She looked down at me surprised, but lowered her body back down slowly, eyes wide and inquisitive.
I stared into their bright honey-colored depth and laughed again, but winced this time as doing so slightly hurt.
“I don’t like hospitals.” I sucked in my bottom lip and pouted, trying to make myself look as pathetically sad and appealing as I could.
“Really…. Don’t like hospitals…” I added, laying it on thick. I looked down at the blankets hoping I looked as pathetic as possible.
“Well, what should we do? You have to get checked out Mark.” She said flatly, not buying it.
I looked back up at her and smiled. I liked the way her soft soprano sounded when she said my name.
“Do you have a phone? I lost mine in the car.” I placated.
“Ah, right my phone!” She exclaimed, then stood up and her hand slipped from my own naturally. I let it go reluctantly.
She walked over to the desk, grabbed it and walked back over to the couch, then pulled out a charger and plugged it into the phone.
“Sorry, it needs to be charged… that’s why I couldn’t call the ambulance last night. Otherwise, I never would have gone out there.” She walked to the front door and grabbed something from off the floor near a little bin beside her shoes. Then tiptoed back over to me and set it down. It was a first aid kit.
‘Thank god she didn’t call!’ I thought.
“Well, I mean, I probably would have anyway… It’s almost a habit.” She said softly, her eyes looking out the window as if staring at a distant memory rather than the scenery outside.
“Who are you going to call when it’s done charging?” She said her eyes refocused and she seemed to dismiss whatever had sent her down that painful memory.
“My doctor.”
“Your doctor makes house calls.” She said with a look of incredulousness written across her face. As she opened up the kit, she grabbed some iodine and wet a pad of gauze. She dabbed at my cut gently.
“Ahhh!... Ahh... That hurts..” I pouted.
She grabbed my chin with one hand and forced me to look into her eyes. I gulped.
“Stay still, or your pretty face is going to be tragically marred.” She said with mock sternness.
“Pretty…” I said slowly one syllable at a time.
She looked away and up at my scar. Then dabbed again. I winced and watched her. When she was finished, she glanced back at me.
“I am afraid I had to use enough iodine to dissolve the scab that had created because it wasn’t clean and I didn’t want it to scar. So... It may hurt when I put the cream on it. Okay…”
I nodded once.
She reached out, grabbed the cream, unscrewed the lid, put a little on her pinky and began to dab very gently on the large cut.
It stang… bad.
“Ahhh!”
“Okay... Okay!” She placated, placed both hands on either side of my face, holding it still then leaned forward and blew on it gently.
I stared at her in disbelief.
‘Had I really just met this strange girl last night?’
She let go just as suddenly as she had grabbed me. Then she licked her lips, cleared her throat and looked down and began rummaging around in her kit.
“So your doctor makes house visits, that’s interesting… any reason why?” She asked to continue our earlier conversation, moving it forward as if nothing had happened.
“I give him something to do,” I said with good humor.
She covered the area with a large bandage and then smiled contently as she rubbed it gently making sure it had stuck properly to my skin.
“I…” I started to thank her, but my stomach growled interrupting our conversation rudely.
Her eyes widened with realization. Then instantly a moment later her face fell and she pouted prettily. She looked back up at me, her face full of regret.
“I have nothing to eat… or drink. I am so sorry…” She fell to the floor, her mood completely different from before, almost as if a dark cloud hung over her.
“Nothing!” I said in surprise
“Nothing…” She repeated and looked up at me, eyes wide and brimming with unshed guilty tears.
“Ahhh… it’s okay! I often am never home and have nothing in my fridge too.” I commented and sighed when she perked up immediately.
“Really?”
“Yes, really… all the time.” I assured her, but conveniently left out that it was because I often ate out at my best friend’s restaurant instead.
She turned so that instead of kneeling how she had fallen to the floor, she could now bring her legs around in front of me and to cross.
“I will just ask my friend to come here and pick me up after the doctor. He can bring us some food and…” I trailed off my statement... Looking down at myself, then over at my pile of muddy disgusting clothes mixed in with hers.
“Ah, I don’t think they are salvageable. They were a real mess last night when I was… Ummmm, removing them from your… extremities.” She finished, then looked away trying to hide the slight blush that tinged her cheeks.
I smiled again, the memory of her slowly peeling off my clothes sent a shiver down my skin and my heart racing.
I licked my lips.
“I am going to check the phone…” She said and hopped up quickly, then winced with regret as she remembered her poor strained muscles.
She turned away from me and I could tell she was probably mentally berating herself under her breath.
She walked back over on the tips of her feet and for the first time since I woke up, I realized she wasn’t wearing slippers inside her own house.
“Eighteen percent! That’s enough battery for two phone calls, right?” She asked happily, her entire face lighting up with excitement.
I chuckled under my breath and nodded at her.
‘You are an interesting person, Miss Mina Taylor… what an interesting personality.’ I thought.
She brought the phone over.
“Where are your slippers?” I asked her, taking it from her hand. Our fingertips brushed each other as I took the phone from her grasp.
“Huh…” She scratched the side of her face, near her short hair and smiled sweetly.
“Outside.” She pointed out the large window past the desk.
“Me? Again?” I asked, pointing at myself.
She chuckled awkwardly and nodded.
“I was in a hurry to see what had happened and if there was anyone... Aliv… Anything I could do about it.” She finished changing her words mid-sentence.
I input Jae’s number from memory and the line rang once before he picked it up.
“Jae! I need your help.” Masking my face, into perfect politeness I smiled at her as she watched me intently.
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