“I told you I don’t care about the lawsuit. Her parents can sue me for everything I am, I don’t care. I want Claire to come out of this alive. I fucked up, Greg. I shouldn’t have but I did. She can’t pay the price for it.”
“Damn it,” he mutters. “Simon –”
“Just give me more time.”
He’s silent for a moment. Then, “I can give you two weeks.”
My head drops in relief and I stare at the puddle of leaking water. “Two weeks. Okay. Yeah.”
“But just that. No more. We’re pulling the plug after that.”
I know that’s the right course. I’m aware that patients like Claire don’t come back from their coma. But I have some ideas. I have scheduled a phone call with a group working at Berkley. They work with ABI – Acute Brain Injury, and I’m going to present Claire’s case to them.
“Okay,” I agree, letting it go.
“Good. Now don’t call me, I’m busy entertaining and I suggest you do the same.”
“Entertain, you mean?”
“Yes.”
My lips pull into a smile. “With what? Sausages?”
“Fuck you, man. I’ve got a good thing going here.”
“Who’s the lucky lady?”
“A drug rep.”
“No kidding. You hate drug reps.”
“This one’s got a great pair of legs.”
I smirk. “Is she aware that you’re not going to buy whatever she’s selling?”
“Hey, I’m open to whatever she’s selling. And as I said, you should do the same. Maybe that’ll take your mind off everything. Got any sexy doctors or drug reps or you know? Nurses?”
At his question, my eyes go to the willow tree again. “No, and I’m not interested.”
“Whatever. Though you do need to get laid. How long has it been, three months?”
“Didn’t know you kept tabs on my sex life.”
“Fuck you. Again. All right, I’m out.”
We say our goodbyes and then, it’s silence. Or actually, not. Because I hear her.
Do you have someone special, Dr. Blackwood?
I hear the words as if she’s here, in this room. As if I brought her with me. Inside this shaky debris of a house.
Willow Audrey Taylor, with her silver hair and blue eyes, and a fucking voice that sticks.
I wonder what she’ll think of this. The dusty furniture, the leaking roof, broken stairs. The fact that this house is stuck in the past.
You like fixing things, don’t you?
I wonder if her pale skin will light up this house, like the moon does.
He called me snow princess. He pulled me into this dark alley…
He pushed me against the wall. His hands felt so big. Like they could do anything.
Because maybe, just maybe, I’m a fighter. And there’s no shame in fighting. There’s honor.
He told me that.
Dr. Simon Blackwood.
Simon.
I know I said I won’t call him by his name but I’m breaking my promise. He’s not Dr. Blackwood to me, he’s Simon.