"I'd like that a lot. Thanks, Becky. I think I might need a little bit of medication after all. It even hurts to breathe."
"That's a good idea. While you take a nap, I'm going to run home and shower real quick."
"Why are you dressed like that?" Chloe grimaced in pain when she began to laugh.
"Oh, well the nurses had some clothes in a storage closet and they gave me some to borrow."
Becky promised to be back soon and then stopped by the desk and asked the nurse to bring Chloe some medicine. She had planned on stopping by Matthew's apartment to shower, but now she couldn't wear any of his clothes without risking Chloe recognizing them.
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Matthew checked his watch and was excited to discover they'd finished up the job early. He hopped in his truck and drove home to get what he needed, clean up, and then visit Chloe. His father was taking a nap when he walked in the door, and still, the house remained fairly smoke free. He stopped by the office to update Sherry and then drove to a jewelry store on Eight Mile. He stood outside and waited to be buzzed in.
"Hello, can I help you find something?" asked a very well-dressed woman about his father's age.
"I would like to look at this ring. How much is it?"
"This is thirty-two hundred."
Matthew frowned and handed the ring back to her.
"Let's start out in your budget range. How much do want to spend?"
"I'd be willing to spend every dime I could get my hands on for this woman but, unfortunately, I only have about nine hundred bucks."
"Come over here with me. Does she like white or yellow gold? A diamond or plain band?"
"She doesn't really wear jewelry, and she hates gaudy looking things. Oh I think she'd like this one here."
The woman pulled out the dainty gold band with three tiny diamonds on it."
"This one's twelve hundred."
"Dang. Can you go lower? I'll do some work for you…"
She stared at Matthew for a long time, watching him turn the small ring around in his large hands. "She's a special one isn't she?"
"You have no idea."
"I've had this ring in the showcase for over a year. I'll tell you what. I'll sell it to you for nine hundred dollars, that way I'm not losing any money on it. And in the future, if you ever need to buy more jewelry, you'll come to me?"
"You bet. Thank you so much."
Matthew watched her polish up the ring and place it carefully in a beautiful, gray velvet box.
"If it needs resized, bring it on back."
∞ ∞ ∞ ∞
Chloe was given soft food she didn't have to chew much, and even though it looked horrible, it was better than nothing. The staff at the hospital had been so nice. She'd make sure to do something special for them when she got out. Nurses really do work hard. Lois had stopped in briefly to visit, but didn't stay very long. She tried to keep the conversation on pleasant topics, but when the subject of her parents started to come up, she left and promised to come back the next day.
She wasn't as sore as she was yesterday, but that wasn't saying much. Her body went through hell. Chloe was told the pins in her hand could come out in another week, but after that short excitement, she was diagnosed with a bladder infection and placed on more antibiotics. It's always something…
Matthew walked into the hospital and took the elevator to the third floor. The entire time, he had to keep wiping his palms on his pant legs and felt the need to frequently clear his throat. What if she says no? Heck, she might even throw me out before I get a chance to ask. What was I thinking? I should have waited to buy a ring until after I found out if she hates me or not. But I want her. If she says no, I'll try again another day.
When the elevator stopped, Matthew turned the corner and went directly to the desk. "Excuse me, do you know if Chloe Burlington has any visitors?"
"No, I was just in there taking her vitals and she was alone."
Matthew thanked her and walked into Chloe's room. Before he could smile, Chloe's eyes got bigger and she attempted to sit up. That caused her to cry out in pain.
"Chloe, don't move. You can't sit up yet."
"…Why are you here? How do you know whether or not I can sit up?" God, I must look dead, that's why. Chloe brought her good hand up in an attempt to fix her hair, but it was fruitless. It doesn't matter, he can't stand me anyway.
"Chloe, about the money—"
Chloe began talking as fast as her jaw would allow. This would be her last opportunity to explain. If he walked out, he walked out, but at least he'd leave with the truth. "I'm sorry about all the lies, the fake contest, all of it. I wanted you to like me, but because you made rich girl comments right off the bat, I knew you'd already judged me. Look, I'm screwed up, my whole life has been screwed up, but that isn't your fault and I should have just risked it and been honest. But I wanted you to learn who I was inside. I fell in love with you really fast, I admit that, but I'm not very experienced with these kinds of things. Your dad, I love him too, and I wanted the both of you to have an easier life. I have money to share, it's not like I was trying to make you feel inadequate. I'm really sorry for hurting you. The day of the accident, I was going to make—"
"Chloe, stop. You're getting all worked up for no reason. You don't have to explain anything to me. I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm sorry for putting you in a position where you felt like you couldn't be straight with me. You tried to explain about why you lied, and I wouldn't even listen. I judged you unfairly and acted like a tyrant. But not one day went by when I didn't think about you and miss you. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere." Matthew walked to the edge of the bed and placed a slow, gentle kiss on her lips.
"You're not mad at me?"
"No, Chloe, I'm angry at myself. I feel responsible for your accident. I saw the news report after work that evening. I flew over here and never left until yesterday. Becky stayed here too. She's a really great girl, and I'm glad we had that time together, because I learned more about you, your life….and myself."
"Then you know about my parents. I lied about that as well." She wanted the earth to swallow her up.
"Yeah, I know all about them. I'm so sorry you were treated that way. Your mother's a real—"
"You met her? They were here?"
Matthew didn't know how much to tell her, or how many details he should include. "Yes, they came by but didn't stay very long."