Diana's dilemma

"Why are you here?" Maxwell asked. "A man ran me over..." he offered first. "Me too." Diana replied. Maxwell's jaw dropped. "Wait, are you joking?" was all he could say. "No." was Diana's clipped response. She really did not feel like talking, and here was this man sitting next to her, trying to chat her up. She just wanted him to shut up and leave her alone. They were sitting in the reception lounge of a private hospital in Nairobi, both waiting their turn to see the doctor. Maxwell had a broken wrist, or at least he assumed it was a broken wrist, while Diana had a black eye and a bandage wrapped around her elbow with a sling suspended around her neck. They had both had x-rays done and were waiting to find out if their injuries were actually fractures. Diana's mind was preoccupied with thoughts of her daughter and how she was going to manage with a fractured elbow, and she really wasn't in the mood for some chitchat. Maxwell, on the other hand, was genuinely intrigued and was not going to let it go. "Well, I was playing rugby yesterday, and the defensive player of the opposing team was hell-bent on stopping my scoring streak. He hit me with so much force that I fell down, and then he still had the audacity to land on my wrist," Maxwell said while lifting his injured wrist to show Diana the afore-mentioned wrist. "How were you run over?" he asked Diana. Before she could answer him, the nurse lifted her head from the computer screen she had been staring at and declared to the waiting patients, "Diana Odongo, the doctor will see you now." With that, Diana got up and disappeared into the consultation room. As she walked away, Maxwell could not help his disappointment at the missed opportunity. He could not explain why, but for some reason, he had felt drawn to her. She seemed fragile and sweet, and he had felt the natural urge to protect her. She hadn't said much, but something in him thought that with a little more gentle prodding, maybe she could open up some. Now, he wasn't sure he was ever going to get the opportunity. After what seemed like an eternity, Diana walked out of the doctor's consultation room. She had a sheet of paper in her hand, probably the prescription, which she handed over to the reception nurse. The nurse quickly glanced at it and pointed to a door marked 'treatment room'. "Go in there, they are waiting for you," she said to Diana. "Thank you." Diana responded, then she turned around ready to go. Maxwell spotted his window and quickly scurried over before Diana could disappear again. He stopped right in front of her, blocking her way. "Hey, so we did not get a chance to finish our conversation. Would you mind giving me your number so that we can pick up where we left off over some coffee?" He asked expectantly. "Look, I appreciate your interest, but I really don't think this is a good idea. I'm sorry, but could you kindly move out of my way? The nurses are waiting," Diana replied. "I'm sorry, I meant no harm by it. I just thought that you might need someone to talk to. I'm sorry, here, you can go," Maxwell said dejectedly, as he moved out of Diana's way. He walked back to his seat and sat down. Oh well, at least I tried, he thought. He tried to brush off the pangs of disappointment by convincing himself that she was just one woman, there are and will always be plenty more, but he had to admit it to himself; she seemed special. Diana, on the other hand, had been told by the doctor that her elbow was strained and all she needed was some muscle relaxant and compression as well as some painkillers to manage the pain. She was going to be alright. He recommended icing her eye a few times a day to bring the swelling down and some eye drops for the redness. She should be back to normal in a couple of weeks. Diana was relieved. She was glad she wasn't fractured because taking care of her daughter and going to work with a fractured elbow was going to be hell on earth. At least now, she could request a two-week sick leave to recuperate, and then she could go back to work good as new! The doctor had asked her if she had a P3 form for him to fill out to help her with the police report, but she had said she didn't. He had wanted to ask her why she wasn't pressing any charges, but he knew better than to do that. Instead, he told her that he highly recommended that she press charges on the person who did that to her, and that he was willing to help out whenever she was ready. As the nurses worked on her elbow, she couldn't help but think about the fellow at the reception. What did he want with her? Why was he so persistent in talking to her? She couldn't help but feel a little guilty about how sad he looked when she had rebuffed him. He didn't seem like a bad person, he just had horrible timing, that's all. He was good-looking and well-built. Of course, he had mentioned he played rugby, so that made sense. And he was quite the talker too... Oh well, it was for the best that she nipped that right in the bud when she did; David wouldn't like her making new friends, especially if they looked like that guy. Thinking about David brought back all the memories from the previous night; the reason she was here getting bandaged right now. She shook her head and tried desperately to think about something else. Maybe she should have taken up the reception fellow's offer to talk, bottling up all these thoughts and feelings was slowly driving her insane; but she couldn't dare tell anyone. She was so afraid. "All done!" one of the nurses declared. This brought her out of her reverie and back to the present. Another nurse handed over a brown bag containing her medication with a sympathetic smile and Diana knew the nurses pitied her. She pitied herself too, but she felt powerless. "Thank you," was all she could muster, and she walked out of the treatment room, filled with dread at the thought of going back home, but what other choice did she have? As she walked towards the exit, she bumped into the "reception fellow" again, leaving the men's room. Oh Lord, not again! She could not seem to get away from this man today! "Hi Diana!" he said cheerfully. "Wait, how do you know my name?" she asked, caught off-guard and slightly curious now. "I'm psychic! Mother says I got it from my great granduncle!" Maxwell said with a giggle. Diana rolled her eyes, but smiled a little at this. "Ok, ok, the truth is, I heard the nurse call out your name back when we were seated together. My name is Maxwell," he added, stretching out his good hand. Diana shook it. "I know you probably don't want to give a stranger you just met your number, but here's my card. If you ever want to just talk, give me a ring," Maxwell said, handing Diana his business card. She took it and slid it into her purse. "Ok, I will. Listen, I have to go now. It was nice meeting you, Maxwell. Have a nice afternoon," Diana said, already walking past him. "Talk to you soon, hopefully!" Maxwell shouted after her. He could only hope she made use of the card he had handed her. He proceeded to the treatment room to get his fractured wrist plastered up.