Chapter 12
RILEY
I slowly wake up to the sun beating in through the window. I hear a snore come from beside me and suddenly realize I had slept the entire night in Aden’s room. I giggle to myself. This was the first night that I actually had a good sleep in these beds. I shouldn’t make it a habit of sleeping here though. I don’t want to get too used to it. I lean over to my other side so I am facing Aden. He is adorable, drool and all. I smile at him. “Hey G Bear,” I say softly to him.
“Huh?” he says still groggy from sleep. Then he realizes that I am still here and gives me a big smile and leans over to kiss me. He quickly swings around the keyboard and types, “Good morning beautiful.”
“Good morning handsome,” I reply.
“I could get used to this,” he types.
“Me too.” I smile back at him.
He pulls me close to him again and kisses me more intensely. I melt into him, at the same time trying not to twist my bad leg. Everything about this moment just feels so right, like I should be waking up with Aden every morning. I pull away to take a breath. “I love you so much Aden,” I say as I look into his eyes. He doesn’t say a word, but his face says it all. He puts his finger to my lips to silence me and then kisses me again.
I glance up for a second and notice that the clock says it’s just about 10:00am. Dr. Harley will be here any minute. I pull away from Aden. He looks at me like what’s the problem. “It’s just about 10. Your doctor will be here right away!” I say with panic in my voice.
Aden sits up straighter with the realization. “We slept in that long?” he types. He looks just as panicked as me now.
“I guess so,” I reply. Both of us have an internal clock that always wakes us up early in the morning. Sleeping in is a rarity for us. Both of us must have really needed the sleep last night. I can’t believe it, of all times to sleep in.
“See you later?” he types.
“You bet,” I say. I quickly gather my things and make my way to the door.
I twist the door knob and pull it open. Dr. Harley is on the other side. “Good morning Riley,” he says, looking a bit confused to why I am here.
“Oh, hey doctor,” I say a little coy.
“You are here bright and early,” he observes. He lets himself into the room not waiting for Aden to greet him.
“Oh, you know how it is. Just couldn’t wait to see him,” I say trying my best not to sound guilty. I don’t think he is buying it.
“Well, enjoy your day Ms. Warren,” he says, walking over to the side counter to set up his papers.
“You too Dr. Harley,” I say back to him and quickly turn to leave.
I hope Aden will take my advice and not be such a baby about doing these tests. He can be so stubborn sometimes. He just needs to get over that road block in his mind and he will be fine.
Instead of going back to my room right away I decide to swing passed the cafeteria to grab a coffee for myself. It is unusually quiet in here today. Usually this place is packed, especially this time of day. I pull a dollar out of my change purse and hand it to the lady behind the counter. She hands me an empty cup. I take it from her and hobble over to the coffee machine to prepare my coffee. One sugar and two creams, just the way I like it. It isn’t any Starbucks, but it helps to get my morning started. I scope out an empty seat on the couch over by the window, so I decide to go over there and hang out for a while. It’s at least somewhere different than my plain, old, boring room. Plus it’s nice and quiet here for once. I might as well take advantage of this opportunity.
“Mind if I sit there?” I hear a voice with a British accent from beside me say.
I look around to see who is talking to me. “No, I don’t mind,” I say as I move over to make more room on the couch.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” A tall man, about 26 or so, with a strong figure says.
“I have only been here a few days. Usually I stick to my room. I haven’t ventured around the rest of the hospital yet. This is my first time coming to the cafeteria actually. I mean, I have walked passed it before, but I have never come to actually sit here and have something from it,” I ramble.
“So what’s your story?” he asks. “Oh and I’m David by the way.”
“Riley,” I say, reaching out my hand to introduce myself. “I was in a car accident. Luckily I only came out with a broken leg and a few minor cuts.”
“Ah, I see. The famous car accident,” David says, gesturing air quotes with his fingers as he says car accident. “That’s probably one of the most common reasons people are in here in the first place.”
“You have been here for some time then? In the hospital, I mean. If you don’t mind me asking,” I stammer.
“No, I don’t mind at all. That’s how you get to know a person, by asking questions. Am I right?” David asks. “Hospitals in general, yes I am frequently in. This one however, I have only been here about a month.” There is some sort of weird, mysterious vibe about this guy that I find kind of attractive.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” I say sympathetically. Frequently being in hospitals would be so depressing. I wonder what he has. “A few days is enough for me. I can’t imagine being here longer than that.”
David laughs at my comment. “Oh, no need to feel sorry for me love. Being here brings a smile to my face for the most part.”
I give him a puzzled look. “How could it bring a smile to your face? I mean like having a baby is about the only good thing that comes from a hospital. When people come here, it’s usually not good.”
“There is plenty of good that can come from being here. For one, I get to meet new and interesting people. Like you, for example,” he says tilting his head to the side and smiling.
“I’m not that interesting,” I say lowering my eyes. The only person that would say I am interesting would be Aden. Even if you asked Sam, she would probably say I am the most boring person in the world. Nothing exciting ever happens to me.
“Not interesting? I’m sure I can find something about you that is,” he challenges. “Are you going to school here?”
“Yes. Stanford,” I respond.
“Stanford,” he repeats. “What are you taking?”
“I just finished my first year law,” I say.
“So you are a smart one then,” He winks at me.
“Sort of I guess,” I say shyly.
“See, I am finding out some interesting facts about you already!” David remarks.
“What are you here for?” I ask, changing the subject, still thinking about what could be keeping him here. To me he looks healthy.
“That is an excellent question Riley,” he says, “But hold on to that thought for a second. I have a call coming through.” David pulls his iPhone out from his jean pocket. He gets up from the couch and walks over to the opposite corner of the cafeteria, pacing back and forth in a deep conversation.
“Sorry love, I have to go,” David says. “I would like to hear more of your Stanford stories sometime.” He turns around suddenly, his dirty blonde hair flipping out of his face. Then he is gone.
What was that all about? Why didn’t I say anything about Aden? Whatever. It’s not like I will ever see this guy again. It is a huge hospital and besides, I rarely make a visit to the cafeteria. Like I told him, the main places I go are my room and Aden’s room. It was just a conversation, it’s not like he was flirting with me. I’m with Aden so I am not even looking at other guys. That accent though, and that smile. I take a sip of my coffee. I wonder what he is here for. What was so important that he had to leave? Can someone look that good, even if you have a very critical illness?
I take my crutches and prop myself up into a standing position again. I should get back to my room and stop thinking about this guy. On second thought, I should go see Aden. The doctor should be done with him.
Up the elevator I go and down the hall to Aden’s room. The door is shut so I take a peek through the window to see if I can go
in. It looks like Aden is in deep thought. Dr. Harley is right next to him holding up cards and writing things down. Aden looks like he is really trying. I am so proud of him for giving it another chance. Why would I even think of David when that guy in that room is who I have fallen in love with? He is trying this hard for me. All the Stanford stories I have are all because of him.
Aden notices me by the window and smiles at me with the boyish grin that still gives me butterflies every time I see it. I smile back and blow him a kiss. He pretends to catch it. Dr. Harley looks back to see what is going on.
“Sorry Riley, but I still need a few more minutes in here,” Dr. Harley says as he opens the door to talk to me.
“Sorry for distracting him,” I apologize. “I thought he might have been done.”
I turn around and make my way back to my room. I think I might catch up on all those TV episodes Sam recorded for me.