Shelbyville

Chapter 21

My head throbbed mercilessly, I know my lack of sleep and restlessness from the previous night was the offending culprit of my pain. However, this offered me no solace as the twelve-hour shift loomed before me. Well, eleven and a half to be exact, shift change was over so I was technically one step closer to the end of the shift. This offered me no comfort, my shift was just beginning, it was going to be a long night. The only luxury I was afforded was knowing that I had Kyle with me tonight, and I was grateful as always knowing that he was just a phone call away.

"You look like you don't feel well," Evie observed. I lifted my head from my hands and met her concerned gaze with my tired eyes.

"I'll be alright, just a migraine," I replied softly. My hoarse tone did nothing to pacify her worries nor did my weak smile.

"Did you take anything for it?" She pursed her bright red lips into a frown and cocked her heart shaped face to the side. She had a motherly façade without even trying, it was endearing.

"I took some ibuprofen about two hours ago." She rolled her eyes and charged over to retrieve her satchel from behind the nurse station.

"Honey, take some Excedrin too, if you took ibuprofen two hours ago, it's clearly not going to work." She shook the pill bottle for emphasis. I reluctantly accepted her offering. She crossed her arms and looked at me expectantly. "It's not going to do you any good sitting in the bottle." I rolled my eyes and plopped a couple in my mouth before chasing it with my neglected water bottle that rested beside me at the desk. My headache was probably just as likely from dehydration as it was from stress or lack of sleep, I didn't do a very good job taking care of myself some days, nurses are the worst patients.

"Now, you just sit there and relax for a few minutes and let the Excedrin take effect, I'll pass my meds first." I rested my head back into my hands and rubbed my temples idly.

"Hey sleeping beauty." I jerked my head up in response, the pressure intensified in my head and I grimaced. Kyle's figure looked blurry as my eyes tried to catch up to the sudden movement. "Whoa, I didn't mean to startle you." Even in spite of my horrific pain, he was a sight for sore eyes. He leaned casually against the counter his lanky frame towering over me. His hair was carelessly styled out of his face his gaze clouded with concern.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"My head, I have the worse headache." As if on cue my head began pounding. I winced and squeezed my eyes shut.

"Why didn't you call off?" I heard him ask.

"I can't I'm a travel nurse."

"So, what, you're not allowed to get sick?" His voice was traveling behind me, but I made no attempt to open my eyes to see what he was up to. I didn't know him well, but there was something comforting and trustworthy about him.

"I don't know, I guess I didn't ask about sick days," I mumbled. The mystery of Kyle's actions was quickly solved as I felt his strong hands grip my shoulders. I tensed up initially at his touch and he released his grasp.

"It's ok, just relax," he coaxed. I followed his instructions and he returned his hands to my shoulders his touch gentler. He kneaded my tight muscles with his fingertips and I felt my strained muscles begin to melt. "It's no wonder you have a headache," he observed as he worked from my shoulders up to my neck.

"Must be the job, I never got migraines this often before," I commented.

"This place can definitely get under your skin," he agreed. "Especially when you have a difficult patient load like you do." That was undoubtably a contributing factor to my mounting stress, but unlikely the cause of my migraine, my insomnia was, and I had the conversation with Dr. Morrison to blame for that one. I wanted to ask Kyle about him, but I didn't know what to say or how to broach the subject.