He paused. “Considering this is the first time you’ve ever taken a sick day, this must be a big deal. You sure everything’s okay?” His tone conveyed his worry loud and clear.
“Yeah, it will be. I promise I’ll explain.”
“Okay. You need anything, you let me know.”
“Thanks. Hey, will you call Dom, too? He’ll just ask twenty questions, and I’m not really in a position to answer any right now.”
“Of course.”
“Thanks, I appreciate it.”
“No problem, Gabriel. Like I said, call if you need anything at all.”
“I will.”
We said our goodbyes and hung up. I felt so damn tired, so filled with mixed emotions and pain for Crystal. Jesus. Jesus.
I stood at the window for a while longer, staring down at the mostly empty courtyard below. A few medical staff hurried by, either on their way to start a shift, or maybe to answer a call. I turned away, returning to the chair in front of Crystal’s room. The door was cracked, and I could hear bits of the conversation inside.
The doctor was telling Crystal the same thing about her leg he’d told us the night before, going into a little more detail about how long she’d have to wear the cast.
“I’ve had broken bones before,” she said. “I know the drill.”
The doctor paused. “A leg fracture is particularly disabling for obvious reasons.”
“Will I have a permanent limp?”
“There’s no reason to believe you’ll have a permanent limp, no, but you may limp for several months after the cast is off.”
“I … see.” I squeezed my eyes shut at the sound of her defeated voice. She was thinking about her job at the Platinum Pearl.
“Honey, don’t worry,” Kayla jumped in. “Rodney will let you bartend or something for a while.”
Crystal didn’t answer. I didn’t know who Rodney was—her boss presumably—but I wondered if Kayla believed her words, or if she was just saying them to make Crystal feel better. He might let her bartend eventually, I had no idea, but for a while at least, she was unfit for any type of work. Frankly, she was unfit to go out in public.
“Do you live with someone?” The doctor’s voice.
“No, I live alone.”
There was a pause and then, “That could be a problem. You’re going to need assistance. Do you have any family that you could stay with temporarily?”
“No,” Crystal answered immediately, and her voice sounded even more flat. Resigned.
“Aw, honey,” Kayla said, “how are you going to climb those stairs to your apartment? Three flights? It’ll be impossible. You know I’d offer my place, but since I moved into the room in Marcia’s apartment, I don’t have any space to share.”
“It’s okay, Kayla. I’ll figure it out.”
They spoke for a little bit longer about her injuries and the doctor’s examination, and then he told Crystal he’d be back to check on her the next day. If she was still doing as well as she was at the moment, he’d sign her discharge papers.
Once the doctor and nurse had left, I knocked softly on Crystal’s door. “Come in,” Kayla called. Inside the room, Crystal was still lying in bed, looking more awake and less dazed, and Kayla was sitting in a chair next to the bed.
“I heard the doctor say he was going to discharge you tomorrow.” Crystal nodded, turning her head toward the window. The shades had been opened, and the sun was shining brightly.
“We were just talking about how Crystal was going to manage when she leaves the hospital,” Kayla said.
Crystal turned her head. “Kayla,” she said, a warning in her tone.
“Well, honey, you got all those steps, and for a while you’re not even going to be able to get to the bathroom without help and—”
“I’ll manage,” she gritted out, her eyes widening as if she was trying to send the signal to Kayla to stop talking.
Kayla apparently didn’t get the message. “I know you like to be independent, Crys, but there are some things that are just—”
“She’ll come home with me,” I said. I was surprised by the resolution in my voice considering I hadn’t planned to say it. But suddenly I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that I wanted to care for her. Suddenly I felt it was meant to be this way. I wasn’t sure why I felt so strongly about it, I only knew that I did.
“No,” she said. “I can’t. Kayla shouldn’t have called you.” She shot Kayla a stern look. “You shouldn’t even be here.”
“Well, I am and you can. I live in a ranch home. There are no stairs, and I have an extra bedroom. My brother lives with me, but there’s more than enough room, and it’s only temporary until you’re able to live on your own. I’ll work from home in case you need assistance during the day. It’s really the perfect solution.”
“I don’t even know you.”
“You know me well enough to know I won’t harm you.”
Her brow furrowed and she looked down, picking at her fingernails.
“I could stop by your apartment and pick up some clothes for you. And I’d visit as much as I can,” Kayla said, clearly in favor of the idea.
“I …” Crystal let the words fade away, still looking down, the crease between her brows still present.
“Unless you have a family member somewhere that you can call, I might be your only choice here. Please accept my help. I’m offering it with no strings attached.”
Her eyes snapped to mine. “There are always strings.”
I shook my head. “Not with me.”
She looked out the window. “Fine,” she whispered, almost as if to herself. The statement itself seemed to exhaust her. Her shoulders sagged, and she leaned back on the pillow, turning her head my way. “Fine.” She closed her eyes and appeared to be instantly asleep, as if agreeing to come with me had exhausted her so much she couldn’t stay awake for one more second. The reaction of a woman who had been fighting alone for a long, long time and had finally surrendered.
* * *
“Dom?” I called, closing the front door behind me and dropping my keys in the basket by the door.
Dom came from the direction of the kitchen, a beer in his hand. “Hey, I’ve been worried. What’s going on? Where you been?”
I headed toward the kitchen, and he turned to follow me. “Let me get one of those, too, and I’ll tell you,” I muttered. I opened the fridge and grabbed a beer, twisting off the cap and taking a long swallow.
“This must be good if Gabriel Dalton is drinking before dinner. Come on, spill it, man.”
I took another swallow, setting my beer down and leaning against the island. “I met a girl.”
Dominic grinned. “Yeah, so you said. What? You sleeping with her? Is that where you’ve been all night?”
I frowned, knowing Dominic would expect me to share that kind of information with him. And also knowing I’d never make a point to have a conversation with him about sleeping with a woman even if that were the case. “No. I met her at a place called the Platinum Pearl.”
Dominic’s face screwed up, and he just looked at me for a minute. “The strip club over in Havenfield?”