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Chapter Twenty Two - Neil

The ride home from the hospital was quite awkward, seeing as Benny drove Esther and I there in the first place.

I sat in the back while I held my bag of ripped up clothes from my arrival to the emergency room two weeks ago. Esther was right next to me, leaning on my shoulder with half her weight.

Benny didn't want to speak to me and I'm only assuming that it had something to do with Carol repeating everything I said about her.

I would catch his glare through the rear view mirror every once in a while, scowling before ripping his eyes from me and back to the road. Was he really that mad about this whole situation? Why couldn't he take a simple no and get over it?

"Thank you for picking us up, Mr Benny."

I got a grunt for a response, nothing more and certainly nothing less.

A part of me expected Esther to come to my rescue and gush about how thankful we both were and how she appreciated Benny doing anything he could to help out, but nothing came.

She was upset about him forcing Carol onto me, and her only finding out about it when Carol made a huge fuss at the diner. I personally didn't care that much, it wasn't flattering for me and I hated her.

We eventually made it home and I was helped out of the back.

My ribs hurt and my chest that was stapled and glued ached which was preferred over the usual burning. I had a shortness of breath, limb weakness, probably everything wrong with me at this point. It was so frustrating and exhausting at the same time.

Esther had picked me up a fluffy blanket and a plastic water cup with a bendable straw because 'that's what sick people get', according to her.

Well, fuck her, because they're both nice to have.

The ice in my cup made dull clinking noises as I swirled the water around in it, taking a sip out of the straw. Esther had set up a movie for us to watch even though that was probably the last thing I wanted. I had stacks of pillows behind and around me to make it the most comfortable, but it never eased my soreness.

The doctor prescribed me oxycodone for pain tolerance which by now I already had taken more than I probably should have.

That's why I could barely feel it when Esther slid up next to me and took my hand in hers. I was zoned out yet felt the strangest form of relief.

I could see that my toes were moving in my wool socks but I couldn't actually feel it and my fingers were drumming against my thigh and Esther's hand but it made my body feel like it was vibrating in every corner.

My lips felt dry even though I know I put lip balm on and my mouth was cottony even as I sipped my ice water.

The most important thing for me during this experience was that it made everything silent.

I could even hear my pulse normally travel through my veins and arteries, it was so quiet.

Was it bad that I really, really enjoyed the ecstasy my whole being was thrown into when I popped those tablets?

"Neil?"

My head slowly turned from the TV screen to find Esther's beautiful hazel eyes staring right into my soul. Her heavy lashes carefully lined the orbs and made my insides squirm.

She was gorgeous.

She had been the one to be handed my care instructions, which make sense because she was moving in with me, but I couldn't help but feel like a bum.

I didn't want her to do my laundry and I didn't want her to have to help me clean myself especially if it excluded shower sex.

This whole situation was quite unfortunate for her.