Page 16 of A Future To Remember

Movement at the door told me that the nurse was back. Cash got up, and a moment later, a heated blanket was placed over my back, the warmth seeping into me almost immediately.

“How we doing, Jane?” the nurse asked.

“Maddy,” I replied weakly.

“Hmm?”

“She wants to be called Maddy,” Cash said.

The nurse laid an arm across my shoulders. “Sorry, my bad. You feel ready to stand?”

I nodded.

With his help, I stood, only to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The person staring back at me was a complete stranger. Long, scraggly brown hair, hollow cheeks, a raised bumpy scar running at the side of my left temple, chapped lips, haunted blue eyes, and skin so pale, I looked ghostly.

Nothing about my reflection seemed like it belonged to me. I turned away quickly. I didn’t want to look at that stranger in the mirror even one second longer.

The nurse took one side of me and Cash took the other, and together they got me back into bed with only a modicum of pain.

“Thanks,” I told them, hugging the blanket and continuing to shiver despite its warmth.

The nurse, a short-statured man with apple cheeks, dark hair, a widow’s peak, and kind eyes, said, “I’m gonna have Dr. Phelps prescribe you some Xanax. It’ll help you feel calm.”

I shook my head. “No. I’m fine. I don’t need anything to make me feel calm. And I don’t want any more painkillers either.”

The nurse and the sheriff exchanged a doubtful look.

“I’m fine,” I insisted. “Really. I just…I didn’t realize I wasn’t the only one hurt.” I lifted my gaze to Cash, and he nodded solemnly.

“I gotta let you know some hard truths, Maddy. It’s the only way I can investigate what happened to you.”

“Sure. Yeah. I know. I just…it…caught me off guard.”

“I’ll give you fair warning next time, okay? Maybe preempt what I need to tell you with a ‘This might upset you.’”

I shook my head. “No. You don’t need to. It’s…I heard what doctors said about my condition when I was brought in, and that really shook me up. I hadn’t realize how bad off I’d been.”

The nurse, whose name tag I could now read, said, “I was there when you were wheeled in. None of us thought you were going to make it, but you pulled through. You’re a fighter, Jane—I mean, Maddy.”

“Thanks, Dixon. And thank you for getting me off that bathroom floor.”

He smiled, and I noticed that he was really quite handsome when he smiled. “They frown on us leaving patients on the floor, so we gotta do some heavy lifting every once in a while. Not that you’re heavy. I could probably lift you with one hand.”

I returned his smile and looked down at my bony arms. “Best part about being underweight are the burger and fries awaiting my gaping maw, eh?”

Dixon and Cash both laughed. Then Dixon said, “If you don’t want a Xanax, how about something to help you sleep? You’re due to be discharged today, but we can wait until later this afternoon or early evening to do it.”

“Nah. Thanks, though. I don’t want to sleep. Or to stay here any longer than I have to. You guys take great care of your patients, but your pillows are lousy.”

He grinned. “I’ll pass along the feedback. How’s your stomach? Need anything for nausea?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine. I just need to warm up a bit.”

He nodded before heading out the door and calling over his shoulder, “Push the call button if you need me. I’m just down the hall.”

Once he’d left, I eyed Cash, who was looking quite guilty. “Sorry again, Maddy.”

“It’s really okay, Cash. You were gonna tell me eventually.”