Discombobulate

Chapter Seventeen

The smell of antiseptic greeted Denise when she gained consciousness. The last thing she remembered was talking to Sheriff Winston. A large truck sped toward her. Her memories stopped after that.

A bright blue cast sat on her left arm. She couldn't help, but roll her eyes at the sight of it. Apparently, things were not going up in her life as she thought. This was her first time wearing a hospital gown. 

She avoided hospitals at all costs. The smell of antiseptic made her feel queasy. Nurses checked in every so often. The thin paper gown made her feel exposed. A cream-colored blanket covered her lower half.

Her eyes darted to an open door. Sheriff Winston had his hands on his hips. His back was to her while he spoke to a nurse. She couldn't make out what he was saying. The nurse's high ponytail flopped around while she spoke.

Denise felt fine. She wanted to go home. The truck had been on a raised bed. Just as she turned to look at it, it slammed into her and knocked her backward.

She lifted her left hand to examine her fingers. They peeked out the top half of the cast. A small section of the cast separated her thumb from the rest of her fingers. She couldn't move her thumb, it was wrapped in plaster. The rest of her fingers were working normally. 

"I'm happy to announce you have all ten of your fingers. You have ten toes too. The nurses told me they checked when you arrived." 

Denise glanced up to see Sheriff Winston peering into the room. She gave him a small smile. He returned the gesture with a wide grin. 

"You'll have to excuse my vocabulary. You scared the shit out of Mullen and me. We heard someone scream. I thought you had been kidnapped at first." 

"I don't know what I thought at first. I was slammed into the ground and went unconscious." 

Winston let out a chuckle. "Well, besides the broken arm and thumb, I'm glad you're okay." 

"Me too," Denise mumbled. "Do you happen to know the time?" 

Winston glanced at his golden wristwatch. "It's almost four in the afternoon." 

"Four in the afternoon?" Denise sat up quickly. "I've got to get home. Dupe needs to be fed again and I need to get you those papers."

"Woah, calm down!" Winston insisted. "Take it easy, you were hit by a truck a few hours ago. We can get the restraining order and evidence later." 

Denise shrugged, "it doesn't feel like I've been hit by a truck. To be honest, I feel fine." 

"It's probably due to the pain medication running through your body." A brown-haired nurse poked her head in. "Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. We've been providing you with pain medicine through your IV since you arrived. How are you feeling?" 

"I'm fine," Denise responded. "I want to go home."  

The nurse glanced over at Winston. "Didn't you say you wanted to question her?" 

"Yeah, I did. Is she free to go? She came in an ambulance and I planned on taking her back to her house. She has some papers and I need them." 

The nurse looked between Denise and Winston multiple times. A smirk appeared on her face. "Right, some papers." There was an edge to her voice. "Let me go get the doctor, so he can talk to her. He has to be okay with letting her go home. I'll send him right over."

She left without another word. 

"I can't believe she assumed we're a couple and didn't attempt to hide it." 

Winston let out a laugh. "Some people are pretty bold these days." 

"Tell me about it," Denise crossed her arms over her chest. "I was hit by a truck."