Going Home
Three days of being on the verge of going insane and Annie was ready to go home. It wasn't that the nurses and doctors weren't nice, because they were. It was just all too smothering.
Danielle's visit had gone all right. Annie had blamed her bruised and swollen face on the airbag and her sore ribs on the seat belt she'd been wearing at the time. The excuses were almost too simple and Annie could see the gears turning in her sister's head.
She was grateful that Danielle couldn't see the bruises, welts and burns on her thighs.
Annie had left a message for Webb that she was going to be released at 11 in the morning, but by 10:15, she was dressed and ready to go. Rather than ask Webb to help her, and since she didn't want Danielle to see her naked, she'd asked one of the nurses to do it. It had been slow and painful, but she was fairly sure that, given an extra half-hour in the mornings to come, she could get dressed on her own.
When Danielle showed up at 10:20, Annie raised her eyebrows, trying to hide her surprise. "I didn't know you were coming?"
"I didn't want to make your boyfriend take time off work, so I thought I'd do him a favor," Danielle said, pushing a wheelchair into place. Annie smiled slightly. She was sure that she'd heard, at some point in her drugged state, that Webb was taking time off, but she couldn't remember. Danielle saw her expression and her eyes got wide. "Was that wrong?"
"No, no. I'll call him. It's okay." She dialed and even started to speak, getting as far as 'Clay-' before the nurse came back in to excuse them. She added a 'call me' before hanging up in a hurry.
That's how she was home and sitting in bed before 11 o'clock, already bored out of her mind.
Danielle's visit had gone all right. Annie had blamed her bruised and swollen face on the airbag and her sore ribs on the seat belt she'd been wearing at the time. The excuses were almost too simple and Annie could see the gears turning in her sister's head.
She was grateful that Danielle couldn't see the bruises, welts and burns on her thighs.
Annie had left a message for Webb that she was going to be released at 11 in the morning, but by 10:15, she was dressed and ready to go. Rather than ask Webb to help her, and since she didn't want Danielle to see her naked, she'd asked one of the nurses to do it. It had been slow and painful, but she was fairly sure that, given an extra half-hour in the mornings to come, she could get dressed on her own.
When Danielle showed up at 10:20, Annie raised her eyebrows, trying to hide her surprise. "I didn't know you were coming?"
"I didn't want to make your boyfriend take time off work, so I thought I'd do him a favor," Danielle said, pushing a wheelchair into place. Annie smiled slightly. She was sure that she'd heard, at some point in her drugged state, that Webb was taking time off, but she couldn't remember. Danielle saw her expression and her eyes got wide. "Was that wrong?"
"No, no. I'll call him. It's okay." She dialed and even started to speak, getting as far as 'Clay-' before the nurse came back in to excuse them. She added a 'call me' before hanging up in a hurry.
That's how she was home and sitting in bed before 11 o'clock, already bored out of her mind.