gazed out the window.
"Natalie."
"Huh?" Her voice sounded hoarse. She swallowed.
"You haven't had any visitors, except your boss and the district attorney. Isn't there someone?"
"No. Mom died, no siblings, no--relations. Friends to have a drink with or see a movie with, friends to email once in a while but not to schlep all the way down the coast for me. They're concerned, but they have lives."
He touched her arm. "I thought it was something else."
"Nothing else."
"Natalie, no one's going to lynch you for who you love. Not down here."
Her whole body felt hot. She breathed slowly. "There's no reason to have this conversation. But it’s nice you said that."
"We're all Christian here. We try. Not everyone is as obnoxious about it as Merry. She has her reasons. But we try not to judge."
"She's not obnoxious."
"She's got a good heart. You getting along with her?"
"Yes. I guess. Sure." She tried to shrug nonchalantly without hurting her shoulder or her stomach too much, and mostly succeeded.
"That's good, because--Look, Doctor Bhatti's going to come operate on your leg next week, but until then we'd like to discharge you."
Panic made bile rise up in her throat. "Back to Charlotte?"
"We wouldn't want you to travel far. You could get a hotel, but the ones with the internet you'd probably need for your job are pretty far away. Merry lives just down the road. She'd be able to provide nursing care. She'd take you in."
"Why can't I stay here?"
"You know how much it costs? Your health insurance is getting harder to authorize already."
"It's always about money."
"Yes. Besides, you're getting back some mobility. The stitches on your insides are holding just fine. This hospital isn't doing any good for you. I mean, you're only taking Tylenol. Merry's able to give you Percocet in an emergency. I know you think you're in a lot of pain, but the change we've seen in you is remarkable."
Natalie put her hands on her forehead, and thought. "Why are you telling me this, and not Merry?"
"Thought it would sound more official this way. Doctor's orders. And I talked to your insurance company about nursing care. Besides, you'd refuse any hospitality offered by a friend."
"I've got manners. The decency not to put people out."
"Not always in your best interest. Take advantage."
That's what Colleen said to do. It was the hardest thing anyone asked her. The thought made her sick. She liked Meredith too much to be resented underfoot. She really had no idea how it would turn out. It was terrifying to be so helpless.
Wheeler squeezed her shoulder. "Think about it. I'll be on my rounds."
"Later, gator," she said.
When he left, she turned on the television. Tyra over work, definitely, just to get her emotions steady. And Tyra would have good advice, though Natalie didn't need to hear it.
Live a little, make a friend. Love was important.
She turned off the television and tried to sleep. She couldn't.
# #
Chapter Nine
"I am your physical therapist extraordinaire," Jake said.
He had a gentle, quiet accent to match his round, kind eyes. He was of indeterminate Asian origin and Natalie didn't want to ask, because it was rude, and because her years in court gave her a pretty good handle on the basics. She enjoyed the guessing game. Though usually she could read the docket in front of her.
He was rotating her ankle in a most pleasant way, and asking her how she liked North Carolina, when she finally said, "Jake Syha. Nice name. Where's it from?"
"My grandparents came from Laos. You know, after the war. And my parents had a farm out by Fayetteville. Growing tobacco, until the government told them to grow soy. So they grow soy."
"Fayetteville's where the big base is?"
Jake nodded. He lowered her ankle and started massaging her calf. "I went into the Army, got some medic training. Paramedic, combat stuff. Got out and here I am."
"Wouldn't have thought the Army would have taught you to be so tender."
"Farm taught me. I'm still in the
"Natalie."
"Huh?" Her voice sounded hoarse. She swallowed.
"You haven't had any visitors, except your boss and the district attorney. Isn't there someone?"
"No. Mom died, no siblings, no--relations. Friends to have a drink with or see a movie with, friends to email once in a while but not to schlep all the way down the coast for me. They're concerned, but they have lives."
He touched her arm. "I thought it was something else."
"Nothing else."
"Natalie, no one's going to lynch you for who you love. Not down here."
Her whole body felt hot. She breathed slowly. "There's no reason to have this conversation. But it’s nice you said that."
"We're all Christian here. We try. Not everyone is as obnoxious about it as Merry. She has her reasons. But we try not to judge."
"She's not obnoxious."
"She's got a good heart. You getting along with her?"
"Yes. I guess. Sure." She tried to shrug nonchalantly without hurting her shoulder or her stomach too much, and mostly succeeded.
"That's good, because--Look, Doctor Bhatti's going to come operate on your leg next week, but until then we'd like to discharge you."
Panic made bile rise up in her throat. "Back to Charlotte?"
"We wouldn't want you to travel far. You could get a hotel, but the ones with the internet you'd probably need for your job are pretty far away. Merry lives just down the road. She'd be able to provide nursing care. She'd take you in."
"Why can't I stay here?"
"You know how much it costs? Your health insurance is getting harder to authorize already."
"It's always about money."
"Yes. Besides, you're getting back some mobility. The stitches on your insides are holding just fine. This hospital isn't doing any good for you. I mean, you're only taking Tylenol. Merry's able to give you Percocet in an emergency. I know you think you're in a lot of pain, but the change we've seen in you is remarkable."
Natalie put her hands on her forehead, and thought. "Why are you telling me this, and not Merry?"
"Thought it would sound more official this way. Doctor's orders. And I talked to your insurance company about nursing care. Besides, you'd refuse any hospitality offered by a friend."
"I've got manners. The decency not to put people out."
"Not always in your best interest. Take advantage."
That's what Colleen said to do. It was the hardest thing anyone asked her. The thought made her sick. She liked Meredith too much to be resented underfoot. She really had no idea how it would turn out. It was terrifying to be so helpless.
Wheeler squeezed her shoulder. "Think about it. I'll be on my rounds."
"Later, gator," she said.
When he left, she turned on the television. Tyra over work, definitely, just to get her emotions steady. And Tyra would have good advice, though Natalie didn't need to hear it.
Live a little, make a friend. Love was important.
She turned off the television and tried to sleep. She couldn't.
# #
Chapter Nine
"I am your physical therapist extraordinaire," Jake said.
He had a gentle, quiet accent to match his round, kind eyes. He was of indeterminate Asian origin and Natalie didn't want to ask, because it was rude, and because her years in court gave her a pretty good handle on the basics. She enjoyed the guessing game. Though usually she could read the docket in front of her.
He was rotating her ankle in a most pleasant way, and asking her how she liked North Carolina, when she finally said, "Jake Syha. Nice name. Where's it from?"
"My grandparents came from Laos. You know, after the war. And my parents had a farm out by Fayetteville. Growing tobacco, until the government told them to grow soy. So they grow soy."
"Fayetteville's where the big base is?"
Jake nodded. He lowered her ankle and started massaging her calf. "I went into the Army, got some medic training. Paramedic, combat stuff. Got out and here I am."
"Wouldn't have thought the Army would have taught you to be so tender."
"Farm taught me. I'm still in the
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