I thought Ava might die in her chair, and she glared at me from where she was. It was a look that promised she would kill me when we were alone, and I grinned at her.
“He's joking,” she said again, though her teeth were gritted.
Dr. Martsens laughed. “I know. He's quite a comedian,” he replied, and gave me a slight wink. It wasn't creepy, though I guess it could have been. That wink let me know that he knew I was trying to annoy my sister.
I might could actually like the guy.
“So, let's look at that battle wound,” he said, and I moved my blanket back slightly. He moved my gown to look at the bandage over the front side of my shoulder.
He checked it, asked me if it felt like it was loose or draining, and I told him no. He nodded, looking at my vitals, and then told us that everything was great. He asked if we had any questions, and Ava did. Ava always did.
I zoned off into the grand unknown as I felt the napkin under my blanket. I clutched it, and that strange, tingling feeling reentered my body.
I did not have a crush on her.
It wasn't worth my time or effort to have a crush on her. She was on a completely different planet than I was. I had been able to learn that in the thirty minutes I had gotten to know her.
But she hadn't just taken my attitude and passed it off either. She hadn't looked at me and thought, 'Well, he has enough problems. I'll just let him say or do whatever he wants because he's deformed'.
She hadn't pitied me. She hadn't made excuses for me. She had just talked to me, and treated me like a human being.
That was a big deal.
People just didn't treat me like that. Even my own sister treated me like I needed to be guarded and protected. Julie hadn't.
I had felt normal. I had forgotten I wasn't.
It was a useless thing to think about. 'It was useless to hope otherwise, useless to dream that the world somehow meant you good', as Boone had said. He, and Julie had quoted it so well.
When Dr. Martsens left, Ava was still mad at me, and she threatened to beat me up when I got out of the hospital, but it was all a bunch of talk, as I told her.
I wasn't scared of Ava. She was a pushover.
She stayed most of the day, up until about three o'clock, when I finally convinced her to go home.
I did ask for one thing though, before she left, and she stared at me as if I were stupid.
I didn't normally ask for my school work.
♥
I'm not sure when I fell asleep again. It was sometime after the dinner trays had been taken away. I hadn't eaten much, but then again, peas, and lasagna were not my favorite.
I had told myself I was going to stay awake, so I could see her when she walked in. The thought of her watching me drooling on my pillow, or leaving before I woke up, was not something I wanted to think about.
Not that I cared. It wasn't that I had to see her.
I just wanted to really badly.
I woke up as she was starting to walk out of the room, trash bag in hand. All drowsiness left as the thought of her not coming back hit me, and I had to think quickly.
I suddenly blurted out, “Dracula.” Not, 'Hey' or 'Don't leave', just 'Dracula'.
Julie turned and looked at me, and I realized she hadn't seen that I had woken up. She smiled slightly and pursed her lips in thought. “My favorite quote comes after the vampire women say to Dracula 'You yourself never loved. You never love!' and then Dracula says, 'Yes, I too can love.' Best quote of the entire book,” she replied, giving me a crooked smile and then walking out.
I felt myself smiling and patiently waiting for her to come back in. She didn't waste too much time, having just enough to discard of the trash. When she came back in, she closed the door behind her.
It was just a tee and jeans tonight. It had the Abbey Road album cover on the front, with the Beatles written beneath. Her hair was casted off to the side, out of her eyes, and she was wearing black combat boots.
She was smiling as she came in, stopping in front of my bed. “I told you. I can find an amazing quote from any book I've ever read, and trust me, I've read a lot of books,” she replied.
“Okay, how about Frankenstein?” I asked.
Julie cleared her throat and looked up, holding out her hand as if she were reciting Shakespeare. “'I am an unfortunate and deserted creature. I look around and I have no relation or friend upon earth. These amiable people to whom I go have never seen me, and know little of me. I am full of fears. For if I fail there, I am an outcast in the world forever.' Does that work?” she asked.
I shrugged. “I guess. I've never read Frankenstein,” I told her.
She scoffed. “Don't. It'll only let you down,” she replied.
I rolled my eyes. “Story of my life,” I said, and she laughed.
She moved around from my bed, and I watched her finish the things she was doing in the room. Her job, I guess, but it made me nervous. As much as I didn't want to notice her, I couldn't help myself either.
“I was thinking about taking you up on that school work offer,” I told her, swallowing back the lump in
