Under The Surface [Editing]

Chapter Thirty Talk

Waking up early the next day, the sound of material rustling together stirred my eyes open groggily. I winced instantly feeling a dull ache in my lower back and a cramp in my neck. I had pulled two chairs together to make some form of a bed and I instantly regretted it from what my back was telling me. I kicked off the hospital blanket and sat up to stretch out my limbs and work out the cramp.

As I turned my head, I saw that the rustling material noise was a nurse attending to Nathan. He was awake but looked awfully tired. We still hadn’t had much chance to be alone and talk since he was in the hospital and recovering himself. After everyone left last night more nurses came in constantly and he was tired so I let him drift to sleep though he wanted to stay up. Patience was not one of my virtues but it was there now.

I put up a good fight the night before. My dad wanted to stay overnight but I insisted that I did. He had other things to worry about and the only thing I had was Nathan. He gave in as he was tired as well. The nurses and I were mutually annoyed by each other as I questioned them about everything they did to Nathan.

They changed his bandages often and I wince at how fleshy, black and blue his cheek looked and the staples or stitches from the incision they had made to fix the cracked cheek. I had to look away. No wonder he looked so tired since they poked and prodded him throughout the night, he probably woke every hour or so.

Yawning as I sat up watching the nurse attend to his most recent bandage update, Nathan caught my sleepy gaze and smiled tiredly at me and we just held each other’s gaze.

“Would you like breakfast as well miss?” the nurse chortled to me.

“Yes please,” I croaked clearing my throat.

“It will be here in about twenty minutes, you’re healing up good Mr. Braddox,” she encouraged.

“Good genes,” he said flirtatiously and I gaped at him, he just rolled his eyes. The nurse gave him some antibiotics and a pain killer then left the room. Nathan and I never broke eye contact.

“Morning darling,” he said affectionately. I stood up and walked to the edge of his bed and lovingly stroked his hair. My heart inflated with the love I felt for him. Still I had not told him yet. That was the next hurdle for me to jump over. Nathan closed his eyes and exhaled heavily.

“That feels good baby,” he muttered as I ran my hands through his hair, he opened them again.

I leaned down and whispered, “Morning,” and kissed his lips, he groaned softly.

“Oh I miss that,” he says.

“Well you’re the one who left,” I teased and pulled up a chair. Regret crossed over his eyes.

“I’m so sorry I scared you so badly Dawn, I will explain,” he said seriously, I raised my eyebrows.

“You bet your ass you’re going to explain,” I said defiantly and he smiled but winced slightly from stretching his cheek too far.

A knock sounded on the door opening with a stocky friendly man coming in with trays that smelled of bacon and eggs. I was not a fan of hospital food, (who really was) but my stomach growled out of hunger.

“Good morning, I was told to bring a tray for a pretty young lady,” he smiled sweetly at me and winked at Nathan making him chuckle. I blushed as I’m sure no one told him that specifically, he was just being friendly.

“Thank you,” I said politely smiling back. The man’s kindness was infectious. He situated the trays for us on the pull over table they provided attached to the hospital beds.

“Enjoy and see you at lunch,” he winked at us both this time. I giggled and he gave us a pleased smile. Some people who worked at hospitals at least seemed genuinely pleased to be helping others.