Page 12 of Siren in Love
“Oh, fine.I get a little something for the pain too, right?Now’s good, but I’m assuming it’ll get worse.”
She placed a rectangular piece of gauze over the wound.“That it will, and yes, I’ll prescribe something.You’ll feel a lot better in a few days, but no getting your hair wet.”
“Ah, fuck.I have a hair care routine, Doc.”
“You’ll have to hit pause on that for a while, I’m afraid.”
Corvin grumbled.For the life of him, Mike couldn’t find anything wrong with the sound.
Mike watched the doctor work, watched Corvin wincing when the pain still broke through as Morales finished up.She was pretty quick about it, covering and securing the dressing under Corvin’s hair.
Finally, she pulled her gloves off and rounded the table so she could face Corvin.“Okay, all done back there.I’m sending you home with pain meds and Neosporin for the wound.If there’s any swelling or intense pain, you come back right away.You can remove the bandage in twenty-four hours, and after that, you can leave it as is.The stitches can come out in a week, either come back here or see your primary care physician.Until then, keep this dry for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours.You can shower after that, but be careful when you shampoo and rinse.Questions?”
Corvin blinked.“Could you write that down?All of it.I feel like there’s going to be a test and I need to study.”
“That’s okay, I got it,” Mike said.
Morales beamed.“Great.See?He can be your study partner.Stay out of bar fights in the future, okay?A nurse will be by with your medication in a moment.”
Corvin nodded, bobbing his head in slow motion.He seemed to be coming down from the adrenaline, the blood loss, and the pain medication and was no longer in the mood for jokes.
Mike pulled out his phone to request another Uber.While he was still typing, the male nurse from the front desk poked his head in to hand off the medication, and Mike took it after checking that everything was in the bag.
“Ready to head home?”he asked Corvin.
“So ready.”He slid off the table, keeping a hand on it to steady himself.“You don’t need to take me, you know.You already provided this wonderful hospital experience, and I can’t ask for anything else.”He looked at Mike as the nurse began cleaning the room and getting it ready for the next patient.In a more sober tone, Corvin added “You didn’t have to do any of this, Mike.”
“Don’t you worry about what I do and don’t need to do.”Mike sucked in a lungful of air, then raised his hand and gently placed the palm on Corvin’s cheek, tilting his face up.“It’s okay.”
Color came back to Corvin’s cheeks, his fluttering lashes dark against that delicate, rosy bloom.“I’m sorry,” he said.
Mike left his hand where it was.“What for?”
Corvin shrugged, then winced when that hurt.“Ruining this.You really seem like a nice guy.”
Mike could hear the regret in Corvin’s voice.He’d clearly hoped for the night to turn out differently.So had Mike, but none of it was Corvin’s fault.
Mike caught the nurse glancing at them, so he put an arm around Corvin’s shoulders and led him out into the hallway.It wasn’t too busy there, and they stood off to the side next to a row of chairs.
“Corvin, we can have a do-over.Once you feel better, and once your head is healed.”Mike hummed, keeping his voice low and soothing.“We do have that cocktail voucher.Be a shame not to use it.”
Mike could feel the muscles in Corvin’s shoulders shift as he lifted his head.“I’d like that.”
In that moment, with the two of them so close, Mike’s phone vibrated.He looked at the screen.
“Uber’s here.You ready to be taken home and put to bed?”
Corvin huffed.“Definitely not.”
“Great.Come on.”Mike took Corvin’s hand—still cool, still slightly clammy.
“You’re really bad at listening, Mike.Anyone ever told you that?”
“No, never.And I didn’t miss a single thing you said all night.”
Mike looked at Corvin and saw a hint of brightness in the other man’s face, even as he whispered, “Show-off.”
Objectively, the date had gone terribly, but Mike couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest siren on land.He was almost positive there wasn’t one luckier left in the oceans either.
