“Do you want some?”
She nodded slightly and parted her lips. The medication was obviously doing its job. In fact, she looked a little spaced out like she’d just smoked a joint. He tipped an ice chip off the end of a spoon and into her mouth.
“You don’t know what a relief it is to see your beautiful eyes.” Randy squelched the rush of emotion rising up in him. “Are you in much pain?”
She smiled. “Not at the moment.” Becca frowned as she eyed him up and down. “You look like shit.”
He laughed. “Now there’s my Becca. Flattery will get you everywhere.”
“When is the last time you slept?”
“I have a feeling I’ll be able to sleep like a baby tonight. You had us all worried.”
Her eyes closed. “I’m sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” He cupped the side of her face and watched her slip back into slumber. He pressed his lips to her forehead once again. “I love you, Becca.”
Randy cleared his throat and walked quietly to the door, taking one last glance back before leaving the room. There was lightness in his step, the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders. He’d been so worried about how she’d react to him. Even with the amount of drugs they pumped into her, he caught a glimpse of the Becca he’d come to love.
But now was not the time to tell her.
With her fingertips, Becca’s feathered the bandages covering her head. Her beautiful purple wisteria tattoo peeked above the gauze wrapped around her arm.
Her leg rested in a suspended sling, the extent of her burns still a mystery behind the dressing. She couldn’t even venture a guess as her pain was controlled by drugs. A line from an old Pink Floyd song played over and over in her mind.
“Good morning, Becca.” Dr.Swanson breezed into the room. “How’s my favourite patient doing today?”
“How would I know? You’ve got enough juice pumping into me to keep a whole football team high for a week.”
He chuckled and jotted something down on her chart. “I can definitely decrease the dosage, but I warn you, you’re going to feel like you’ve been hit by a truck and barbequed.”
“Well, aren’t you a ray of sunshine today.”
“Why don’t we take a look under those bandages before making any changes, okay?”
Becca nodded rendered speechless at the mere thought of seeing her burns. Her eyes filled with tears.
Dr. Swanson called for a nurse to assist and then sat at the edge of Becca’s bed. “Before we do this, I want you to remember it won’t look this way forever.” He squeezed her hand. “I give you my word.”
She smiled weakly, afraid to speak for fear of losing the last thread of her composure. Tiny scissors snipped away at the gauze. The sensation of air against her burns brought bumps to her skin.
“There we go.” The doctor stepped back and stroked his jaw. “It’s going to heal quite nicely, Becca.”
“Can I see?” Nurse Debbie stood on the other side of her bed and passed a long-handled mirror to her. The doctor covered her hand with his.
“Remember, it needs time to heal and won’t look like this forever.”
Becca swallowed hard before lifting the mirror. She clamped her hand over her mouth as she tried to process the image looking back at her. Angry welts covered her scalp, where long red hair once grew.
Becca let her gaze travel from the doctor to the nurse and back to her reflection. Through a veil of tears she stared in disbelief, not knowing what to say or how to react.
“Cover it up.” She spoke softly.
“Now, Becca, remember....”
She held a hand out to halt his words. “Please, can you just do it?”
The nurse worked quickly to redress her scalp.
“Now let’s take a look at that arm.”
Her head snapped up and she glared at him. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Who do you think I am, Super Woman?” She turned to face the window. “I can’t. Not now.”
“Try to get some rest. I’ll come back in the morning to change the dressings on your arm and leg.”
It wasn’t until they were gone she allowed her tears free rein. Her hand trembled as she smoothed it over her clean bandages. She never considered herself a vain woman, but what she’d just saw....
A profound sadness enveloped her. She pressed the button to lower the bed and settled into her pillow, pulling the covers up over her face. She cried like she’d never wept before. Tears flowed for her burns and the lives lost that horrendous day. She cried for Randy and what could have been a beautiful thing between them. Finally, her eyelids drooped.
Chapter Thirty-One
Randy wandered aimlessly about the shopping mall with no idea what to get Becca. Flowers were definitely not an option.
A flash of color caught his attention and he turned to look into a novelty shop of sorts. A smile played on his lips as he walked toward the perfect gift sure to bring a smile to her face.
He carried Becca’s present through the mall aware of people’s stares and giggles behind their hands. It wasn’t until he stepped outside that he realized he’d ridden his motorcycle. Randy looked at the item and then at his bike.
After a few minutes and a couple of bungee cords, he managed to strap it to the backrest. He carried on like nothing was out of the ordinary and rode through town to laughter and even applause from the sidewalks. He pictured what he must look like and had to snicker as well.
He finally reached the hospital, and strolled inside to the elevator where everyone chuckled at him but not one person asked him about the present he carried.
The hospital was abuzz with visitors. His pulse quickened the closer he came to her room. He paused just outside the door and drew in a steadying breath before going in.
“Becca?” She reclined with her back to him. “It’s Randy, are you awake? Becca?”
“Go away!”
He set her present in an empty chair and rushed to her bedside. “Becca? What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“Just go. I want to be left alone.” She pulled the sheet up to hide her face.
“Don’t ask me to leave you like this.” He pulled up a chair to sit at her level. “I love you, Becca. If something’s wrong I want to try and help.”
“Argh!” Becca threw her sheets back and sat upright, clawing at her head bandages until she was able to tear them away from her blistered scalp. “Can you fix this?”
Randy’s jaw dropped and he fell back in his chair. Her sudden outburst rendered him speechless. Seeing her burns for the first time brought tears to his eyes for the pain she must be in.
“What? Nothing to say?” Her chest heaved and angry tears streaked her face. “Why don’t you just leave, the freak show is over!”
Becca’s nursed ran into the room and glared at Randy. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”
“I...I don’t know what happened?” He searched the nurse’s face.
Becca buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.
“You need to leave now, Detective.”
Utterly dumbfounded, he made his way to the door. The nurse now had her fingers on Becca’s wrist and rubbed her back with her free hand.
Randy paused at the door. “Becca?”
The nurse scowled at him and pointed to the door. “You were warned about upsetting her. As of now, visiting rights are revoked—”
