“Some what?”
“Money.” Her cheeks tinge with red. “I had enough to cover the apartment bills and everything up until a couple of weeks ago. It’s been tight since then. I was…well…”
I grip her hand and take in a breath.
“You had to work to keep current?”
“Not yet,” she says as she shakes her head. “
I was really close last week.”
The relief I feel to know she didn’t have to go that route floods through my body, leaving me feeling a little loose and gooey. I give her the combination to the safe in my closet.
“There’s plenty in there,” I tell her. “You shouldn’t have any trouble.”
“Thank you.” She leans over and kisses my forehead. “I hated to even say anything, but I didn’t think you wanted me to—”
“No,” I say, interrupting, “I don’t.”
“I didn’t.” Her reassurance is comforting. She reaches behind my head and starts massaging my neck. “Maisy misses you. She keeps running around the apartment with that little yellow ball in her mouth, looking for you. She won’t give it to me though. As soon as I touch it, she wants it back.”
I laugh.
“She just barely got the hang of it,” I say. “I think she brought it back to me about three times the entire afternoon.”
“She does like carrying the ball around.”
“That’s the last thing I remember,” I tell her. “I was trying to get her to fetch.”
Dr. Reiss comes in the room to go over some of the test results. Most of the physical stuff came out normal, but the memory tests were a little suspect. Apparently, they aren’t bad enough for the doctor to be concerned.
“The counselor will be here tomorrow,” Dr. Reiss informs me. “I want him to do a full psychological profile on you before you are discharged. In the meantime, rest.”
“Can I stay with him?” Alina asks as she turns toward the doctor.
“Yes, you may. I’ll make a note that it’s approved. Just let him rest though. No more talking. I’ll be back in the morning to check in on you both.”
Alina agrees and Dr. Reiss leaves.
The next day, I get additional visitors.
“There he is! Back from the dead!” Jonathan saunters in and leans over the bed to hug me. “It’s good to see you with open eyes, brotha.”
“Thanks.”
“Looking good, LT.” Eddie-boy shakes my hand. “They giving you anything decent to eat around here?”
“Better than rations,” I tell him, “but not by much.”
I take Alina’s hand and tell her to go check on Maisy and the apartment. She narrows her eyes but complies with my request. She knows I just want her out of the way but doesn’t make a fuss about it. Jonathan scans the room for any kind of monitoring devices before the guys sit down to talk business.
“Tell me what happened.” I adjust the pillow behind my head and try to sit up a little straighter.
“What do you remember?” Jonathan asks.
“Nothing. Not a damn thing. Who shot me?”
“Whoa.” Jonathan inhales audibly. “I’ll start when you called me, then.”