Page 35 of Fluffed and Folded

She giggled again, a pure sound that went straight to his chest and made it thump. He brushed it away, not wanting to be attracted to her when she was desperate, ill, and at her worst. It seemed wrong somehow, as if he were preying on her vulnerability. In real life, when they were both at their best, she would never go for him. It would be unfair to take advantage of her dependence on him, and he vowed not to do it. “Do you want anything? One of those large print crossword puzzle books I saw in the gift shop, perhaps?”

She rolled her eyes. “I have like ten of those at home.”

“They said you’re not allowed to eat, but maybe you’d like an overpriced stuffed animal or a twelve dollar rose that has probably been doused in pesticides and bleach to keep it alive?”

“Are you listing everything you can remember from the gift shop?” she asked.

“I haven’t gotten to the mood rings or umbrellas yet, so hold tight, we could be here a while,” he said

The team of doctors arrived then. Eli hovered uncomfortably, not certain if he should stay while they explained her diagnosis and treatment plan for her, but the room was so tiny the mass of medical experts blocked his exit. Trapped, he sat back and tried not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. Not that anyone noticed him. Darby was dazed, trying hard to take it all in. And the doctors shared that buzz of excitement an unusual diagnosis must bring. Each of them seemed intent on getting a piece of the action. A few asked questions, and several took notes. Eli guessed the hospital had some kind of policy about taking pictures of patients or they probably would have done that, too.

“See, what did I tell you?” Eli said when the doctors finally cleared out. “You’re the bell of the sick girl ball. Everyone wantsa piece of Darby. Literally, like, they want to cut out a piece of you and keep it.”

She made a sound that was halfway between a laugh and a croak. He eased closer and rested his hand comfortingly on her forearm again. “How are you holding up, kid?” She wasn’t that much younger than him, only a couple of years, but in this moment she seemed like a child—vulnerable, innocent, and overwhelmed.

“I’m, uh, I don’t know.” Her hands twisted the sheet back and forth between them. “It sounds like I definitely have to have the surgery, right?” Big eyes rested on him.

“No. You don’t have to do anything. It’s your body.” She relaxed a little until he continued. “But it does sound like they think surgery is the best option, even if you can disregard their unhealthy interest in your tumor. It doesn’t sound like the kind of thing that’s going to disappear or get better on its own.”

She swallowed hard.

He patted her arm. “What’s going on? What are you so afraid of, specifically?”

“I’ve never had surgery before. I had never been to the hospital before Ham…and then he didn’t come home.” Her eyes welled with tears and she blinked them away before they could fall.

Eli searched around for a box of tissues, opened it, and handed her one. “Surgery is scary, but this is a really good hospital. I wasn’t just saying that earlier. My patients fight over going to this hospital. It’s primo, the good stuff.”

“You know you sound like a drug dealer right now.”

“How would you know?” he asked, eyebrow quirked.

“TV.” His reassurance worked, and she relaxed. “Speaking of, do you want to watch something? All this silence is unnerving.”

He handed her the remote.

“What do you want to watch?” she asked.

“Whatever. I don’t watch much, so I have no idea what’s on.”

She rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re one of those.”

“One of what?”

“One of those highbrow snobs who thinks you’re too good for TV.”

“You make me sound condescending. That means you think I talk down to people,” he said and smiled when she laughed.

“Fine, I’ll admit that I’m a TV addict, the stupider the better. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve wasted on reality TV. It’s pathetic.”

“I once spent seven days immersed so deeply in a role-playing game that I forgot to shower and had to go to the emergency room for dehydration because I also forgot to drink anything. Trust me when I tell you this is a judgment-free zone.”

“You’re easy to be with,” she said, sounding slightly surprised.

“Aren’t most people?” he asked.

“I don’t know a lot of people,” she confessed as she breezed through the channels. “My husband was easy to be around, as long as everything went his way.” She frowned. “That makes him sound bad, maybe even borderline abusive. I don’t mean it that way. Ham was good, but he was also kind of selfish. He liked to be babied and spoiled. Probably why he married someone half his age, because I was young enough to be easily trained.”

“Hmm,” Eli said, unable to take his eyes off her as she made the statement so casually. Her childhood had been stunted by becoming a bride to a much older man, and what had she done with the intervening years? Hidden in her house and watched TV. “When this is over, we maybe need to get you out a little more.”

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