Sinister

Chapter Sixteen

Sinister

Chapter Sixteen

Leighton spent another day in the hospital, treated on and off by two different nurses and her mother hovering over her every move. Tate and Killian didn't visit again. According to Killian, they were behind schedule.

By the end of the second day Leighton was tired of ice chips and Jell-O and more than happy to be going home. Karen packed up her things and helped her shower before Leighton was ready to shuffle her way to the back parking lot.

On their way out of the hospital, Leighton and her mother passed ICU just as McGuinty's daughter was heading into the ward, carrying flowers and a ridiculously oversized teddy bear. Smiling to herself, Leighton didn't complain the entire ride home.

Recuperation stretched past the hospital to a week of at home care. Karen was an attentive, take no bullshit, type of nurse. She waited on all of Leighton's needs while encouraging her to strengthen her muscles despite the pain.

Trevor was gracious about Leighton's absence from Dante's Tavern. By some small miracle the bartender decided not to fire her. Leighton was relieved to have a job to return to and eager to get there.

By the end of the first week Karen was convinced of Leighton's recovery and resolved to return to work. Tom picked her up the following Monday, giving Leighton a stern warning not to push herself, and then headed off to the hospital.

The second they were gone, Leighton was getting dressed. With her hair in a ponytail and her uniform on, Leighton was ready for work. Glad her mother left the car, Leighton took off towards Dante's Tavern feeling better than she had in weeks.

The warm greeting from her coworkers only served to make Leighton's mood soar.

"Leighton!" Trevor boomed, "we thought you were road kill!"

Leighton grinned, lifting her hands as the wait staff laughed. "Just bruised, not flattened."

Trevor smiled and crossed his arms over his chest from behind the bar. "Great, the men's room needs done." Everyone laughed again and clapped Leighton on the back as she made her way to the back of the pub.

By the time Leighton was done cleaning the bathrooms, the day's service had began to swell and the pub was in full swing. Tables filled faster than Leighton could clear them and more soda ended up on the floor than in the customers' mouths. Halfway through her shift, Leighton's ribs began to ache.

When the pub closed, Leighton stuck around to help with the cleanup. Her muscles ached from a long day of work but the feeling was reassuring. With the help of Emma, Leighton cleaned the tabletops and lifted the chairs, flipping them upside down.

Emma was babbling, manicured nails made her slow at cleaning. "My little sister is all excited, she's going off to college and has all her room packed up." Emma's dark hair was starting to slip from the elaborate bun she had tied on top of her head. "Are you going to college, Leighton?"

Leighton dragged her wrist across her forehead. "Not in the foreseeable future."

"Don't like school?" Emma asked.

Leighton paused, thinking. She had been a good student, punctual and thoughtful. Not all subjects came naturally to her but she always tried. College had just never seemed possible, even though she had the marks and the SAT score.

"I liked it enough," Leighton replied.

Emma popped her gum and blinked her almond shaped eyes at Leighton. "What was the problem then?"