A Perfect Country Day

Christine's Point of View: "For Better or For Worse"

"I can smell the smoke. What's goin' through your head?" I ask Derek. He walked into my room after talking to the nurse, and I could read on his face he was thinking hard about something the nurse said. I didn't think there was much to think about. Just that I spun after jumping a ditch and slid through a muddy field. There isn't much to it besides my over correcting and swerving too hard is what the nurse told me.

"Oh nothing. The nurse just said...uhm...your steering wheel wa- IS broken now." He fumbled over his words a little, but I'm sure he's just still a little shaken.

"So why are you thinking so hard?" His response still didn't answer why his thoughts were flowing.

"Just thinking about who-HOW I'm gonna fix your truck. I'm sure you'd like to help, but until I figure out what someone...uh...what someone else thinks I should do and what parts I need, I'd like it if I did everything." He was stuttering still. Now it seemed as if something was wrong.

"It kinda sounds from your choppy sentence parts that it's not just a broken steering wheel. You keep using pronouns indicating someone else was involved. What'd the nurse ACTUALLY tell you?" I press.

"Nothing!" he says quickly.

"Okay. Well, you can go home or stay. It doesn't matter to me. You do whatever. " I knew that he knew something I didn't, but I wasn't sure what. I decided that I'll just use my vulpine skills to figure out what's clogging his brain.

"I'll stay," he says.

"Okay. I'm gonna get some sleep."

"Good night, babygirl." He leans over me and is careful not to put pressure on my body and kisses my forehead. I pull his face down to be level with mine and I look him in the eyes. We kiss and he reaches up to turn off my light.

The next day, Derek and I drive me home and he allows me to ride without a seat belt because of my bruises. And even though I have a cast and what seems like a thousand stitches, I still slide over to the middle of his bench seat and make sure he knows I love him. I hold his hand to the best of my ability, and I fall asleep on the long ride home from Peoria.

When we get home, he carries me to my bed, makes me breakfast, and sits by my bed.

"I'm not hungry, baby," I whisper, "I just want to be next to you." He shushes me and pulls the blankets back to lay beside me. "If I fall asleep, don't leave me this time," I say jokingly. We chuckle, too tired to have a lot of humor.

"I'm sorry, babygirl. I should've stayed. I should've known-"

I interrupt. "No! Don't you DARE start blaming yourself!" I say sternly. "Sugar, you aren't responsible for any of this. If anyone's responsible, it's me...I was the one that wasn't watching the road." As I say these things, I'm watching his face and something changes as if he remembers something. "What is it, baby?"

"Nuh-nothin'. Just-uh...nothing. I'm fine."

"That's not true. You and I both know I'm smarter than that. I know you way too well." He doesn't respond. "Boy, don't make me go bat shit on you...I will, and you know it. I might be a crip, but I can still kick your ass." I glare at him.

"Okay, baby, promise me you won't do anything to anyone and promise me you won't hurt yourself...or me, okay?"

"Uhm...why? I don't make promises I can't keep"

"Fine...remember when the nurse told me to talk with her outside of the room? So...like...uh...-"

"Spit-spit-spit it out retard!" I yell as best I can.

"She said you should've been fine-"

"WHAT??!?! What the-" I try to get up and walk, but he pins me to the bed.

"CHRISTINE! You said you wouldn't-"

"I PROMISED NOTHING!!! What'd she say? Who? Why?" I'm breathing heavy and I think as soon as he tells me the rest, I'm about to kick their ass AND his...

"No! Not until you calm down enough for me to let you go!"

I take a breath and calm my heart rate. "What? Tell me EHVEREETHING.." I say 'everything' slowly so as to get my point across.

"The nurse said that the cops and others were looking at your truck and your steering correction was too fluid..."

"So, like, my truck was sabotaged? Or, like, I didn't overcorrect?"

"Yes."

"AAAAGHHH!!!!" I push him off of the bed and haul ass to my truck with him running after me. I climb into my truck and he jumps in. I stop, "No," I say calmly, "Stay here...I need you here..."

"What?! No! I'm not letting you do this. I don't know where you're going and you are injured and not in ANY condition to drive, let alone be alone. Give me the keys Christine."

"DON'T FUCKING CALL ME THAT AND NOOO!!! GET THE HELL OUT!!!" I slam my hands on the steering wheel and stare at his shoes so he can't see my tears

"You aren't going alone."

"What?! You want to come with me?!?! Don't think so! Go. Away."

He grabs my face and says "You're not going alone...I'm coming with you."

"Fine. Keep your mouth shut." I turn up my radio and roll down the windows. I slam on the gas and fling some mud, making ruts in the gravel driveway.