Small Town Hero

Chapter 24

"Little girl, tell me what happened. NOW." Happy demanded making her roll her eyes at him and sigh.

"It doesn't matter. I just need my cast and pain medication prescription so I can go home." She huffed.

"I told you to tell me what happened." Happy growled as he stood at the foot of the bed staring her down.

"Ugh. A fight broke out at the bar. When me and one other waitress tried to break it up, things got hairy. I was elbowed in the face and then later was pushed so hard I fell. OK? Happy now?" She hissed.

"Someone broke your nose and leg, Noelle. If I found out who hurt you, I swear there will be new smiley face tattoos on my stomach." He stated making her raise her eyebrow at him.

He didn't bother explaining himself to her as she stared at him.

"I'll be fine, I promise. My car is still at the bar, though. And I definitely won't be able to drive myself to and from work for a few weeks with the cast they're about to put on me." She sighed.

"Don't worry, little girl. I'll get you to and from work." Happy stated as the nurse came in to check her vitals once more.

"How's the pain level?" The nurse questioned.

"Still around an eight." Noelle replied.

"Ok. I'll talk to the doctor." The nurse wrote down her vitals then left the pair alone.

"Ugh. Going to school is really going to suck. I can't wait to see all the odd stares I'm going to get." Noelle sighed.

He just rubbed her non-injured leg as she spoke.

"Have you seen my face? I don't want to go out in public looking like this!" She ranted, "What are people going to think?"

"Little girl just tell them the truth if anyone asks." Happy told her.

"I'm hideous! My whole face is swollen. Half of its bruised." She sighed.

"You're still beautiful to me." Happy quietly stated making her look up at him.

"What?"

"I didn't stutter." He countered.

She couldn't believe what he'd told her. They stared at one another until the doctor walked in and broke their staring. He looked over her chart and vitals then gave the ok to give her an IV pain medication. He told her they'd be taking her upstairs to get a cast put on her leg soon. Then she'd be given a prescription for a low-dose pain killer and then she'd be released. She thanked him before he left leaving just her and Happy alone again. Her boss called her to see how she was.

She explained what the doctor told her. Her manager gave her the next week off to get used to walking with the cast on her leg. No matter how much she tried to tell him she could handle working the next night, he was adamant she take the week off and recuperate as much as she could. Sighing, she gave in and thanked him before they hung up. Seeing Happy staring at her, she told him she had the next week off from work to recuperate and get used to having the cast on her leg. He began rubbing her non-injured leg once more.

The nurse finally came in to give her a shot of some good pain medicine before unhooking her from all the machines to wheel her upstairs for her cast. By the time she came back downstairs, the pain meds had kicked in and she felt loopy. Half an hour later, the nurse came back in with her pain medicine prescription and discharge papers. Noelle was barely able to write her name because she wasn't used to such powerful pain meds. It made Happy laugh seeing her laughing and acting so goofy.

He helped her outside to his bike. It was very difficult for her to climb onto his bike with a cast on her leg but she eventually made it. He reminded her to wrap her arms around his waist as he got the bike started. He worried about her on the way home. It was just as difficult for her to climb off the bike as it did to climb onto it. He slid his arm around her waist and helped her hobble to the front door. He opened it up and ushered her inside. Then he walked them straight to the bedroom. She sat down on the edge of the bed as he instructed her to.