Page 82 of Sloane
That took me aback, and I frowned.
“He did?”
“Yeah.”
The helpless feeling resurfaced. “I don’t know what to think right now.”
“Honestly, I don’t either. But I can’t pretend to comprehend what he’s going through.”
“No one can, but I know closing himself off isn’t going to help.”
“I agree, but there’s not much we can do. Sloane can be pretty stubborn.”
Yeah, well so could I.
****
Sloane
By day two of being awake, I was so fucking bored. Everything on television was in German, so I couldn’t understand it. I didn’t have access to the internet. And the only thing around to read were trashy gossip magazines from the waiting room.
Lina walked into my room wearing a bright smile with her hands behind her back.
“I’ve got something for you,” she singsonged.
“I hope it’s drugs,” I grumbled.
Her gaze went to the clock on the wall. “You’ve got another twenty minutes before I can give you your next dose. But I think this will help keep your mind busy.”
I’ll admit, I was curious, so I took the bait.
“What is it?”
She brought her hand to her front, and I noticed she was holding a box.
“We’ve been keeping these for you.”
Then she tilted the box so I could see what was inside.
Stacks of pink envelopes.
My heart beat faster. Fortunately, the sound on the machine monitoring my heartrate had been shut off, but I was sure if Lina looked at the display, she’d notice.
As she set the box down on the table next to me, a sense of dread filled my stomach like a lead balloon.
Lina picked up an envelope and pointed to the corner.
“She writes the date in the corner, so we were able to put them in order for you.” She took a deep breath through her nose, closed her eyes, and smiled. “And they smell so good.”
I remembered. I remembered everything about her, and it fucking hurt.
Lina tilted her head when I didn’t dive into the box immediately. Instead, I stared at it like the envelopes were poisonous and made no attempt to sift through the contents.
“Do you want me to open one for you?”
I slowly shook my head and almost told her to take them away, but I couldn’t bring myself to. Not yet.
The nurse took a step back and said, “Well, I’ll leave you alone. Let me know if you need help.”