Page 71 of Dance With Me
“Call the doctor,” she said to someone. “Tell them he’s awake.”
His mother’s eyes were rimmed with red, and she held a cotton handkerchief in her other hand. Doctor? Where was he? Why couldn’t he remember anything?
“Oh, my baby boy, we’ve been waiting for you to wake up. How are you feeling? Are you alright?” She was fighting to hold back the tears.
“Don’t crowd him, Jana. Let the doctor see him.” His father was here too.
His mother released his hand, and a woman in a white coat took her place by his bedside. He couldn’t read her ID badge but assumed she was the doctor. What the fuck was going on?
“Hi, Seb. Do you know where you are? I’m just going to shine this light in your eyes. I know it’ll be bright, but I just need to check your responses.”
He blinked in surprise as his eyes were assaulted by the light from a small torch. It shone in his left, then his right eye.
“OK, reaction to light is good. How are you feeling?”
Seb tried to talk but could only manage a croak. A straw was pressed against his lips, and he sipped slowly, the cool water trickling down his throat, soothing the soreness he felt. He pushed the straw away with his tongue, and it disappeared. He closed his eyes. He felt exhausted from the effort.
He remembered the doctor had asked him a question, and he responded, the effort taking everything out of him.
“I don’t know where I am, but I’m sore, really sore, and my head is pounding.”
“OK, well, you’re in the hospital. You’ve been through a lot, so you should try to rest as much as possible. I’ll come in again later to see you, and someone will be in shortly with some more medication for you.” The doctor smiled at him and his parents before walking out of the room.
“Why am I here?” he asked. “What happened?”
“Oh, baby, you were in a car accident. Do you remember?”
He could vaguely remember something, the sensation of having his wrists bound. He reached to feel them but could only feel the weight of a cast. What the fuck?
“Just rest, baby. You need to build your strength up so you can get out of here. Your friends have all been waiting for you; Natalia and Louis, Dom… Joe’s been here, too. Such a lovely man. We’re staying with him at the moment. He wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Now Seb was really puzzled. Joe was here? The more he tried to remember what had happened, the more tired he became until eventually, he drifted off to sleep again.
The next time he woke, he felt more alert and was able to look around the room. It was a stark, private hospital room. The walls were white, and a full-length window to the right looked out onto a small garden. He had no idea what time of day it was. There was a slightly ajar door on his left that he could see led to a bathroom.
On a chair to the right sat Joe, slumped down with his eyes closed. Seb looked at him closely. He had a healthy stubble on this jaw, his usually perfect hair was messed up, and his clothes looked wrinkled as if he’d been sleeping in them. He had dark smudges under his eyes, and his face looked pale.
Joe slowly opened his eyes. Had he sensed his eyes on him? He gave him that beautiful smile, complete with dimples.
“You’re awake.” He stood up, moved over to the bed and held his good hand. “How are you feeling? You gave us all such a scare, Seb.” He had tears in his eyes as he spoke, and he brushed Seb’s hair out of his face.
“I’m OK,” Seb croaked. “Still sore but not as bad. Could I have some water, please?” He tried to sit up, but he fell back onto the bed, defeated.
“Of course, let me get it for you.” Joe rushed round to the small table next to Seb and held the cup for him to drink from. He supported Seb as he finally managed to sit and drink, then gently laid him down when he was done.
“What are you doing here, Joe?” Seb was so confused. Joe was with Clare; he didn’t want Seb, did he?
“Where else would I be, Seb? I told you I wanted to see what we had, and after Clare…. Shit, you don’t need to hear all of this now. Just know that I’m here for you, as long as you need me. Do you remember what happened? The police have been waiting for you to wake up.” Joe continued to stroke his hair, and he almost purred.
“They said they’d be back again tomorrow to see if you were awake. You’ve been out of it a while.”
“How long? How long have I been here?” Seb was feeling a little better but could feel exhaustion setting in again.
“You’ve been here five days already, in and out of it. The doctors wanted you to sleep and rest. Sorry, do you want me to get your parents? They’ll want to see you, now you’re more awake. I can just get out of your hair. None of us wanted you to be alone when you woke up.”
“No, stay for a while, please? Tell me what’s happening with you and Clare. Are you back together again?” Why was Joe here if they were together?
“Well, it’s rather a long story. I’ll just give you the highlights. Clare is pregnant, but the baby’s not mine. She had been having an affair with a co-worker. She and I won’t be getting married, that’s for sure. We can be together, Seb, you and me.” Joe paused to look at Seb, his eyes warm, his smile gentle. “Only if you want to, no rush.”
