Learning to Swim

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

When I get off of work, I find Liam waiting for me by the door. I wave goodbye to Maggie and everyone else working tonight before turning back to Liam with a shy smile. He holds the door for me and then goes to lead me to his car. As we are walking the familiar ache from my foot causes me to limp a little. I try not to let Liam see this, but he notices anyway.

“You’re still limping?” he asks, concern coating his voice.

“Just a little. I’m sure it will be gone by tomorrow.”

I try downplaying the pain that I am still feeling. I don’t need him worrying about me or telling me I need to go to the hospital. Although, I seriously think I should. Last night when I undid the bandage I had place on my cut, it was soaked with blood. My cut is not healing properly and will probably get infected if I don’t get it checked out. I just don’t know what to do, though. All I can think when I ponder going to the hospital is the money it will cost. I’m pretty sure I don’t have insurance, so it’s not like I’m going to get any help.

“When did you step on the glass?” he demands.

“Um, two nights ago,” I mumble and his eyebrows shoot up.

“You should not still be limping then, if it wasn’t serious! You need to go to the hospital,” he informs me and I bite my lip. This is what I was afraid would happen.

“No, it’s really not that bad.” I shrug it off, but he is far from convinced.

“Let me see.”

“What?” I ask, confused.

“Let me see your foot. I will be able to tell if it needs stitches or not,” he says and this time I am the one to give him a look like he is insane.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I know it’s weird, but it is better than you ending up with an infection or something,” he explains.

“Oh. Well, I guess you can look at it,” I say, doubtfully. He’s right, this is weird.

“If it looks bad, you are going to the hospital, okay?” he says and I nod hesitantly.

I sit down on a bench and pluck my sneaker off of my hurt foot. As soon as I see the redness that has seeped into my sock, I know he is going to force me into getting stitches. There should not still be blood if I didn’t need them.

I hold my foot out straight for Liam to see and outrage with a mix of concern settles over his handsome features. Without even opening his mouth he makes his message clear to me. He can’t believe that I would wait this long to get checked out when it is still this bad. I can tell he also wants to know why I have been acting like it really wasn’t that bad when it clearly is. I don’t really know how to explain this to him other than telling him the truth. I can’t afford a hospital bill.

“So, I guess this means you are going to make me go to the hospital then?” I ask and he shoots me a look that I translate to mean, are you seriously asking me that? “Look, it is nice of you to be concerned and all, but I really cannot go to the hospital!”

“Why? Are you scared of them or something?” he wonders and I shake my head.

“No,” I say in a small voice, ducking my head.

Liam sits beside me on the bench and even though I can’t see him, I know he is staring at me with a crease between his brow as he tries to think up a reason I wouldn’t want to go.

“It’s about the money, isn’t it?”

He reaches over and gently brushes a strand of hair out of my face, trying to get me to meet his eyes. I ignore the little tingles on the skin that his finger trailed across and instead focus on his question. I realize that I am actually embarrassed by it. It’s strange for me to feel that way because I have always been poor and it has never bothered me before.