Maripolite

Untitled Part 20

Charles waited by Nathalie's bed all night long.

Looking from the clock to Nathalie and back he kept check on how long it'd take her to wake up. She'd fractured her hip and broken her right ankle when the taxi hit her along with scratches on her forearms, elbows, and head she lay unconscious and he wanted to be the first person she saw when she woke up.

He rested his head down only briefly before a nurse pushed at his shoulder to wake him "Sir, wake up, Sir" squinting he glared at her through the corner of his eye

"We're moving your wife and need you to fill out some forms"

Charles rolled his head and sat up "Moving her where?"

"A private room Dr. Archer asked for"

Charles looked at Nathalie still unconscious then looked up at the clock to the far end of the wall three hours had passed and he hadn't noticed standing he gestured to the nurse to lead the way asking as they walked over to the administrative desk "Will she be moved by the time we're finished? Can they wait until we're through?"

"She will, no but I can have someone take you up to her as soon as you're finished with the insurance forms."

"Okay," he said coming to a standstill where a short stout nurse smiled assuring him that his wife would be ok. His wife he thought, not yet, but soon; she gave him some forms and he briefly looked them over and didn't think he'd be able to pay attention long enough to get through the bureaucracy "Is there any way that I could just pay her bill and fill out the forms another time?"

The nurse nodded turning to her computer and removing the forms from the counter before him "What's your name, Sir?"

"Charles. Charles Morgan" she looked over to him suddenly cognizant of who was standing before her

"And the name of the patient?"

"Nathalie Blossom"

"How will you be paying Mr. Morgan"

Charles reached into his jacket pocket and took out a leather-bound clip finding a plastic card to hand over to the nurse

"That'd be--" She began to tell him the price but he waved her silent before she'd finished

Click... she scanned his card "My name should be in your system for another patient who passed recently can you please mail the receipt to the address under that account."

"I can" the nurse responded when she handed Charles his card back "Shes' been taken to the fifth floor, room 245," she said calling over an attendant to help him find her room

Sitting beside her bed he took a good look at the scars and bandages that covered where she'd been hurt he rested his head to the back of the chair and didn't know when he drifted off again.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Charles rolled restlessly out of his sleep to find Nathalie's' eyes on him

"Good morning" He offered groggily

"Morning"

The streams of sunlight filtered into her room luminously reflecting against the white walls as his eyes adjusted to the light he saw her trying to sit up suffering pain she groaned and dropped herself back onto the bed gritting her teeth.

Leaping to her side he helped her adjust on the bed "Breathe Nat take a deep breath" He held his head dizzied by how fast he'd responded and reached over her to press the buzzer alerting the nurse that she was up so that they'd come check-in "I can see a broken ankle hurts a lot"