It was a long night in the emergency room. Abby sat on Imogen's lap, eventually falling asleep as we waited for a doctor to stitch up my arm. Imogen was so sweet and kind to me that I kind of figured she was trying to make amends for our argument.
"So stupid." I muttered to myself, still holding the dishtowel to my arm.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Nick. It was an accident. You were angry."
"Nick Nelson?" We looked up at my name and saw a doctor holding a clipboard.
"That's me." I stood up and followed him to a curtained off area where I sat on a bed while Imogen sat on a plastic chair nearby.
"So, what have we got here?" The doctor asked and I sheepishly pulled the dishtowel away to show him the cut. "Oh, that's a nasty one. What happened?"
"Uh, I smashed a plate and I guess part of it got me." As I spoke, the doctor got out the things he needed, setting them out on a tray.
"Well, it's a pretty easy fix. You should be out of here in an hour or so." I nodded.
"Will I be okay to work tomorrow?"
"What do you do?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh, you'll be fine. You might be a little tired because of the medication I'm about to give you but other than that, you'll be fine."
"Thank god." I mumbled and Imogen reached over to hold my un-injured hand.
"Alright, I'm just going to numb the area. After that, you won't feel much." I nodded and closed my eyes. I'd never liked needles. Imogen seemed to understand and gave my hand a squeeze. In her arms, Abby whimpered and I opened my eyes to look over at her as she woke up.
"Papa?"
"Shh, sweetie. The doctor is making papa's arm feel better." Imogen whispered to her and she looked over at me just as the doctor put the needle into my arm. She let out a gasp.
"Papa, he's hurting you!"
"No. He's not." I got out through clenched teeth. The doctor hadn't exactly been gentle with the needle but moments later, the area was numb.
"But..."
"Sweetheart, papa and I need you to be quiet, okay?" Imogen pressed and she nodded, leaning into her. Our little girl was pretty tired and I figured it wouldn't be long before she fell asleep again.
"Okay. Can you feel this?" The doctor pressed his fingers against my arm and, although I knew I should feel it, I couldn't. I shook my head. "Good. We'll get started. You'll only need five stitches so the healing time shouldn't be too long."
I looked away while he stitched up my arm and despite the numbness, I could still feel him tugging at the thread sometimes. Imogen kept a hold of my hand, sending me comforting smiles every now and then.
Finally it was all done and the doctor wrapped my arm in a tight bandage, handing me a sling. I slipped my arm in, feeling the pain alleviate a little at the lack weight-bearing.
"Okay, you'll need to wear the sling for the next three days, just to allow it to start healing. After that, just the dressing will be okay. I want you to come back to see me in two weeks to check the stitches."
"Thank you, doctor." I mumbled, already standing up.
"Sleeping may be a little difficult for you as well. I'd suggest either sleeping on your un-injured side or on you back with your arm propped up on a pillow. Other than that, I'll prescribe you some pain medications to take home."
"Thanks." Imogen stood up too, using one hand to guide me to the door and the other hand keeping a tight hold on Abby. "We'll go and get them now. Come on, baby. Let's get you home and in bed."
"Love you, Imogen." I told her, leaning into her a little. The doctor led us to a desk where he filled out a prescription and sent it to the hospital pharmacy.
"You can pick it up on your way out. Remember to come in and see me in two weeks." I was almost falling asleep by then, the events of the day finally catching up to me. So, Imogen signed the last forms that we were given and picked up the pain medication for me as we left.
Back at home, Imogen told me to wait in our room and she went to put Abby to bed. While I waited, I sat on the edge of our bed, looking around the room. It was mostly plain, the walls a cream colour and the curtains a dark blue, but there was a large framed photo that had been taken at our wedding. It was probably my favourite from that day, a candid shot of the two of us when we'd snuck off to the side for a few moments. In it, Imogen had her arms wrapped tightly around me, looking up into my eyes as I stared adoringly at him. Around us, the light was slowly fading and other people were laughing and dancing together.
"What're you looking at?" Imogen's voice brought me out of my memories and I looked over at her, a soppy smile coming onto my face.
"Love you, Imogen." She smirked and came over to me.
"I know. You told me before." She kissed me once before helping me to my feet. "Let's get you into bed. You've gone loopy from the pain meds."
"No..." I protested. I felt fine but when I almost fell over after she tried to pull my shirt over my head, I decided to let her help me and in moments I was laying on my back on the bed.
"Do you want to sleep on your side?" I considered for a moment but shook my head. I was comfortable like this. "Okay. The doctor said to rest your arm on a pillow, so, here." She gently lifted my injured arm and tucked a pillow underneath.
"You take good care of me." I whispered and she smiled at me, pulling up the blankets.
"Only 'cause I love you, baby." She leaned over to kiss me, one hand gently caressing the side of my face.
"You coming to bed too?"
"In a minute. I'm going to clean up the mess in the dining room and kitchen so Abby doesn't get hurt in the morning, okay?"
"'Kay." I let my eyes flutter closed as she left the room and I listened to her moving around the house as I drifted off to sleep. I was barely awake when she finally slid into bed beside me, curling into my side and pressing her lips to my cheek gently.
"Sweet dreams, Nick. I hope you feel better tomorrow." She murmured quietly and it was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep, happy to be in her arms.
