39. IN EVERY LIFETIME #2
I don’t tell her his mom died last night, mostly because I don’t know if Ken wants me to.
I don’t think she would’ve told him to call her that if she knew, and I think he’s torn between wanting to say it and not wanting to betray his mom.
I rub his knuckles with my fingertips gingerly, soothing him in the only way I can right now.
Agnes comes back into the room, finally, and Kenneth’s body relaxes.
She walks to the computer in the corner of the room and scans the vial of medication, then draws it into a syringe and asks me for my name and date of birth, scanning my hospital bracelet in the process.
Then she pinches the tubing and pushes the medication into the port.
“Dr. Khan will be here any second now to go over your injuries with you—”
A knock on the door has me tensing up, and an older man comes in with a frown, directing his gaze right at me.
He’s wearing a lab coat, and he adjusts it as he reaches for a low stool tucked against a corner.
He brings it to my bedside on the side where Kenneth isn’t lying and raises his eyebrows at me.
“I remember you, Mr. Moore. You were here back in May.” My eyes widen at his words, realizing I did wake up here seven months ago. “I’d like to know how you got into the same type of accident and ended up with almost the same injuries.”
“Uh,” I stammer, my face heating. “Bad fucking luck?”
Surprisingly, he chuckles. “I guess so, huh?”
“I’d introduce myself, but you already know who I am,” he says, directing raised eyebrows towards my parents. “I wanted to take a moment to talk to you about your injuries, but first, I’m going to do a quick assessment.”
I nod slowly, “Okay.”
He stands, then shines a penlight in my eyes and directs me to look to the right, left, up, down, and before long, I feel dizzier than I did moments ago. He seems to notice because he pockets the penlight and looks at me with concern.
“Your pupils are a little sluggish, but equal in size, so that’s reassuring.” Dr. Khan says. “You got luckier this time than you did in your last accident.”
“How so?” I frown.
“You don’t have a brain bleed this time around, just a concussion, which means you might be able to go home tomorrow.”
“Why not today?” I ask stubbornly, but he only chuckles. Kenneth squeezes me hard, and I look at him to find his eyes narrowed at me. “Sorry.” I smile at him apologetically.
“You need to stay one more night for observation.” Dr. Khan replies. “Just a precaution.”
I nod. “Are there any more concerns?”
He nods too now, “You have fractured ribs and cuts on your hands like last time. Those will take some time to heal.” Dr. Khan frowns.
“The stitches in your hands and head will dissolve in about two weeks. You’ll have a follow-up appointment with your primary care provider to make sure you’re healing properly around that time as well. ”
“Do you have any instructions on how to care for him?” Ken speaks up now, and Dr. Khan looks at him.
“Yes,” he replies. “No bright lights, screens, or strenuous activities. He needs to rest as much as possible. He will have headaches, so I will prescribe him something for those. That’s normal. But if his headaches persist even with the medication, he’ll need to come back.”
“What do you mean by strenuous activity?” I ask slowly, and Dr. Khan raises a brow at me, as if daring me to ask the question. “Does that mean I can’t have sex?”
“Oh, for god’s sake,” Kenneth mutters under his breath, and my mom snorts.
“Correct,” Dr. Khan says, face disturbingly serious. “No sex.”
“Fuck,” I groan.
With a chuckle, Dr. Khan gets up from the stool. “I will leave Agnes to it, then. If there are no changes, you’ll be free to go in the morning.”
I sigh. “Great.”
“Oh, and Mr. Moore?” he says with a grin now. “Maybe stay away from driving from now on.”
We all chuckle at that. “Noted.”
Dr. Khan and Agnes walk out of the room together, leaving us in silence for a brief moment. It’s not awkward exactly, just a little tense.
“Are you hungry?” My mom asks us, looking between Ken and me. “We can go get you both some food.”
“I would do unspeakable things for some Shake Shack,” I groan, my stomach growling loudly at the thought of food. “If you don’t mind.”
My mom rolls her eyes but grins. “I’m sure I can find one. We’ll be right back.”
My parents walk to the door, and just as my stepdad opens it for my mom, I clear my throat. They both turn around to look at me. “Thank you. Both of you.”
“Of course, honey.” Mom’s voice is gentle, her eyes soft. “I’m so happy you’re okay.”
With those words, they walk out, and I sigh in relief.
I can go home tomorrow.
This entire situation should have terrified me, and it did, but now it feels like I’m finally free. Like nothing bad can touch me. I survived. I got to keep Kenneth. I’m still here, and I plan to be for a very long time.
Kenneth squeezes me tightly, and I cry out at the pain in my ribs, which causes him to let go immediately. “Sorry, baby. Sorry.”
“Do it again,” I say breathlessly.
“No fucking way,” he huffs, making me laugh, which only makes me whine from the pain again. “See? You’re basically useless. Can’t even laugh.”
“Useless, huh?” I smirk. “Don’t make me fuck you right here.”
Kenneth raises an eyebrow and smirks. “No sex for you, remember? I plan to follow Dr. Khan’s orders.”
I growl. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” Ken says with a glint in his eyes. Something that looks like pure happiness. “I’m going to make you wait.”
The thought of blue balls makes me groan. “You’re a cruel man.”
“Nah.” He grins. “I just want you to beg for it.”
That makes me chuckle, which hurts like a bitch, but I bite my lip to keep from making a sound. I know it’s only going to make it worse, and he’s just going to torture me for longer. “I’ll beg, baby. But only if you promise to give it to me eventually.”
“You know I can’t deny you for long.” Kenneth winks, then presses a kiss to my lips.
“You’re stuck with me now, you know that?” I ask him, but don’t give him any time to answer. “Forever. We’re forever.”
“And I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he whispers.
I know I’ve been happy in the past. The last six months are a testament to that.
My past life with him, too. But there’s something about the way my chest is close to bursting with it that’s unfamiliar.
It’s as if my body can’t contain this much of it, and it’s overwhelming in the best way.
I hope I get the chance to top this feeling one day.
Maybe when I ask him to marry me. Or when we actually say I do.
The relief that I’ll get to do that now is stark, and it brings a smile to my lips.
This is it.
We did it.
And now we get to start the rest of our lives together.