Page 6 of Falling Offsides

“An… aaa… e-ne-ma…” I enunciate.

The girl’s face drops with a gasp, meanwhile he rolls his lips together.

“I don’t need an enema,” she blusters after a second, pushing herself to an upright position.

Doc chuckles, lightly dabbing some gauze over the gash that disappears into her hairline. “I think he means an aneurysm, and no, you’re not having either. You might have a concussion, though.”

“Aneurysm… yeah, that’s it,” I say, trying to ignore his nod to the door.

I’m not sure I should leave without making sure she’s alive and well.

“You can go now, Bruce,” Doc vocalizes.

I look from him to her. Trying to remember the questions to ask to make sure someone doesn’t have brain damage.

“Ughh… What’s your name?”

The girl swallows. “Courtney.”

“Courtney… last name?”

With a panicked expression she opens and closes her mouth.

“Shit. You remember your last name, right? Who you are?”

“Yes.”

“So?”

Big, teary eyes look up at me from beneath mascara smudged lashes. “Didn’t even last a damn day,” she mutters before whispering, “Nilsson. My name is Courtney Elouise…Nilsson.”

“Fuck, so it is true.” A part of me was hopeful it wasn’t. That it was all bullshit to make me sweat. “Fuck. What day is it?”

“Ahm… Tuesday?”

No.Today is most certainly aThursday.“What year?”

Dazed, Courtney blinks up at me.

Courtney. The name suits her.

“Year…”

“Yeah, what year is it? Do you know? Remember?”

“Eighteen twenty six,” she hums, head tilting to the side with a gnaw of her lip.

“Are you sure? Are yo—” I pause at the quiver of her lips and Doc’s chuckle. “You’re fucking with me.”

“Well, if you insist on giving me a migraine on top of a scar… What’s a girl to do?”

Yeah, she’s Bobby Nilsson’s daughter alright—she has the same sick sense of humor.

“Honestly, I’m fine.” Her laugh turns to a grimacing hiss.

Okay. She says she’s fine. Acting like it too. Doc has the bleeding under control… I think it’s safe to leave her in his hands now.

Slowly backing out of the room, I ignore the assholes loitering in the corridor, waiting to drill me.

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