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the bronx, ny
"hi."
"hi."
"how are you feeling?"
harrison thought for a moment.
"drowsy, numb, tired, even a little... silly?"
"well, that is exactly how you're supposed to be feeling." blake sent a reassuring smile.
the woman put her phone down on harrison's bedside table. she finally got his two friends to leave about an hour ago. they were annoying, but they definitely cared about him.
"you gave me the biggest scare of my life, y'know?" she chuckled, as harrison rubbed his sleepy eyes. his movements were quite fatigued. this is how he should've woken up.
instead, he woke up yesterday night post-procedure with a load of adrenaline and a rush of blood to the head. according to his friends, he jumped straight out of bed and begged them to bring him to yankee stadium because aaron judge needed him. and then he fell over, and folded into the most disgusting looking shape they'd ever seen a person fold into.
"really? i don't even remember," he mumbled.
"i'm glad you don't," blake comically remarked. "are you hungry? can i get you anything?"
harrison furrowed his eyebrows, "dr novak, with all due respect... shouldn't someone a little lower ranked than you be feeding me crackers and apple juice? not that i don't appreciate it, but... y'know."
blake tilted her head. she sighed afterward.
"justin's sorta in a mood. he put me up to this. i didn't feel like arguing with him. besides, he is my boss anyway," the woman trailed, standing up and brushing off her maroon scrubs. they complimented her bronze facial features nicely.
"oh, i'm sorry," harrison genuinely apologized, "to answer your question though, a water and a bagel would be nice." he politely requested.
"okay, you stay put right here," blake instructed, picking up her phone from the nightstand. she trotted over to the door. "no standing or sneaking out, okay? we wouldn't want any more medical scares."
harrison snickered at her comment. he then flashed her a thumbs up.
the woman quietly left the room, with a tiny click of the door. harrison propped himself up on his pillow. he should've asked blake how long he'd be here for.
dr. meis hadn't come in to check on him yet. blake mentioned him having a bad day, but he always got the impression justin never liked him anyways.
yeah, harrison was always better than him at baseball when they were younger... but justin probably could've applied to nyu in fifth grade and gotten in.
they were both described by their neighbors as "brats" when they were younger, especially justin. but personally, harrison preferred the term "trouble" for himself. he was never impolite or snotty, just a little bothersome.
justin was a different story though. his home life was in shambles by seventh grade. harrison always remembered hearing his parents' quiet chatter in the kitchen as they discussed his helpless situation.
finally, someone entered his room and drowned out the silence. ironically, it was justin.
"hey, did blake already talk to you?" he said, with no "how are you" let alone even a courteous "hello".
"about...?" harrison continued. she didn't say anything too important, but at least she asked him if he was alright.
"how long you'll be staying here for?" justin answered, pulling a clicky pen out of his shirt pocket.
"no, how long?" he widened his eyes. anytime he heard the word "staying" at a hospital it automatically alarmed him. if you stay, it means something was probably wrong.
"you'll be here for about a week. your foot and ankle are extremely sensitive and weak following the operation. until you're back on your feet, blake's gonna be taking care of you," dr. meis explained.
harrison slightly frowned. he didn't like the idea of not going straight to rehab, but at least he could be thankful nothing was terribly wrong.
"thanks justin," he graciously voiced, showing appreciation.
"no problem bader. i'll see you around." justin nodded, exiting the room.
a few moments later, blake came back with a water, a bagel, and a coffee. a grin ripped his face as he smelt the buttery piece of bread.
"that smells delicious," he moaned, as the girl smiled back and handed him the baked delight.
"justin's an absolute bagel manic. he got a great american bagel cafe put upstairs in the west tower. their bagels are the best. they're usually only in airports, but apparently they made an exception for us," the woman giggled, setting his water on the end table along with a mug, "i brought you a coffee as well."
"thank you, dr. novak," harrison beamed, taking a bite out of the doughy pastry. blake sat back down in the chair in the corner next to him.
"well, i was technically assigned the task of babysitting you. so, if you need anything else... i'm right here," blake shrugged.
harrison took a sip of his coffee. "i promise you i'm not that hard to babysit. i can't even move my right foot, it's not like i can run that far."
this earned a laugh from blake, as she brushed her baby chestnut strands of hair back up into a messy bun.
the man finished up his breakfast, pondering a little at the events from before his surgery. he still wasn't sure about blake, but he desperately wanted to ask her if he was gonna take her up on that date.
to harrison perhaps, blake having to keep an eye on him in the hospital for a week was a blessing in disguise. he could prove he wasn't and idiotic jerk ballplayer, and once she did realize that, he could take her on a date!
"alrighty, harrison. we have to go to my first appointment," blake stated, rising to her feet.
"we?" the man returned. he thought he was on bed rest? he could barely walk either...
"that's right, we," she insisted, pushing the front door open with her back and grabbing something from out in the hallway. she wheeled the contraption inside. it was a wheelchair.
"there's no way." harrison swore, mouth hung wide open.
"i cant really cancel my entire schedule to take care of you in here, so you'll just be making my rounds with me," blake told, maneuvering the carriage over to the man. she then started helping him off his bed.
"is justin gonna be okay with that?" he raised an eyebrow, the bottom half of his right leg shaking as he stood for the first time.
blake didn't respond, instead cautiously guiding him onto the wheelchair.
"careful," she asserted, catching the man before he nearly stumbled over. once he was seated, she smiled down at him, then began wheeling him out of the room.
