Coming home

Chapter 6

Claire wasn’t sure how long she had been out, but she was feeling better now. She woke up feeling safe, comfortable, and surprisingly in no pain. She had been in the emergency room most of the night having x-rays and tests done with two big brawny men standing over her. They seemed to be trying to intimidate the hospital staff into treating her better than they were already.

Claire had tried to send them home, but they wouldn’t listen. She had tried to tell them that she was fine but it was like talking to a brick wall. The doctor finally came in to give her a diagnosis and asked if they were family before saying anything. Claire spoke up with a “No” before anyone could say anything. The doctor told the nurse to escort them to the waiting room.

The nurse, who had introduced herself as Jessie when Claire first came in, had been constantly in the room doing her duties and eyeing the two men as if they had been in the way the whole time. It could have been Claire’s imagination, but it seemed Jessie was taking great pleasure in ushering them out of the room and down the hall. That had been the only time the two had left her side. If she had known it would have been that easy to make them go away, she would have got Jessie to make them leave a long time ago, Claire thought. She could have let them stay, but she knew they would freak if there was anything seriously wrong. This way she could tell them what she wanted them to know.

The doctor said she had a concussion that may give her some headaches for the next couple of days, but nothing major there. The major came next. When she fell, her shoulder broke her fall and she had dislocated it. He had mainly told her that she wouldn’t be able to do anything for about 2 weeks or she might have to have surgery on it. Surgery would put her out of commission longer. She was to have a follow-up visit in 2 weeks.

He even recommended either her staying with someone or having someone stay with her. Thank goodness neither of the men were there to hear that part. Maybe she could get away with not telling them that part. She wasn’t going to be kosher with either one of them being underfoot.

Nurse Jessie returned with a smile that reached all the way to her brown eyes that had amazing flecks of gold that seemed to sparkle to produce Claire’s discharge papers. Judging by that smile, either Jessie had really enjoyed kicking the two men out of the room or Luke had turned on the charm. Claire wouldn’t blame Luke for it. Nurse Jessie was what Claire assumed was the ideal fantasy that a man would have of an erotic stay in the hospital. Jessie stood about 5’8”, which seemed so much taller than Claire’s 5’ frame lying in the hospital bed. Jessie’s blonde hair was neatly bound by a colorful scrunchy at the nape of her neck. The rest of her plentiful hair cascaded down her back, stopping right before the small of her back.

Was she actually jealous of this woman that she had never met before? Claire shook the thought from her head as Nurse Jessie went about going over the instructions the doctor gave for discharge. Claire couldn’t help noticing Nurse Jessie had no rings on her fingers when the nurse handed over papers for Claire to sign. There was no reason for Claire to be intimidated by this woman. She had no rights to Luke and even when she did, he proved she didn’t. What he did and who he dated wasn’t any of her business. Guilt washed over Claire that she was judging this woman unfairly. Claire felt the urge to apologize to this woman but pushed the thought out of her head. She would look like a crazy woman if she had. There was no way the woman could know what was going through her mind. Claire chalked her thoughts up to her head injury as she thanked Jessie and waited to be taken home.