Brandon
As I wake up, I see Jasmine smiling widely at me and I instantly know why. "Iverson spilled the beans, didn't he?" I ask trying not to smile back.
"Yes, and I don't know how to thank you enough," she replies, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Don't worry about it. I just...I," I say, pausing, unable to find the right words.
"You what?" Jasmine asks. I just shake my head, afraid of her response to what I need to say.
"Okay," she says, as if she knows the words I was trying to say already, "And thank you."
Getting up I notice she's watching me. "What?" I ask, curiosity getting the better of me.
"Nothing...well, um...you just look so cute when you sleep,” she says looking down at her hands. A smile crosses my lips.
"Cute? That's what you think of me, cute?" She nods not looking at me. "Thank you, I think," I say biting my lower lip. Jasmine looks at me and her soft brown eyes sparkle. Sitting beside her on the bed, I laugh as I slowly put my arm around her. She flinches and looks at me with wide eyes, unable to stop shaking. "It's okay," I whisper and pull her closer to me, being mindful of her injuries and I wrap the blanket around us. She lays her head on my shoulder and closes her eyes.
I just watch her as she sleeps, memorizing every curve of her face. Thick, dark, lashes fringe her eyes against the ivory pallor of her skin. Even with the gash running down her face and deep purple bruising, she’s still beautiful. Closing my eyes, I sync my breathing with hers and drift off to sleep, never wanting to leave.
~~~~
Soft whispers wake me and I see Dr. Iverson and Amelia in the doorway. "Brandon," Amelia says, motioning me to come to them. I carefully move my arm, making sure not to disturb her and kiss her forehead; realizing I am falling for this beautiful woman all over again.
"What's up?" I ask closing the door behind me.
"She’s doing well, and we’re probably going to release her tomorrow," she says.
"That's great news," I reply, "I'm sure some fresh air will do her good."
"Here's the catch, she's been in that bed almost a week so I need your help to get her up and moving around," Dr. Iverson says.
"I can do that, after she wakes up." He nods and pats my shoulder. "Oh yeah," I say before turning to go back in, "I know you told her."
He smiles widely. "That poor girl has been through so much and was worried, and I felt I had to give her some sort of comfort,” he said with a smile. I smile back and shake his hand before opening the door. "Oh, and I know you are freshly out of a relationship, but don't let that be a reason to lose this one,” he says as he walks away.
Jasmine is still sleeping so I sit on the stool beside the bed and just hold her hand. After a few minutes, I feel her squeezing my hand. "Hi," she says with a yawn.
"I have some good news for you. As it stands now, you will be discharged tomorrow." The look on her face goes through a variety of emotions from joy to dread. "Better yet, I’m off tomorrow so it looks like you'll be stuck with me," I say, waiting for her to speak.
"Thank you,” she says after a moment’s pause, "I have the worst luck. If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have any." Standing up, I lean over to hug her. She wraps her arms tightly around me, as she kisses my cheek.
"Now, you know what you just said, that's not true. You’ve got me and I'm not bad luck," I whisper. She smiles at me and hugs me again. "Here's the deal, you want to break out of here right?"
"Yeah,” she says with a sigh.
"Well...we've got to get you up and moving around.” In that moment, a fire unlike anything I've ever seen fills her eyes, and she reaches out for me to pull her up. A painful grimace crosses her face as she stands up. After a few deep, steady breaths she begins taking steps. Her balance is wobbly but she doesn't let that interfere. She walks confidently towards the door, with me by her side in case she stumbles.
With each step, she becomes sturdier. "You know what I want?” she asks.
"I have no idea," I reply.
"I want to take a shower. You think you could get that Ok'd for me,” she asks, batting her eyelashes.
"Yeah, I think I can do that for you." She walks back to the bed and sits while I run out to the nurse’s station. After finding Amelia, I go back in the room, only to find her undressing. "Oh. I'm sorry," I say turning around to face the door.
"It's okay, no need for modesty at this point," she says with a shiver. "Could you do something for me?” she adds.
"Sure, what do you need?" I ask.
"Could you get me some clothes? I want to feel somewhat normal and these gowns just don't do it,” she says pulling on the bulky hospital gown.
"Sure will. Amelia will be here momentarily and I'll be back soon."
Rushing over to her hotel room, I notice I'm being watched. I see a man sitting in a large, black truck. He sees me looking at him and he quickly rolls up his window, looking away. Pulling out the key I open the door and step inside. Looking out the curtains, I see the truck pulling away and take notice of the plate number. Once it leaves the parking lot, I begin rummaging through Jasmine’s clothes. Eventually, I find a pair of sweat pants, a t-shirt, and I grab several pairs of underwear. I can't help but feel a bit embarrassed as I shove everything into a backpack I've found. I make it back over to the hospital before she’s out of the shower.
Amelia is standing outside the bathroom door when I get to the room. I hold up the bag and hand it to her, and she smiles, slightly opening the bathroom door and setting it inside. "Jasmine, your clothes are in there with you. Let me know if you need my help," Amelia says.
"Okay, thank you. Is Brandon still out there?" Jasmine asks from behind the bathroom door.
"Yep, he sure is,” she says winking at me.
"Tell him I said thank you."
Amelia looks at me and smiles. "Why don't you go home and get some rest," Amelia tells me.
"Yeah, I could use a little rest," I reply digging my keys out of my pocket. "Let her know I'll be back, okay?"
"Certainly," she says shooing me away.
~~~~
My empty apartment is too quiet so I get up and head into the living room, flipping on the TV. Sitting there channel surfing, I keep thinking about Jasmine. Even though she has been back for a while and I have been getting to know her again for the past week, I feel some sort of strange connection to her. On the surface it feels like a rebound, but deep down it feels like more. I sit here pondering everything as the sun begins to trickle through the blinds. I honestly don't even know if I have even slept.
Standing up, I stretch and gather my things to shower. Dressing quickly, I look at the clock and notice it's only seven in the morning. Laughing at myself, I put on a pot of coffee and have a cup before heading out to go see Jasmine at the hospital.