"Are you okay?" I nod and touch his side lightly.
His eyes take on an X ray vision glaze as he eyes my side then he kind of sniff laughs out of his nose, like the answer to my question is impossible.One hand slides up over my side, pausing for a moment over my bruised ribs, I like the heat of his hand there. Then it goes up to my cheek and pushes my hair off my face. He holds me there for a moment, he needs to for some reason and then I get the notion that he is going to apologise again so I decide to ignore him and flick my phone on.
Whoa! I have a lot of messages. I scroll through, Seth has messaged me a ton of times. Interesting but I don't check them because it reminds me of the challenge that was set at the restaurant. I can't believe that I forgot about that!
Noah's hand drops to my side again and I like it. Actually, I like him touching me soooo... I figure he has to get a bit used to me being in girlfriend mode and me in a way other guys don't see me. I don't exactly know how to do that. I'm not sure what even my girlfriend mode is but I realise that I am affectionate.
I'm affectionate with all my family and animals I thrive off touch. I think I'd wither and die without it.
I go to my gallery and find one of the pictures of me in the roses. I stare at it, thinking. I don't want to send him a full body shot, even though my body bits are totally covered with roses... covering way more than a bikini would (yet) but I think my face looks different to other photos. I look like maybe I'm thinking of him. Aad only him. I crop it from my shoulders up and send it.
Just as his phone bings the elevator doors whoosh open, and a tall black figure glides in.
"Selfie time," Nat says. "Get your hands off my sister, criminal."
This time Noah ignores Nat, but I catch the fleeting glance in his direction. It's not full of fear, not that I expected to see that, but a weird mixture of maybe gratitude and steel.
"Yes it is," I maneuver into position so that all 3 of us are in the shot and snap it, sending a shot to Nat, Noah and Dell.
Nat pulls everything off like a pro, wraps it in a ball shape and pushes me to stash it up my shirt (apart from the sickle - ouch) he then spends a few seconds fashioning the lump into a 'baby belly'.
He turns to Noah, "I ever see my sister in this condition and I will gut you."
Noah's eyes turn even colder than I thought possible and he mumbles something incomprehensible under his breath. His chest muscles seem to writhe under his skin.
Both Nathan and I turn to look from him as the doors to the elevator slide open on my floor to reveal a nurse waiting. We both look back.
"What did you just say?" we both ask Noah, not moving apart from Nat holding the doors open with one hand.
"Bit late now to get all shy about knocking me up," I cross my arms over my chest looking indignant. "Could have spoken up a eleven months ago about not wanting kids!"
Noah's eyebrows dip slightly before part of his mouth crooks up. "Eleven months? Maybe I'm shy about what type of baby we are having."
Nathan holds up the sickle, "I told you I could have dealt with it. With him."
The nurse backs away. Nathan peers out of the elevator. "Clear!"
I dash forward grabbing Noah's hand in the process but we aren't safe. She's waiting.
Angry and smug.
On my bed.
The doctor sits beside her taps his pen on the folder of notes.
I think we're alone now
Start from the beginning
