Page 49

And then everything got intenselywavy.
“I’m gonna… rest,” Ideclared, and had the brief sensation of my head thumping theground.
* * * *
(Charlotte)
The emergency room waiting area hadmuch better air conditioning than the beach and I wasfreezing.
My family’s attitude toward me wasequally frosty. I rubbed my bare arms and suffered insilence.
“I can’t believe you had sexwith my best friend,” Scott said, bouncing his head lightly againstthe wall.
“I can’t believe you let abear maul your best friend and ruin your wedding!” I shot back athim.
“Right, like I plannedthis!” he said, his voice rising above the acceptable murmur for apublic waiting room.
“Children!” Mom snapped atus in warning, and we both straightened our posture.
“Lauren ruined the wedding,”Dad said calmly. “By not showing up.”
“And by bringing a bear,” Iadded morosely. I knew I wasn’t the aggrieved party here. Not by along shot. But I still indulged in private petulance that myawesome sex night had been ruined.
The big button-operated doors to theemergency department opened and a nurse in blue scrubs came out.“Charlotte?”
I looked guiltily at my brother andparents and pointed to myself in question. And the nurse nodded.“Your friend is asking for you.”
“You’ve got to be fuckingkidding me,” Scott muttered.
I rose slowly, head hung in shame. Itshould be Scott going back to comfort his friend. Although Scottneeded comforting, too. Then again, he had our parents. Matt didn’tseem to have anybody. At least, nobody close by.
“He’s very drugged up,” thenurse warned. “They put him under light sedation for the procedureand he’s had some IV pain killers.”
“Should you be telling methis?” What about doctor-patient confidentiality?
“He gave us permission toshare his information with you and a Scott Holmes. Is that yourhusband?” she asked.
I shook my head. “No, my brother. Mattis his best friend.”
A look of relief crossed the nurse’sface. Oh god, what had Matthew been saying undersedation?
The nurse pushed back the curtainaround a cubicle, revealing Matt lying flat on an ER cart, his legpropped up on pillows. He rose on his elbows and the nurseadmonished, “Head down.”
“Oh, right.” His voice wassleepy and peppy at the same time. He gave me a big grin.“Charlotte. There’s my Charlotte.”
Your Charlotte?I let it slide, since he was on drugs. I pulledone of the plastic chairs up next to the head of the cart. “How areyou feeling?”
“I got to be in the traumabay.” His eyes went comically wide. “Did you hear I got attacked bya bear?”
I couldn’t help but giggleat him. High-on-anesthesia Matt was adorable. I smoothed his hairback; usually it was combed and, I suspected, full of product. Now,a dark curl stubbornly flopped over his forehead.
“I’m so glad you’re here.”He reached up for my hand, and I noticed the IV in the back of his.The tube was dark red and snaked up to a small bag of blood on thestand attached to the bed.
The nurse moved around himunobtrusively, consulting the monitor that displayed Matt’svitals.
“We’re going to be late forthe wedding,” Matt said suddenly, rising up on his elbows. Themonitor started to beep.
“Head down,” the nurserepeated firmly.