Love & Reason Keep Little Company (Freen x Becky)

Chapter 24

Freen slipped into Becky's hospital room, quietly closing the door behind her. The room was dark, with only the lights of the various beeping monitors to guide her to Becky's bedside.

Freen hated hospitals. She hated the taste of sterile air in her mouth, and the general sense of despair that seemed to seep out of the very walls.

Becky lay still with her eyes closed, her small body looking lost in the hospital bed. They'd replaced the bright pink cast on her left wrist with a new one, the stark white plaster blending in with the plain hospital gown she was wearing.

The swelling in her left eye had gone down some, the cut above it had been cleaned and neatly dressed. Her top lip had also been stitched back together, Seng's ring having split it open.

There would probably be a scar, but things could have been much worse. Freen shuddered at the thought of what might have happened had they not found them at the river. She took a seat in the hard plastic chair by Becky's bed and reached for her uninjured hand, knitting her fingers through Becky's. The other girl's eyes opened a crack.

"Hi..." She said, her voice low and raspy. A dark band of bruising covered her throat like a necklace, thanks to Seng.

"Hey, bebe. Sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't..." Becky shook her head just slightly, her eyelids heavy and her pupils blown. "Was just resting my eyes..."

"Sure." Freen grinned, relieved to finally see her again. Becky managed a weak smile.

"I didn't think you'd stayed. Mami said she'd go look for you..."

"Of course I stayed, baby." Freen squeezed her hand. "There was no way I'd leave without seeing you're okay. Uncle Nadech and Aunt Yaya came by earlier. They wanted to stay, but I sent them home. Your Ma's going to drive me home after her shift. So you've got me for the whole night."

Becky gave her girlfriend a dopey smile, ignoring the way it tugged at the stitches in her upper lip. "Sorry to disappoint you, beautiful, but I don't think I'm up to much tonight... I've got a headache."

Freen choked on a laugh, covering her mouth with her hand as she took in the sight of her girlfriend. Battered and bruised, yet still trying to make her smile. "I think I can give you the night off, given the circumstances, but don't get used to it, bebe."

"Ka, Khun Freen..." Becky laughed, then started coughing. She took her hand out of Freen's in order to cover her mouth as she continued coughed, her lips cracked and dry. "All joking aside, I'm glad you stayed na."

"I wouldn't want to be anywhere else." Said Freen. She stood and reached for the water jug on the side table, filling the plastic tumbler beside it before holding it to Becky's lips for her to take a drink.

Becky took a small sip and coughed and spluttered again. After taking a breath, she managed to swallow a small mouthful with a wince. "Thanks na ka."

"No problem." Freen placed the cup back on the side table, within her reach if Becky wanted it.

Becky closed her eyes over again, a fresh wave of exhaustion hitting her. Freen was happy to let her sleep, but Becky had other ideas.

"How's Seng doing?" She asked, opening her bleary eyes and fixing them on Freen. The other girl shrugged her shoulders, wishing Becky had asked her literally anything else.

"I don't know a lot. He's in surgery. They think he might have a broken back. The sheriff left a deputy to watch him until he's fit to be taken to custody... which will probably be awhile."

"I'm glad he's alive." Becky said with a heavy sigh, a weight lifting off her shoulders. Saving Freen had been her priority, but she'd tried to reach for Seng too. Had he died, his death would have weighed heavily on her conscience.