Consumed

Chapter 22: Meri

I take a deep breath of fresh air as I'm wheeled out of the hospital to the waiting car. Really, over the last week, I've recuperated very well. I'm healthier than I have been in ages, and I don't need a wheelchair or any help walking now. But it's hospital procedure to have one, so I go along with it without complaint.

Truthfully, I'm just so happy to be able to go back to a regular routine that I don't care what I need to do in order to get back to it. I can go back to school tomorrow, and I'm not even behind thanks to Milan. We have all of the same classes, so he was able to bring homework to the hospital, explain anything I didn't get, and make sure I stayed caught up. I've thanked him so many times for it by now that he's probably sick of hearing me say it.

Milan gets out of the passenger's side and opens the door for me as the hospital staff wheels me over to him. I smile brightly as I get out of the wheelchair and throw my arms around his neck. It's the first chance I've had to give him a real hug without being censored by the doctors or nurses for messing up IVs or straining myself.

He wraps his arms around my waist with a laugh. "Hey... I saw you yesterday afternoon, Mer. What's up with this?"

I tighten my hold. "They didn't let me hug you before."

He laughs again, and it vibrates through my body. "Fair enough, I guess."

The hospital staff member hands Milan's father a clipboard for signing me out while Milan and I settle into the back seat. A smile slips onto my face as I see that he's brought all of his books and homework. "You want to work on it on the way home?" I ask, laughing.

He nods. "That way, when we get home, we have more time to hang out, do our own thing, and get you resituated."

I narrow my eyes when he blushes a deep crimson. "Resituated?"

"Well..." He smiles, shrugging sheepishly. "I kind of borrowed your bedroom while you were gone."

Frowning, I say, "But you have your own bedroom... Why use mine?"

His blush grows darker as he rubs the back of his neck. "Umm... Mine... Well, you see... It doesn't smell like you..."

Blinking, I sit in silence for a full minute.

"Please, say something," he mumbles. "I honestly didn't know it was that big of a deal..."

"I'm not sure what to say. It's not that big of a deal, but... I... You borrowed my room because it smelled like me?" I cross my arms and lean back against the seat, watching his father come around the car and get in.

"Yeah," Milan whispers, slumping in his seat. "I just missed you. Really badly."

It's my turn to blush. "Oh. Okay..."

***

"Well, that took a lot longer than I thought it would..." Milan rubs his hands together and looks at our homework with a distasteful sigh.

"You never disliked it when you brought it to the hospital," I point out, grinning.

He pokes me in the side. "It was an excuse to draw out the time I got to spend with you, silly."

I wrap my arms around my sides protectively. "Okay. You didn't need one, though. They would've let you stay for as long as visitors' hours allowed."

"I know. But it was a good excuse, and they didn't come in to bother you when I used it."

I laugh again, ducking my head to hide my reddening cheeks behind my hair. "You're such a goof, Mil."

He tucks my hair behind my ear with a smirk. "Maybe... But I'm your goof..."

I narrow my eyes at him. "Are you now?"

With a boyish pout and puppy eyes, he says, "Of course... Why wouldn't I be?"

When faced with that, who could say no? I swat his arm gently and say, "Fine, fine... You're my goof."

He grins, and I feel a little happier with that one action. After the time away, I've started noticing the smallest things about him that make him so special to me. His smiles are one of those things. They just light up the whole room, and they make me feel better even when I'm sad or depressed.

"Glad that's out of the way." He gives me a bear hug, and I wriggle half-heartedly.

"Get off me, you oaf," I demand.

"Why? You know you like it," he teases.

Why does he always have to be right? I do like his hugs. They make me feel warm, protected, and, best of all, loved. I try to come up with a reason, but when I don't find one, I just snuggle up against him and hug him back.

"See, I told you so!" Milan says, running his fingers through my hair playfully.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumble. "You were right... Hey... I have an idea!"

He lets go so that I can sit across from him on the bed. "Yeah? What is it?"

"We should play Scrabble," I say, bouncing on the bed a bit.

Milan laughs. "Sure. Why not..."

I run out of the room and rummage through the closet for the Scrabble box. When I come back, he's cleared room on my bed for the game. I set it in between us and start setting up my side while he does his.

***

"Hey, are you two coming down to have dinner or what?" Milan's dad calls up the stairs.

"Yeah, sorry!" Milan shouts back, grinning at me.

I look down at our Scrabble game with a smile. "I'm going to win, you know," I say.

"Are not."

"I am too! I won the last three games, Milan."

"It doesn't mean you'll win this one," he protests.

I roll my eyes. "You're a horrible speller," I say, being honest with him.

This has become an ongoing argument. A playful one, but an argument nonetheless. He says he'll win this game even though he lost every other game prior. I shoot back that I won every other time. The argument usually ends when I start teasing him about his spelling, and he shoots back that I'm such a bookworm in an equally playful tone.

Neither of us is ever upset by the banter. We both view it as a normal part of our relationship. If Milan didn't tease me and argue a bit, I'd think something was wrong. Ever since I woke up in the hospital, our relationship has been changing and growing closer. I've been feeling more and more at ease coming out of my shell around him and his family with each passing day. It's nice. Being afraid to talk to anyone wasn't a fun way to live.

But I'm finally starting to see that things don't have to be horrible all the time. I don't have to be scared of being hurt. In fact, I can actually have fun and be myself. I doubt that I'll ever fully get over and forget what happened. I know that won't happen, actually. However, it has been instrumental in shaping my life up to this point, and I figure that I might as well use it to teach me something and help me to live a better life.

With that thought in mind, I follow Milan downstairs to join his family for dinner and a night of games with laughter and good cheer all around.

e$