One Life

19.

Waking up the next morning wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The blood work wound up being no issue, and I was quite shocked about that since my veins were basically invisible. The blood work was even done before Sal woke up, which really shocked me. Usually Sal would wake up because of me starting to cry from the damn blood techs fishing at my veins, but today he was able to sneak a few extra minutes of sleep in. He was finally woken up by the sound of my breakfast tray clacking down onto the bedside table when it was being placed.

"Well good morning," Sal said, rubbing his eyes slightly as he started getting up from his bed.

I giggled as I cut up the blueberry pancakes as best as I could without hurting my IV hand. "Morning, cutie."

Sal came over to me once he was fully awake and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm gonna shower, okay? Save me a pancake and some syrup."

"Gotcha."

Sal walked off to the bathroom and started his shower. I stayed in bed, but was determined to at least get up today since I wasn't feeling all that shitty. I would get up later on in the morning after the doctor visited me and maybe cuddle with Sal on the couch.

Until then, I had to finish the pancake I was already eating. It was a surprisingly good pancake, with just enough fluffiness to it. It wasn't burnt like some places I've  been to where they burnt the bottom, so I greatly appreciated that. I would have loved to have complimented the chef, but knew I couldn't since I didn't know where the kitchen was. Instead, I decided to write a note to him to tell him about the magnificent pancakes he created. I would have to wait until Sal came out of the shower for him to get my bag, but that was okay. Breakfast collectors didn't come back around until 11:30, so I had plenty of time to write him the note.

By the time I had finished my pancakes and left one for Sal, Sal had gotten out of the shower. He did his usual routine: dry, then brush his hair, then sit around in his towel for a few minutes while he stared at himself in the mirror, then finally got dressed. Once out of the shower, Sal came over to me and kissed my forehead gently.

"Hey, gorgeous," he said, smiling at me wide. "Were the pancakes any good?"

"Yeah, I was actually going to write a compliment to the chef," I told Sal as he sat at the side of my bed and got his one pancake ready to eat.

"Yeah?" Sal took my free hand and kissed it softly before letting me go. "I'll write the note for you after I eat."

I kicked the sheets off my legs and made sure the IV wire was long enough so I wouldn't pull on it. Once I knew for sure that the length was long enough for me not to hurt myself, I crawled over to Sal and kissed his ear softly. Sal turned his attention back on me and smiled, pulling me over to his side. I sat by his side and fed him as he watched me closely, making sure he didn't sit on the IV wire. We sat in total silence as he ate occasionally sharing a little piece of the pancake with me.

"How are you feeling today?" Sal asked once he was done.

"I'm feeling better," I told him, crossing my legs over each other as I sat fully on the bed. "Wish I wasn't in this damn hospital, but still."

"I know, baby." Sal sighed as he tried to smile. "But, hey, we'll get out soon, okay? Don't you worry. We'll be out of here real real soon."

I pushed the bedside table out of our way as Sal gave me a soft kiss on the lips. "I know," I told him, brushing the hair out of my eyes.

Sal laid down on the bed next to me, staring up at the ceiling. He played with his fingers as he whistled to himself. I watched him closely, laying down next to him.

"Sal?"

"Yes, dear?"

I turned to him, taking his hand. "Do you ever get tired of my stupid medical shit? Like.. having to pick up pills for me and taking me to doctor appointments and all that shit?"

Sal turned to me and stared at me for a minute before shaking his head. "No."

"Come on, you can be honest with me."

"I'm serious," Sal said quickly. "I never saw it as an issue."

I sat up with a groan as I playfully shoved him. "Come on, don't act like it's not an issue. We both know there is an issue when it comes to my medical sh-"

Sal cut me off with a quick peck to the lips. He closed his eyes as he cuddled into my chest as I wrapped my free arm around him. We stayed quiet for a minute, the silence spreading around the room. The IV monitor wasn't beeping, the TV was off. Absolutely no noise was heard from our room. It was.. peaceful.

I broke the silence after a minute; the question still hovering around in my head. "Sal, are you sure I'm not a bother to you?"

Sal kept his eyes shut as he shook his head. He didn't speak a word at all, only shushed me after a minute. He opened his eyes after a minute and smiled up to me, warmth in is eyes.

I was about to open my mouth, but chose not to instead. I simply laid back down next to him, cuddling into his chest. I rested my ear right against his chest so I could listen to his heart beat. Boom. Boom. Boom. It was so calming, for some reason, a reason I could not explain.

Sal fell asleep not too long after that, while I stayed awake. I wasn't tired at all, but more lost in thought. I wanted to know why he didn't think of me as a bother or if he was telling me the truth. I trusted Sal with my life, but for some reason, I always thought he was lying whenever I asked him that question. He never changed his response when I would ask him that, and one would think that would reassure me, but it just didn't.

To be honest, I wasn't sure if anything ever would.