Cured [ManxMan]

Chapter Twenty

The local anesthetic had definitely worn off, and my arm ached, pain flaring up at the slightest motion.

It had only been a day since the surgery, and I knew it was too early to expect anything, but it still did nothing to improve my mood. Dream Mattie from the night before had been so in tune with me, had seen my discomfort and known how to sooth it. Current Mattie, however, wasn't paying me any attention. He'd already been engrossed in something on his laptop when I woke—which, wow, a working laptop was actually kind of impressive—squinting down at the screen and doing a lot of clicking around.

He hadn't touched his guitar in days, leaving it forgotten next to the side of my bed. I wanted to ask him to play for me, knew it would help me relax, maybe take my mind off the pain in my arm. Or if he would just come sit with me, maybe talk a bit about my dream from the night before, or anything really. But I didn't want to bother him when he was clearly working, so I bit back the words.

So it was almost a relief when Kiara burst through the door, looking more frazzled than usual. Mattie glanced up at her before dismissing her presence and turning back to his laptop, but her eyes lingered on him before falling on me, her hands holding tight to her clipboard.

"The nurses are really uncomfortable with you being here," she announced, sounding mildly apologetic, though it wasn't her fault so I didn't really see why until she added, "We've agreed it might be best if you... went somewhere else."

I still didn't see any problem with this. Go somewhere outside this tiny room I had been stuck in for two and a half weeks, except for my brief trip to the operating room? Yes, please. Anything to break up the monotony.

Mattie brought my good feelings back to reality by pointing out the obvious question, "Where is he supposed to go?"

Kiara shrugs. "He's been stable for a week and a half now," she says, "and his arm is healing as expected. Of course I'll still need to check on him every day, but there's really no reason he would need to stay, and I thought maybe being in a more familiar environment might help him remember more."

Mattie paled, slowly closing his laptop and avoiding looking at either of us. "What's wrong?" Kiara asked, picking up on his discomfort, but I had a feeling I already knew what this was about. She was expecting Mattie to take me home, to wherever we lived before I was infected, but Mattie lived with Jasper now. Had they even seen each other since the last time Jasper was here, the last time I saw him? Mattie hardly ever left, and I had to wonder if he was avoiding his boyfriend.

Kiara, having picked up on the source of Mattie's discomfort, said "I already talked to Jasper about it. He says he's on board with the idea."

Her words were soft and soothing, but they still made Mattie's face go from pale to completely white. He glanced in my direction before quickly averting his gaze again, and I realized we had never spoken about the fact that Mattie had another boyfriend. As far as Mattie was aware, I didn't know anything about Jasper.

From the guilt on Kiara's face, she also thought I was unaware and she had just said something she shouldn't have. She cleared her throat, tried for a smile, and said, "I'll give you two a minute to discuss," and then she was gone.

Mattie didn't move from his mattress in the corner, taking his time setting his laptop aside and carefully avoiding my eyes. He did not seem inclined to move any closer or start the conversation that needed to happen, and I realized I was going to have to take initiative.

"I already know," I said, finally drawing his attention, though he just stared at me through narrowed eyes, his forehead furrowed.

"Know what?" he asked.