Page 69 of The Beachside Rental

He hadn’t changed the bandage that morning.Maybe he should do that now.He headed upstairs to the bathroom, where he kept his new collection of medical supplies.

He started off slowly removing the medical tape that held the pad in place, but tape kept pulling on his arm hair, and it hurt.A lot.

So, he decided to get it over with at once.He gripped the tape, and then he yanked.A groan escaped his lips.He found the pad was still partially stuck to his skin.

He ripped off another strip of tape.This time it peeled completely away from his skin.When he looked down, he didn’t expect to see it so inflamed or oozing gross stuff.It certainly hadn’t looked that bad the night before.

He’d been taking great pains to keep it dry and clean.Obviously, that hadn’t been enough.He gritted his teeth as he pressed a clean pad to the wound and attempted to tape it with one hand.

As he headed downstairs, his thoughts returned to Jenna and his book.The fact that he had to ditch the beginning of his book didn’t sit right with him.He had finally come to the point where the hero was speaking to him and sharing his story with him.It wasn’t an easy stage in the creative process to achieve, at least not for him.It felt wrong to throw it all away.

But now that Jenna knew about the book, he couldn’t have her selling his ideas before he’d even had a chance to write:The End.

Fired up after thinking of all the time he’d wasted on a book he wouldn’t finish writing, he headed out the front door.Gus was hot on his heels.

Simon knocked on Jenna’s door and waited.He knew that Thursday was her day off from the market so she should be home.

He knocked again.“Jenna, open up!We need to talk!”

He waited, but there were no sounds coming from inside.It was only then that he got the idea to look for her cart.When he scanned the road, he didn’t see it.In fact, what he did see was an empty parking spot where she normally parked.

He expelled a frustrated sigh.Without Jenna home, he might as well go see the doc about his arm.It was really starting to bother him.

He put Gus back into the house and then drove back to the hospital.He didn’t even make it in the ER door when he saw the doctor who had treated him.Simon detoured toward the doctor.A few long, quick strides and he caught up to him.

“Excuse me.”Simon couldn’t remember the doctor’s name.

The guy stopped and looked at him.“I’m sorry, but it’s been a really long day.I’m done and heading for home, but they can help you inside.”

Simon nodded.“Okay.It’s just you saw me the other day, and you said to come back if I had any problems.”

The doctor stared at him for a moment, as though trying to place him.“Remind me, what is your name?”

“Simon Bennett.”

The doctor’s eyes widened.He made an about face.“Seems I’m not done for the day after all.”

He followed the doctor back into the hospital.In no time at all, he was shown into an exam room.The doctor had disappeared, but a nurse came to get his information and to uncover his wound.

When the doctor returned, he had on his white coat with a name tag that readDr.Grant Turner, M.D.

The doc sat on a stool and rolled over to him.“I was planning to call you, but since you’re here, I need to disclose to you that a person at the hospital took your personal information and sold it to a tabloid.I need to make it clear that even though she dressed similar to our orderlies, she isn’t an employee of the hospital.We haven’t been able to prove it, but we think she may have been drug seeking.”

Simon’s mind stuttered.He replayed the doctor’s words in his mind.It wasn’t Jenna who had betrayed him?

And then he recalled the young woman that had been lurking outside his exam room.That must have been her.Instead of anger, he felt sorry for her.She was much too young to ruin her life with drugs.

Simon looked directly at the doctor.“What’s her name?”

After the doctor told him the name, it didn’t ring any bells for Simon.

“She’s a teenager on vacation with her parents.She is in a world of trouble with her parents.I can’t even imagine what you’ve gone through having your personal information shared with the world.”

Simon took a moment digesting everything he was being told.He couldn’t believe he’d thought it was Jenna who had betrayed him.He felt awful for jumping to the wrong conclusion.Would she ever forgive him?

~

It wasn’t helping.