Page 48 of Their Stormy Reunion

“Remember what the doctor said, you don’t want to let the pain get ahead of you.”

He had a fresh glass of water and picked up the pill bottle by the side of my bed. Before he could hand me the water, I blurted out, “I need to go to the bathroom.”

He smiled. “Not a problem. Let’s get you over there. Or, do you want to wait and take the pill first so then it doesn’t hurt as much to put weight down on your foot?”

I shook my head. “I was stupid,” I muttered. “Waited too long.”

“You weren’t stupid,” he gently admonished as he pulled off the sheet covering me. I was in my pajama set, shorts and a tank top. I sat up fast and twisted so my legs dropped to the side of the bed. I let out a squeak.

“Fallon! You know better. Go slow.”

“Don’t yell at me,” I yelled at him.

“Sorry, Sunshine. I just hate seeing you in pain.”

“Doesn’t Dad need something?” Great, now I was sneering at the man.

“Your mom is in with him right now. I made them lunch and they’re eating it in the dining room.”

I opened my mouth to ask where my lunch was and then shut my mouth before I sounded like a petulant child. Or worse, my father.

“After the bathroom and the pill, I’ll bring in your lunch. I made Philly cheesesteak sandwiches.”

“With green peppers and onions?” I knew I sounded like a druggie who wanted a fix, but for fuck’s sake, it was cheesesteak. Who wouldn’t drool after that?

Damn, could my emotions be anymore chaotic?

“Of course that’s how I made it. And I’m putting extra provolone on yours.”

“You’re a god, Mr. Rankin.”

“You finally noticed, huh?” His silver eyes twinkled.

He got a pill from the bottle, then handed it to me along with the glass of water. I gratefully swallowed it down. Then he bent down and I put my arm around his shoulders while putting my weight onto my left foot.

“I’m sick of being pathetic. Not only is there pain, but my brain still can’t look at a line of code and make sense of it. Hell, I can’t even win at Sudoku!”

Michael laughed. “Hell, I don’t even bother with Sudoku, Wordle is more my level.”

I laughed. I’d always had to help Michael with his math homework.

We’d finally made it into the bathroom. I gripped the bathroom sink. “You good?” he asked.

“I’ve got it from here.”

“Holler out when you need me to come get you.” He reached up and for a moment his index finger hovered over my nose. I thought he was going to tap it, like he had so many times before. We both froze. Instead, he cupped my cheek and smiled. “Remember, cheesesteak is in your future.”

I nodded. He shut the door behind him and I stood there in front of the mirror looking at myself. I was a mess. Not just because I desperately wanted a shower instead of the sponge baths my mom had been giving me, but because I had fallen back in time to when Michael would always brush his finger across the tip of my nose, then kiss me. It was our thing. Kind of like him calling me Sunshine. I wanted that. What was I even thinking?!

I’d been in so much pain, and so scared when we were driving to the hospital, that it seemed like some kind of frenetic dream. Even though, I really think I’d heard Michael say he loved me.

I’d been holding onto those imagined words for the last six days. All the time I was in the hospital and ever since I’d been home and Michael had been here. What did that make me?

Crazy.

I turned from the mirror and did my business, then called for Michael to help me back to bed.

“This cobbler is wonderful. Did it come from Down Home?” Fallon asked as she took another big bite.