Jealousy by Jenna Galicki Page B

delicate kiss on her forehead, rested his cheek on the top of her head and wept softly.
    Heather clung to Justin ’s hand as hard as the pain in her gut would allow her.  She needed his strength.  His presence and his touch consoled her.  She still didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she knew that Justin would take care of her.  She was still scared, though, and tears streamed down her cheeks.
    “ Take it easy, Justin,” Peter said, harshly.  “You’re upsetting her.”
    “ I’m sorry, sweetie.  Don’t cry.”  Justin wiped Heather’s eyes with a tissue and cradled her hand to his chest.
    “ When can you take the tube out?” he asked the nurse.
    “ The doctor said we could remove it this morning,” the nurse replied.  “I’m sorry.  I wanted to remove it before she woke up, but we had a small emergency.  I’ll do it right now.”
    Heather ’s eyes widened with fear.
    The nurse asked Justin and Peter to step outside the curtain, and Heather started to panic.  She squeezed Justin ’s hand tighter and pulled him back.
    “ It’s OK,” he said.  “I’ll stay with you.  I’m here, sweetie.”  He rubbed her hand.  “Don’t worry.  I’m right here with you.”
    Heather coughed vigorously as the tube vacated her lungs, and she rubbed at her sore, scratchy throat.  The nurse handed her a small paper cup filled with water, and she drank the entire conten ts to quench her thirst.
    “ Everything hurts.”  Her voice squeaked like a mouse.  “What happened to me?”
    “ You were hit by a car,” Peter said.  “Do you remember anything?”
    She searched the inner depth of her memory.  Everything was a vague blur, like a dream she barely remembered.  Bits and pieces were revealed to her – a loud car horn; the smell of burnt rubber; something hard and cold underneath her legs; she was in the air, flying.  The images disappeared.  She was left with nothing except intense pain. It terrified her. She imagined multiple broken bones, possibly the loss of a limb.  She tried to move her legs again, but the pain was too severe.  Maybe her back was broken.  Maybe she was paralyzed.  Her erratic heartbeat set off the monitor behind her head. Maybe she was having a heart attack. Her chin trembled and she let out a small sob.  “What’s wrong with me?  Why does my back hurt so much?  And my stomach?  And my leg?”
    Justin and Peter looked at each other, bu t neither one of them answered.
    Heather needed to see what her body looked like.  She needed to look under the covers.  She needed to make sure both of her legs were still there.  She tried to throw the sheet off of her, but she moved in slow motion and she was too weak.
    “ Wait.”  Justin put his hand on her arm.  “We’ll tell you what happened.”  He looked to Peter, but Peter shook his head.
    Justin took her hand and told Peter to hold her other one.
    “You’re scaring me.”  She whimpered.  “What’s wrong?”
    Justin explained that she lost her kidney and her spleen in the accident.
    The news horrified her.  They were vital organs and she didn’t know if she could live without them.  Her entire face began to quiver.  “My kidney?  My spleen?”
    Justin nodded and stroked her arm with a loving touch.  “You’re going to be OK, sweetie.  Everything is going to be OK.”
    Heather bit her lip and wrinkled her brow.  “Am I going to die?”
    Justin smiled at her.  “No.  The doctor is gonna talk to you, but so far, they said everything’s fine.”
    Two larg e tears spilled down her cheeks and she watched Justin as he gently wiped them away.  His hair was messy and his clothes were wrinkled.  “Were you really here the whole time?”
    The semi-strong demeanor Justin attempted to portray quickly disintegrated.  “I couldn’t leave you.  I was so scared I was going to lose you.”  He kissed the back of her hand and held it to his cheek.  “I don’t know what I would have done if