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And what she lacks in her hairstyle, she makes up for in her complexion Her face is relatively wrinkle-free Maybe never s is the trick to set basic irl!"
My mouth drops open Dr Alwood told her about me? Why?
Noise at the door distracts us before I have a chance to speak A tall , Miss Fitzgerald" He lifts the chart froallbladder from you today"
"Youas they size him up
His brow spikes with surprise, but then he chuckles as he approaches the side of the bed "Don’t worry It’s just a routine--"
"Where are Auy reaches for her, saying, "They’re waiting for you in the OR We’ll see them in--"
She slaps his hand away and then wraps her arhtly "Don’t you dare touch me!"
I’ now, and rather rudely Is this all an act or is Ginny Fitzgerald crazy? But then I see the quilt square bunched tightly in her shaking fist Crazy isn’t the right word The woman is terrified
The nurse appears wary now, but he has a job to do He holds his hands up in a sign of surrender "Okay, Miss Fitzgerald I won’t help you get up on this gurney But I’ll need you to clies to get out, her entire body tre now
I may not know a lot, but I know that this is not norood Did As? Whatever they were, they don’t seeo find Nurse Welles and Dr Alwood"
The male nurse seems to notice me for the first time His eyes automatically settle on the side of my face, on my scar Heat flushes my cheeks and I instinctively turn ine I’ll be doing that for the rest of ainst the tile floor somewhere in the hall and then a moment later, both A "We’ll take it fro theGinny
The confused nurse seems only too happy to spin on his heels and dart out
"Youyou pro the air in front of Dr Alwood
"I know, Ginny I’ot scraery today?"
Ginny’s chest puffs out and deflates with several deep breaths as her eyes shift between the door and her doctor, and back again And then she tosses the crumpled quiltback again, so let’s get this over with"
Aurney next to Ginny’s bed Before they can help their neighbor out of her bed and onto it, Ginny’s finger coain "But if I see that man in there"
"It’s an all-female staff, just like I promised, Ginny" Dr Alwood’s eyes drift to lance over at their patient, who’s scowling as Ains pushing her gurney toward the door "Curious"
Dr Alwood laughs "I’ll bet Well, I suspect your roommate won’t be nearly as pleasant post-op"
Now Ginny shoots a scathing glare at the back of Dr Alwood’s head
Great
With that, they wheel the cantankerous wo ain
"You touched h the darkness, startling me Ginny hasn’t spoken since Ao
"I thought maybe if I stuck that square in a heavy book, it’d flatten the pattern for you," I explain, clearingat the parking lot light outside ht The space feels too s, and, with each creak of the door, a part of ht enter my room
Finally, I hear a lowthat"
"I’ht tone, "It looks like it’s going to be a beautiful quilt when it’s done" Okay, I could be lying about that I have no idea what that square was All I could see were patches of red and orange and yellow But her needlework is tidy and precise
The sound ofacross a rod fills the dark hospital roo the old woman from the chest up, her eyes narrowed to slits "Is this an act?"
"Excuse ?" I can’t tell if she’s asking or accusing
"I wish I were," I answer honestly
"Don’t wish that, silly girl," she snaps "You should be happy"
"Happy?" I burst out in shock People have given me a lot of pieces of advice over these past few laring at her now doesn’t seem to dissuade her "Yes, happy Happy that you can spend the rest of your life in ignorant bliss That you don’t have to lie in bed with your ht on you, the sound of his voice when he yells at you to stop crying Because those rab on, they hold on tight They break you You get to relive theain"
"But what about" My voice trails off She’s not talking about forgetting my entire life
Just a very specific part of it
My sto slams into me It would explain her reaction to the male nurse today "You wereit happened to you, too," I sta I could forget it So be happy, girl, because if you ever wake up to your reality, I proain"