Phoebe's sitting up and talking to Ashton, who looks asleep on his feet but is still carrying on a conversation.
I pass Phoebe her hoodie and she pulls it on. She holds my hand. "Am I done?" her eyes are wide and innocent.
I nod. I grab Ashton's shoulder, hook my foot around one of the stools, pull it over, and push him down. "Sit. You look dead on your feet."
He sighs and drops his head into his hands. "Thanks."
I just pat his shoulder.
The door edges open. "Pheebs?" It's Claire, Jace behind her holding a sleeping Natalie.
Phoebe pulls her feet in under her and waves.
Claire pulls out her wallet. "How much is this going to cost?"
I wave a hand. "I'll take care of it."
She opens her mouth to object, then hesitates. "Thank you."
I smile. "No problem. Let's get out of here, I'll call you in a few hours to recap everything."
At nine a.m., with half an hour before the first patient and when I really should be sleeping, I call her.
"Hello?" Claire's voice makes me smile.
"Hey, it's Calum. I just wanted to remind you of what Ashton and I did last night and check up on you guys. How are you?"
"Me? I'm good,"
"And how's Phoebe?"
She laughs. "Won't stop complaining about the pain, I told her to suck it up and go to school anyway. I made sure she took an Advil, she'll be fine."
That's not normal. "Yeah. So, last night we did a root canal, fixed those chips, and did I think two or three stitches in her cheek. How much Advil did she take?"
"Two hundred milligrams, I think,"
Only two hundred? She's screwed. I clear my throat. "And how's the bruise?"
"Super gross. She was crying this morning, but she's always dramatic, so I bet she was just playing it up to get sympathy—Oh, and there she is. Just walked in,"
"Can I talk to her?"
Some rustling, then, "Hello?"
"Hey, it's Calum. You doing okay?"
"Yeah, I guess,"
"Eating and talking and swallowing normal?"
"Yep,"
"Any crackling when you move your jaw?"
"No, it's just really sore,"
"Take some more Ibuprofen, your mom told me she only gave you one," I head into my exam room and start wiping down the chairs, trying to keep my hands busy. "How was school?"
She sighs. "It was fine. I wanted to stay home and ice my cheek but my mom made me go." I hear a door close on her end.
"Aw,"
"Um," she lowers her voice. "I know you've seen way too much of me, but you guys are just so nice and I want to hang out with you. Are you busy today?"
I rub the back of my head, flattered. "Well, I have to work, but I think Ashton is free. He's here, probably wasting his time on his phone. I bet he'd love to see you."
"Another awkward question: I don't have a car, and my mom wouldn't let me just hang out at your office if nothing was wrong, so could you or Ashton, like—it's so weird—like, pick me up and pretend to be my boyfriend?"
