Apartment No.4

Part 22: Splotchy Purple Mark

I managed to get my arm casted yesterday,  but they couldn't do much for my ribs other than give me a sling for my arm and tell me to keep that side of my body still.

Still on pain meds - oral ones this time - I was able to walk around for a few minutes each day so I wasn't stuck sitting the whole time.

For the seven days I'd been here minus my missing three days, and Mason had stayed with me for all but two. He brought a thick blanket from home and his pillow, had showers here at the hospital under the excuse that he was helping me shower and did his best to keep me entertained.

But, after winning three games of monopoly per day there wasn't much he could do.

"Mason, please!" I dragged the word on, standing slowly out of bed to go for a short walk down the hallway and holding tightly onto his arm. Most of the dizziness had gone away but every now and then I felt a bit faint when I stood up.

"I'm not sneaking you out, Ashley." He flatlined, his face a definite no.

"Come on, I'm bored and I want McDonalds." He reached for my drip and held the pole as we walked down the long sterile stinking hallways that I had become custom to.

He shook his head again.

It was comforting though in a sense that he wasn't doing it because he couldn't be bothered but that he honestly just cared for my safety.

"When did you say no to a little rebellious nature, Mr Badboy?" I teased, as I nodded my night shift nurse a hello as she wheeled an elderly gentleman to a room.

"When my girlfriend was in a car accident and nearly died." He stated. I stopped where I was and he looked up from our feet where was making sure I didn't trip over them due to my tiny steps.

"Your girlfriend?" I asked, a grin peeking out from my sarcasm.

"Yeah, you know, the platinum blonde with the big boobs from arts?" I grimaced, he was talking about the girl who I'd bumped into our first day of uni.

"Oh you're so funny, dick." I reached tentatively for his arm again so I could keep going through my loop.

"Babe, if we're gonna do pet names I think we need to sit down and discuss them through." He laughed.

I completed my round, only needing to rest three times this time. Each day I was dealing with the pain better and making progress.

The doctors reckoned I'd be able to leave soon, which made me realise that I'd need to tell dad soon. I'd been putting it off which I know was really unfair on his behalf but I just didn't want to stress him out if he heard me in physical pain.

I wanted to wait until I could bear the pain to talk to him rather than break off mid conversation screaming and crying - which, believe me, happened on more than one occasion. I nearly gave Mason a heart attack on more than one occasion.

After a while all the days started blending together much of the time, I wouldn't even know if it was day or night unless I looked out a window or at a clock.

We'd already had dinner, but my body was telling me it was breakfast time. Weird.

Mason helped me back into bed, positioning my drip so I didn't get tangled up in it... again.

I shuffled to the side as best I could and patted the spot next to me.

Even though he'd been spending every night with me, he refused on most occasions to sleep on the bed with me.

He said he didn't want to accidentally crush me in his sleep if he rolled over. I told him he was being ridiculous, but then I thought of how I woke up with his arm wrapped around me a few weeks ago and was reminded of how heavy he actually was - and that was just his arm!