Paper Hearts

40

"Are you sure?" he replied, hesitant.

"Yes," I said, and to prove my point, I maneuvered myself under the blankets, my head nestled against a pillow. "I'm okay."

He stepped back, lingering by the bed, looking uneasy.

I reached up, lacing my fingers in his, and giving them a slight squeeze. He blew out a breath, sitting down on the floor beside me, our hands still entwined.

"You're nothing but trouble, Hemmings," he muttered, and I laughed, trying to ignore the dull ache in my ribs as I did so.

"Good night," I told him, my fingers brushing the side of his face ever-so-slightly.

"Good night." he replied, bringing my fingers to his mouth and giving them the slightest whisper of a kiss.

And it was to that whispered sentence that I drifted off into sleep.

_________

I woke up in more pain than I thought imaginable. My head throbbed, my entire rib cage felt as though it was on fire, and my heart was pounding a thousand miles per hour. It was still dark out, and I glanced over at the clock, realizing that it was around four in the morning. I looked around, squinting in the dark, and when I saw the shadow of someone lying on the floor, I realized that Luke was still there.

"Luke," I whispered, my voice a hoarse whisper in the dark.

"Yeah?" he replied almost immediately, and I was taken aback.

"Were you awake this entire time?"

"I don't think I could have slept if I tried." he responded, blinking a few times in adjustment to the dark. "Are you alright?"

"No," I said, hating myself for having to say so. "I-I think I should go to a clinic or something."

"There's a twenty-four-hour one around the corner. I saw it on the drive in. I can take you."

"We don't have a car."

"We can walk."

I paused, shaking my head.

"This is stupid. It's four in the morning. I'm fine."

"Victoria, don't be martyr. Come on."

In an instant, he was on his feet, and trying to pull me up with him. I let out an involuntary gasp, my face crumpling in pain as I stumbled into his arms, and it was then when I realized that he had changed out of the suit and into a tee, but it wasn't the time for noticing changes in wardrobe.

Luke's arms encircled me, and I fell into them, coughing.

"Victoria, this isn't good. We need to go."

I nodded, unable to reject the notion any longer, dizzy from the pain as he led me out of the room, half-carrying me down the stairs as I clutched at my ribs, feeling as though I were about to be sick.

"Hang in there, Hemmings," he told me, uncapping a dry-erase marker and scrawling something on the whiteboard that Mom had hung by the refrigerator. "Just hang in there."

I nodded, trying to ignore the stabbing, prickling heat in my chest.

"Come on," he said finally, scooping me up before I could object and grunting ever-so-slightly as he walked out the front door, shutting the door behind him as quietly as possible and setting off down the street.

________

It's not every day when you can find someone who is willing to carry you to a clinic over a block away at four o' clock in the morning. It's not every day when you can find someone who slips off his jacket to use it to cover you, or someone who whispers stories and meaningless memories in your ear to distract you from the pain. It's not every day when you can find someone who takes care of you, no matter what, whether you are in a relationship or not. It's not every day when you can find someone who can be your best friend or your boyfriend, and it's not every day when you realize that-sometimes-you can't even tell the difference yourself.