God, how I had missed that about him.
“But, your brain still has some swelling, and you’ll have to stay in the hospital a couple more days until it’s completely gone.”
“I-... I-I-I can’t, though. I, uh, was due at-... at work tomorrow, Flynn.”
The last few words came out like a whispered plea. Like I was ready for someone to wake me up from this nightmare. I was ready to wake up and be in my own bed in Paris after kissing my parents goodbye.
I wanted out of this hospital.
“I’ve taken care of it.”
I turned my head towards the voice holding my other hand, and my eyes landed on the most comforting face I could have conjured in that very moment.
; “Mom,” I whispered. I felt Flynn let go of my hand, and for a split second I reached out and grasped his forearm. I didn’t want to let him go, and I didn’t want him to leave, but my mother nodded him out of the room, and I didn’t have the energy to fight. I watched him give me one more glance from the doorway, and then he slunk out of the room and shut the door behind him.
“I already called your work,” I heard my Mom say.
“Are you the reason Flynn is here?” I asked.
“Chelsea, when I-”
I heard my mother swallow hard, and that’s when my father took over the conversation.
“Hey there, honey bunny,” he soothed from my feet.
“Who called Flynn?” I whispered.
“Well, when it all happened, Bradley called us after an ambulance had shown up. We met you here, at the hospital, and when they started taking your belongings off you, they handed your phone to us. Your mother went to work scrolling through to find your boss’s number, but along the way, she found that you had Flynn’s in your phone.”
“Bradley gave it to me,” I croaked.
“It’s good you remember that sweetie,” my mother cooed with tears in her voice.
“We figured if you had his number, maybe the two of you were at least kosher, so we called him,” my dad finished.
“And yes, I called your work and told them what was happening,” my mother took over. “They’ve given you the month off to recuperate and heal. Apparently, someone doesn’t like taking vacation time very often.”
“I enjoy what I do,” I snickered.
“Well, they said you have four weeks, and if you need more all you need to do is call.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I smiled. And I meant it. I guess my colleagues call me a workaholic for a reason, but the truth is I adore what I do. It’s never been work for me, just… life. Life enjoyed, and life lived, and life loved.
“Knock knock,” came a voice from the door.
“Flynn,” I smiled lightly.
“That’s what brings me to my other point,” I heard my mom sigh.
“What’s wrong, Mom?” I asked. I could hear the sadness and exasperation in her voice, and I was wondering how in the world she was going to take care of me. She had the farm, and my father wasn’t much help these days, and it seemed like I had a long road to recovery ahead of me. Right now, I had issues just lifting my own hands! How was she going to take care of me!?
“Settle that mind down, Chelsea. It’s alright.”
God, his voice could calm the raging sea inside of me with just a few simple words.
“Flynn and I talked, and he’s offered to take care of you. The doctor says you’ll be here for two or three more days, and then you can either go to a halfway house and recuperate, or you can be released into someone’s care.”