“Ok. And I’ll call the doctor for you,” Mila says. I start to open my mouth, but she shuts me down. “No arguments.”
“Fine.”
I pick up the phone and call my father, and Mila disappears with her phone down the hall.
I’m in the shower when Mila comes back. “Are you having trouble breathing?” she shouts over the sound of the water. I shake my head.
“No. Only when I move.”
“Ok. Then the doctor says to give it a few more days. He says that the level of pain you’re having is normal for broken ribs.” She turns to leave, then turns back dramatically. “Oh, by the way, you didn’t tell me you have broken ribs.”
I cringe. “You weren’t supposed to know that part.”
“Well, I do now. Get dressed, Crash. Eat breakfast, take your medicine.”
She starts to leave, but I call after her. “Babe?”
She pauses. “Yeah?”
“I called my father. You’d better call the movers.”
Her shoulders clench for just a minute. I know how much she loves this house. But she purposely relaxes her face, and smiles.
“Great. I’ll do it today.”
“Great.”
“Babe?” She looks at me. “Don’t do too much, ok? Make sure you rest.”
She pauses, then looks away. “That was a freak thing, Pax. There was something wrong with the embryo. It won’t happen again.”
I hate reminding her that she miscarried a couple years ago. It had devastated her, and it had crushed me. But I need her to promise that she’ll take care of herself.
“I know,” I assure her. “There was nothing you could’ve done, babe. I just want you to promise me that you’re not going to overdo it now. The movers will pack. You just point at things for them.”
She grimaces. “Ok.”
“I know. It kills you not to be in the mix of things.” I laugh and she swats at me, then remembers that I’m injured. She clasps her hand over her mouth.
“I’m sorry,” she exclaims.
“You barely touched me. Don’t worry about it.”
But it did hurt. I can still feel her fingerprints on my ribcage. Jesus, I’m pathetic.
I limp into the bedroom to change my clothes, and as I do. My phone rings. The screen tells me that it’s my brother-in-law.
“Hey, Gabe,” I answer, trying to wiggle into a t-shirt.
“Hey, bro. How you feeling?”
As if I’m going to tell the big ex-Ranger the truth, that I’m sore as hell.
“I’ll make it,” I tell him.
“Good. Maddy wants me to take you out tonight so that she can hang with the girls… do manicures and shit, I guess.”
I know Mila would like it. I know she surely can’t wait to tell Maddy the baby news.