All is Found

34

            When I pulled away from her lips I kissed her forehead and pulled her into my chest. I ran my hand up and her back and sighed.

            "I really don't want to get another phone call like that. Once was enough." I said trying not to cry.

            "I know, I really didn't want to call you but they wouldn't release me unless it was into someone's care." Thea said.

            "How about we get some sleep?" I asked wanting this day to end.

            "That sounds good to me." Thea said and sighed.

            I got up off the couch and cleaned up the remaining things on the coffee table before returning to the living room. Thea shut off the TV and stood from the couch. We walked up the stairs and I went to the bathroom to freshen up. When I returned Thea was already in bed with her arm propped on a pillow.

            Sleep came quick that night without a nightmare. The shock of the day made me exhausted and I'm happy to have Thea alive sleeping next to me. When I woke up Thea was still asleep and I rubbed my head. I almost thought everything that happened yesterday was a dream until I looked over at Thea and saw her arm in a sling. I sighed and leaned over to give her a kiss on her forehead before getting out of bed.

            I took my phone off the nightstand and saw it's flooded with messages. Most were from Thea's friends wanting an update and I had a few from Alyssa. I walked downstairs and started to get the coffee going and sat at the table and answered Alyssa. Apparently Nikki told everybody about Thea and they all wanted to get on an earlier flight and come and see her but I defused that quick because I didn't need them to hover over her.

            Just as the coffee finished I heard footsteps come down the hall and I peeked my head out to find Nikki come into the kitchen.

            "So what happened?" Nikki asked and stole a sip of my coffee.

            "Go make your own." I said and took the coffee back from her.

            "Rude, seriously what happened to Thea?" Nikki asked. I gave Nikki the cliff notes version as I made her a cup of coffee. Once I was done I heard footsteps come down the hall and Thea appeared a few seconds later. I made Thea a cup of coffee as well and grabbed some of the supplies from the coffee table to change the bandages on Thea's arm.

            "I wanted to shower before you reapplied that stuff. We could just take the bandages off for now and let it breath and reapply after." Thea said and took a sip from her mug.

            "Sounds like a plan. It might hurt though to peal the tape off." I said and looked at her.

            "One at a time then." Thea said and drank some more of her coffee.

            "Pancakes or eggs?" Nikki called from behind us at the kitchen island.

            "Pancakes Nikki, last time you made eggs I almost had to call the fire department." I said and pulled up the kitchen chair next to Thea. Carefully I helped Thea take her arm out of the sling and I placed it on an empty chair.

            "Good point." Nikki said and I heard Thea chuckle.

            "Ready?" I asked looking at Thea.

            "When you are babe." Thea said looking at her arm.

            With one last brave look I started to peel away the medical tape holding the bandages in place. One after another until I was able to remove the first bandage. What I found underneath was actually kind of gross. I continued down Thea's arm and when the last bandage came off I had no interest in eating.