Page 38 of Finding Lexie
“It’s stupid, but the more the doctor tried to convince me to change, the more nervous it made me. I don’t have anything, Midas. Nothing. No clothes. No shoes. Not even underwear. And if they take these scrubs away…” Her voice trailed off.
Midas got it. He did. “It’s okay,” he said.
“It’s not. I’m being ridiculous. I mean, these scrubs aren’t even really mine. I’ve only had them less than a day. They’re dirty and sweaty…but they’re literally all I have.”
Midas’s heart ached.
“And I’m not giving up Shermake’s shoes. He gave them to me when they were probably the only pair he had. Yeah, he can get another from whatever charity organization is giving them out, but still.”
“It’s okay,” he assured her again, running a hand over her hair. It was just as unruly as the last time they’d lain together, but this time his hands were free and he had room to touch her. His fingers tangled in the thick strands, and he couldn’t help but smile.
“If you’re not careful, you’ll lose your hand,” she told him.
She’d stopped crying, which Midas was grateful for. He hated to think of her lying alone in this room, cold, uneasy, and upset. “I’ll risk it,” he told her.
Several minutes went by in silence. Midas felt content just to hold her and stroke her hair gently.
Lexie broke the silence by asking, “I know why I’m still in my dirty, smelly clothes, but why are you?”
He chuckled. “We went to debrief and just got out a bit ago. I wanted to make sure you were settled and all right, so I came straight here.”
She got up on one elbow and looked at him with an incredulous expression. There was a light on across the room, more than enough to see each other.
“What?” he asked.
“When do you leave?”
“In a few hours.”
She fell back down on him with a sigh. “There’s a shower in here you could use,” she said, echoing his words.
“I know. But I’m comfortable where I am at the moment.”
“Midas?”
“Right here.”
“I’m gonna miss you,” she admitted softly.
Midas closed his eyes in relief. God, this woman was so much braver than he was at the moment. He hadn’t wanted to pressure her. To talk about what would come next for them, if anything. “Me too.”
“You’re gonna miss you too?” she teased.
“Smart-ass. You been taking lessons from Aleck? No, I’m gonna miss you.”
“But not me smushing you when you’re trying to sleep,” she quipped.
“I actually like this. A lot,” he told her. “You think you might want to keep in touch when we leave?” Midas blurted. He winced at how abrupt the question was, but he couldn’t take it back now. He held his breath, waiting for her response.
She picked up her head once more to look at him. “Seriously?”
“Yes?” It came out more a question than a statement.
“I’d love to,” she said with a smile.
“Phew,” he said with exaggeration.
“I have to warn you though, I dictate my emails and texts, because you know…dyslexia, and there are usually typos.”
