suck it up, Chapman,” Chad said.

“It’s just because it’s so hot outside.” Melissa bumped her upper arm against Stacey’s in encouragement. “You’ll get used to it.” Their footsteps echoed through the hallways.

Exiting the elevator on the third floor, they were met with muted beeping sounds from various blinking machines and the squeaking wheels of the janitor’s garbage bin.

“These rooms are so dark, it’s sad. Why are all the curtains drawn?” Stacey whispered.

“Keeps the rooms cool. Bacteria spreads faster when it’s too warm,” Melissa said.

They arrived at Jessie’s room as an orderly was carrying out a still mostly full lunch tray of clear soup, red Jell-o, and apple juice. The small, round woman smiled at them, her crooked teeth adding a familiar charm to her kind face. “‘He could use some visitors!”

Jessie’s blinds were also drawn, and he gazed blankly atThe Price Is Righton the snowy screen. A thick, white brace spanned his shoulders and chest. Metal rods ran upward from the brace to a halo around his skull, supporting his neck with screws attached to the sides of his head.

Chad led their group in as Bob Barker announced, “Come on down!” to a clapping TV audience.

Jessie’s eyes shifted to see who had entered his room. His body lay still.

“Hi Jessie!” Tiffany waved enthusiastically, living up to her role as The Plunge’s pep-commissioner.

They surrounded Jessie like he was a wounded bird. Chad and Desiree stood at his right side, and Tiffany hovered onJessie’s left, while Melissa and Stacey stood at the foot of the bed.

“Hey,” Jessie’s throat scratched out through his dry lips. He managed a meager grin. His eyes lit up as he took them all in. The scrapes on his forehead had healed to a baby pink, the scar on his nose a fine line, and his skin was pale. Purple moons hung under his eyes, emphasizing his sunken cheeks, and his shaggy blonde hair was dingy with oil.

“We’ve missed you so much!” Tiffany leaned over the bedrail and gave him a gentle embrace, maneuvering around all the medical devices and apparatuses. She set her Red Vines on a small, beige, wheeled table hovering over Jessie’s lap.

The other guards added their offerings to the pile: a colorful array of chips, soda, and candy. Stacey worried Jessie wasn’t allowed any of it, based on the untouched tray of liquids that had just been wheeled out, but Jessie smiled dimly at the stash of contraband. “Thanks.”

“Looking good, man.” Chad gripped the bed-rail with both hands. “Anything worthwhile on TV?”

“Sure,” Jessie breathed out. Unable to move his head, he smiled, straining to look Chad in the eyes. “Mexican soap operas.”

“I hear those are way sexier than American soaps,” Desiree said. “You know, you could totally pass as a hot patient onGeneral Hospital.”

The other girls grinned and nodded, chuckling nervously.

“Except those patchy face-pubes make you look like Beavis.” Chad brushed a finger against Jessie’s chin.

“Shut up, Butthead,” Jessie managed.

They all laughed. For a brief moment, the teasing felt almost normal.

Stacey squeezed her arms tighter around herself.

“Stacey, take that blanket,” Jessie said. “The one on my feet.”

Stacey shook her head and dropped her arms to her sides.“No, no, no. I’m fine.”

“You’re cold.” He sounded sincerely concerned. “Might as well take it. I can’t feel anything anyway.”

And there it was. The uncomfortable truth. Stacey’s eyes misted.

Tiffany went to the window and opened the blinds.“This’ll help.” She was careful not to let the sunlight shine directly in Jessie’s face. “See, it’s cheerier in here already.”

The heat of the sun immediately warmed the room.

On the nightstand next to Jessie was the newspaper article about the accident. There was also a generic rainbow “Get well soon” greeting card, a bouquet of wilting daisies with mossy green water, and a yellow smiling sun balloon that barely floated. Stacey pointed to crayon-drawn cards taped to the wall behind her, just past the foot of Jessie’s bed. “Where did these come from?”

“Bob dropped ‘em off.” Jessie coughed weakly. “Kids left them at the pool for me.”

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