Extinguished

~14~ Prescription

Taylor's POV

I'm just trying to get out of here as quickly as possible. I know Ellie well enough to know that she isn't going to let me leave without checking my foot first...So I give in.

I sit back down on the table and take off my sock and shoe, putting my foot on the hard surface.

She grabs my foot in her hand and gently turns it until she can see my heel. Then she starts pressing.

This crazy woman is going to kill me. Just walking on it right now burns, but the pressing feels like fire.

I try to stay still without flinching, but she can tell it hurts. I've lost enough of my man-card these last few days—I need to keep ahold of the last little bit I've got.

"I'll be right back, stay there," she says as she goes to get some supplies. This is gonna hurt. Instead of working its way out, I can tell that it's gone in deeper.

She comes back moments later with the things she needs to torture me. She silently sits down in the chair and grabs my foot again.

If I thought the pressing hurt, it was NOTHING compared to the needle she's using to widen the gash...Then comes the tweezers. I have to grab the edges of the table to keep from swearing. This is painful.

"I'm sorry," she says as she looks at me briefly. "This is really deep."

I don't say anything. I can't, actually. If I move my face even a little, I'm gonna show how much pain I'm in. All she's been doing lately is causing me pain. This is nothing compared to the pain in my chest, though.

After what feels like hours, she finally grabs hold of the sliver and pulls it out. I sigh, reflexively. It already feels a little better.

She starts pressing it again, squeezing it to get more blood out, and to make sure no more fragments are in there. Once she's satisfied, she looks at me.

"This is infected, Taylor. You're going to need an antibiotic to clear it up. I'll call over to Landez at the hospital and see if she'll prescribe you something. Meg and I have to head over there in a bit anyways, so I'll pick it up for you," she says as she reaches for some ointment.

"Thanks," I say simply. My foot is still burning.

"How did you do this?" She asks casually as she cleans the area as much as possible before putting the bandage on.

"I stepped on glass."

I really didn't mean for it to sound snarky, but I'm in a horrible mood.

She turns her gaze to glare at me, not appreciating the remark at all. "Thanks, captain."

"What did you do to get a piece of glass shoved up your foot, like a dumbass?" She quips back. I kinda deserved that.

I sigh and decide to confess. "I broke your mirror. I stepped on the glass when I went to clean it up."

"Barefooted?" She asks, ignoring the part about me breaking the mirror. She loved that mirror.

I simply nod.

She sighs and rolls her eyes.

"Ok, you're good. I'll pick up the antibiotic in a bit."

"Thank you," I say, with sincerity in my voice as I meet her gaze quickly.

"No problem, Lieutenant."

Ouch. That hurt. In a matter of days, I went from Taylor to Lieutenant. I leave without another word, both my foot and my heart burning.

~*~

I sulk in my office for a while, trying to get my encounter with Ellie out of my mind. Suddenly, I hear a knock.

"Can I talk to you, Taylor?" Jessica asks quietly at the door.

"It's Lieutenant," I snap back, not even bothering to look at her.

"Ok, can I talk to you, Lieutenant?" She asks, enunciating the last word.

"Greene is your reporting officer. Go talk to him."

She sighs quietly, but doesn't leave. "I just thought you should know that I accidentally let it slip to Ellie that you were planning on proposing to her tomorrow."

"When?" I ask, looking at her for the first time.

"During my wellness check."

I turn back around silently and ignore her until she leaves. Ellie knew about it and didn't say anything.

Worse than that, she didn't look more upset than she had. Like it didn't even matter. Maybe she wouldn't have said yes after all. Maybe she means more to me than I did to her. Maybe I've just been fooling myself these last couple of years.

My mind starts spiraling into a really dark place after that.

I hear another knock after a while, pulling me from the darkness.

"Here's your medicine. Take it twice a day for ten days," Ellie says as she hands it to me.

Wonderful, she can fix my foot. I wonder if she can prescribe me something to get over her.