The Scars That Burn

Chapter 24

The monitors beep behind me as I watch my fifth straight episode of Friends. It's almost midnight and I haven't slept at all. I'm exhausted but I can't get comfortable and my mind keeps replaying the fight. I can't get over the look in his eyes. He was just so irrationally jealous. I was lying in a hospital bed after getting heart surgery and he was focused on Travis touching me. Maybe he saw how I reacted? Maybe I couldn't hide how it made me feel to have his hands so close to my breasts? Maybe I couldn't hide that I liked it, that I enjoyed his hands on me?

I groan outwardly. "Dammit."

I flip channels trying to find something else. Trying to distract myself from thinking about Travis' hands and my broken relationship.

I settle on a showing of Shawshank Redemption on AMC. I love this movie and hope it will finally put me to sleep.

I'm about twenty minutes in when I hear a gentle knock on my door. I look to find Travis in regular clothes with a bag on his shoulder.

"Hey. You're still awake?" He whispers from the doorway.

"Yea. Can't sleep. You headed home?" I ask as I put the TV on mute.

"Yea. Finally. I'm beat." He glances at the TV. "Shawshank?"

I nod. "Yea. One of my favorites."

"Me too." He smiles at me. He continues to stand at the door, his body half in half out, almost like he can't decide if he should come in.

"You wanna watch with me?"

He mulls it over for a second. "I should get home and get some sleep." He looks at me and smirks. "But I can't pass up a movie night with a beautiful lady." He drops his bag next to the door and walks over to the chair, pulling it closer to my bed before plopping down and letting out a big sigh.

"Oh man. I might not be able to get back up, I haven't sat in" he looks at his watch "sixteen hours?"

I laugh. "That's rough. How do you do it all the time?"

"Coffee. And stamina. Pure man stamina." He wiggles his eyebrows at me and I laugh hard and he joins in.

"I think these long hours have gotten to you."

"Sometimes after long days like today I feel delirious." He let's out a big yawn, stretching his arms above his head. His lower abs peek through. "How are you doing?"

"Uh I'm good. Little sore but it's not as bad as before. Just tired."

He shook his head and smiled at me softly. "That's not what I meant."

"I know. To be honest not great. I just can't believe he would do that."

Travis scoffs. "I can. He's hated me since the gala."

"He doesn't even know you, and we barely spoke at the gala."

"Yeah but I saw how he looked at me. I mean I can't really blame the guy."

I raise my eyebrow. "Really? He punches you and you can't blame him?"

He sits up and moves towards the edge of the chair. "Yeah I mean you're this amazing woman who can get any man she wants. I wouldn't really want some sexy doctor dude putting his hands on my woman. I probably wouldn't assult someone in their workplace but as a dude I get it."

I snort. "What a load of crap. We aren't cavemen. Me Johnathan. Becca my woman." I beat my chest like Tarzan and quickly regret it. "Ow. Shit."

Travis shoots up out of the chair. "Becca! Are you OK? Why would you do that?" He places his hand on my chest and I look up at him, his face inches from mine.