She didn’t give me time to respond, as she already started to close the door from the outside. I noticed, however, that I didn’t hear the latch snap. I figured it would be the best I could hope for without throwing a temper tantrum.
I grunted and groaned while getting out of my clothes, and felt a little out of breath when I was successful at last. When I removed my arm out of the sling, however, a rather loud sound of pain escaped my mouth.
“Are you Okay, Honey?” I heard Claire’s concerned voice, and saw her fingertips reach around the door, ready to push it open should the need arise.
“Yes. Progressing smoothly. Thanks.”
“O-Okay. Remember, I’m here! Just ... say the word.” It was remarkable how clearly I could hear the inner conflict in her voice, between the need to respect my wishes and the urge to help.
I shook my head, but couldn’t stop myself from grinning. This was just too surreal. Honestly, Danny was right. Under different circumstances, I would enjoy their eager servitude greatly. If they wanted to bathe me, bathe away! But as things were, I did not want them to see me weak. I wanted them to know that I didn’t need their help, and that I was perfectly fine without them. This current situation was the complete opposite of what I wanted, and it wasn’t easy for me to come to terms with it.
Since the hospital staff had flat out refused to place waterproof gauze pads on my packed leg wound, I opted for a navy shower despite desperately wanting to enjoy the hot water a little longer. It would have done wonders on my strained muscles and aching back from the prolonged time I was standing in the kitchen while leaning on my right leg only.
I can tell you, the ‘Armpit of Doom’ is a thing! And I realized that it wouldn’t be just the one with the sling, but it’s also hard to clean your left armpit with only your left hand. Especially for a righty like me. After finishing my much too short shower and drying myself, I actually opted to simply use some surgical disinfectant as a deodorant to keep myself odorless for a while. Then it came to getting dressed, and the pained groaning started again.
By the time I had accomplished even that task, I finally capitulated and asked Claire to help me back into the sling. I hadn’t even completely said her name, when the door flew open and she jumped into the bathroom. Seeing me being more or less fine, she took a deep breath and helped me out. She immediately noticed how beat I was, and, without a word, ushered me into bed where I instantly passed out.
I woke up maybe half an hour later. I still felt drained, but waking up in this familiar environment instead of the sterile hospital room had me in a way better mood than the days before. Then I heard their voices in the living room. I carefully got out of bed and crept towards my door as quietly as possible. Looking round the corner, I saw Claire and Ava sit on the sofa.
They seemed to be discussing what they saw in the photos and selfies of me and Tess. They went on for a few minutes, commenting on all the places and situations we documented with those photos, until their tone turned sad.
“I can’t believe how happy he looks in them.” Claire remarked.
“Yes. It’s sure been a while since I’ve seen him like that.” Ava commented.
“She is beautiful. They both look so much in love.”
“Yeah.” Ava shifted a little. “She ... was beautiful.”
Hearing Ava correct her slip up and reminding her of Tess’ fate, Claire stared at her daughter for a moment before seemingly looking at the floor, shaking her head.
“Does ... Have you heard anything about him looking to date again?”
“No.” Ava sighed. “Some girls from the cheer team asked for his number and if he’s single. They’re, like, the most popular girls in school, and they wanted to invite him to their New Year Eve party. But he ... well ... he was very clear about not giving his number out. I mean, it’s been over three months since she died. I don’t know how long it’s normal to ... you know...”
“He must still miss her so much.” Claire leaned forward, covering her face with her hands. I could barely hear her muffled voice when she spoke again. “How do I fix this, Sweety? How can I ever make this up to him? I don’t know what to do!”
Ava reached over to wrap her arms around her mother and pulled her into an embrace. I watched on as the two of them simply held each other wordlessly for about a minute, but could hear one or both of them sniffle from time to time. I decided to creep back into my room.
At least now I knew why Ava never asked how I was, when her friends asked for my number and relationship status. They hadn’t told her about what happened at Mia’s party.
The next day, I had to visit my GP so he could check on my wounds himself. Before that, however, I learned how the following few weeks would play out with the two of them living with me. I came out of my room in the morning to find Claire already in the kitchen.
“Making breakfast?” I asked, noticing the smell of bacon and the already set table.
