It Will All Work Out (Intersex gxg)

Chapter 40

The next few days were hectic. It was easy enough to get a doctor's note from the hospital and make up the Chemistry final the following day. I just had to stay a little late, and then Harper was my chauffeur to go back to the Hospital, where we checked in on my mom. The doctors explained to me that they were keeping her unconscious to help get the heroin out of her system while giving her medicine to help with the recovery and getting nutrients into her body. That was what the blood tests had shown, and she was hopefully going to go through withdrawal symptoms while out of it.

               There wasn't much we could do at this point, but it hurt to see her lying in the bed, with all the tubes and wires all over her. I knew she was getting better, in theory, but the doctors were worried about her organs too, as she had been malnourished when she arrived. That kind of thing terrified me and made me feel like a horrible daughter. Could I have done more to feed her and take care of her? It wasn't easy to hear the list of potential issues.

               Harper was being mum on her team's investigations, but she informed me that it was progressing, and that she would have news by the end of the week. I was never good at reading people, and with Harper I knew it would be impossible. When she was in work mode, she was like a stone faced assassin. I was glad she was on my side!

               In school, I got a lot of stares for the black eye and the little bandage on my eyebrow, but I was okay with that. I didn't see Nicky or Leigh, as they were making themselves scarce and were stuck taking their finals in proctored rooms on their own. But I saw Lynn a few times, who had the decency to look away in embarrassment every time she saw me. She did look like she wanted to approach me a few times, but never did. Maddie came over to me at lunch though, which wasn't shocking since her mom was my nurse and had no doubt told her about the attack, and she was in tears apologizing yet again. I'd already forgiven her before, and I did so again. She even dropped the news that her mom had decided not to renew their lease on the apartment, so they'd be moving away over the summer. She was a good kid and got caught up believing the wrong people. I hoped she learned a lesson and wouldn't repeat those mistakes wherever she ended up next.

               Shay stuck close to me, walking me from class to class just in case, but nothing ever happened. The tests were nothing I wasn't prepared for, though it was a little rougher with all the stress I was dealing with. I still managed to get all A's though, so I didn't care.

               The bigger problems were at night in the hotel. Sleep didn't come easy, and I didn't have my switchblade as it was with the police as evidence. I kept the door locked, even with Harper in the adjoining room, and then lay there for hours trying to sleep. Part of me wanted to call Shay, but I felt guilty thinking I'd deprive her of sleep. Instead, I turned on some music, and just tried to think happy thoughts until I fell asleep. It worked, but it took a lot more time.

               I really wanted to have Shay in bed with me, but the odds of her father allowing that were pretty slim. Maybe when she was 18 that would finally be an option.

               A lack of sleep didn't stop the week from passing by, it just made me perpetually exhausted. I guess everyone noticed, because Kate gave me a little bottle of melatonin gummies on Thursday. They helped, because with them I only lay in bed for two hours instead of four.

               On Saturday, all my tests were finally done, and I had a sense of normalcy as I went back to work. Owen and Amy treated me with kid gloves, while Gloria and Kate made sure I took breaks if I overworked myself. Their concern was touching, and I think I ended up hugging each of them at least half a dozen times through the day.

               The best part of the day though, was Shay bringing me ice cream from Clementines at lunch. I know, I used to do that for her, but this time she did it for me, and I might have cried a little when she showed up with it. To make it even better, she scooped it up and fed me, just like I had for her so long ago. I had what I assumed was a goofy grin on my face the entire time.