Wilson's Hard Lesson (10 page)

Ivy struggled to get herself out of the recliner and finally
with a loud exhale she managed to push herself off. She waddled across the
living room.

“Are you okay in there, honey?” Luther’s voice came from the
kitchen over the sounds of plates being laid out.

“Yeah, I just have to pee again!” Luther laughed.

“I’m going to move the toilet to the living room, it’d be
easier for both of us!” Ivy shook her head as she waddled past the kitchen
towards the bathroom.

“Don’t you dare. Besides, we only have a few weeks left
until your son is born and I don’t want to have a toilet in the living room
when all the people come over to see him.” Ivy disappeared in to the bathroom.

“Do you think your parents will come to see him?” Luther
shouted hopefully from the kitchen.

“I hope so.” Ivy paused, “I’m pretty sure they will.” She
shouted back from the bathroom.

“They didn’t seem too happy when we were over there the
other week.” Luther put the two dinner plates on trays and walked one through
to the living room. He set it on the table beside the recliner for Ivy.

“That,” Ivy came out of the bathroom, “is because they are
stubborn, and overprotective.” Luther helped her sit back down in the recliner
and when she was settled he put her tray on her lap.

“I have told you before, it’s a parent’s job to be
overprotective.” He reached down and rubbed the top of her belly bump. “Just
you wait until our son is born, then you’ll see.” Ivy shook her head.

“I will never be as overprotective as they are. Never!”
Luther went back in to the kitchen to fetch his own tray.

“We will see about that.” He came back in and sat down on
the sofa. “I guarantee you that there will never be a girl good enough to date
our boy.” Ivy laughed, she knew that it was true.

“Well, that’s not being overprotective, that’s just being a
parent.” Luther laughed.

“Oh…okay.” He stuck his fork in his potatoes and looked back
over to Ivy. “Well, the next time your folks call, why don’t you invite them
over? Tell them we’d like to see them and they can help to decorate the
nursery…” Ivy shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes in to her mouth.

“Sure, they won’t come though, you know they won’t. They’re
still mad at you because you knocked up their daughter and they’re still mad at
me because apparently I lay there and asked you to knock me up.” She rolled her
eyes as she took a sip of ginger ale.

When they’d found out about Ivy being pregnant, her parents
had both sat in mortified silence for what felt like an eternity. When her
mother finally spoke, she asked who the father was and Ivy had told them it was
Luther. Her mom, having no idea who Luther was by name alone, asked if she had
ever had the pleasure of meeting the “young man.” That was where things started
to get a little complicated. When Ivy explained that yes, they had briefly met
Luther at the Soda Fountain, her mom turned just about every shade of red in
the book. She had been angrier than Ivy had ever seen her before, but she was
angry at Luther for taking advantage of her ‘innocent’ daughter. Ivy had spent an
hour trying to explain that she was a perfectly willing participant in the
activities that had led up to the event, but this had only seemed to make
things worse. Since then, Ivy had moved in with Luther permanently and her
parents had made it a point to protest everything Luther related.

“Maybe you should ask anyway? You never know, maybe they’ll
surprise us?” Ivy nodded.

“Sure. Maybe and maybe pigs will fly.” There was silence
again for a few minutes as Luther picked at his food.

“You know what? I think I might go over there tomorrow.
Maybe see if there’s anything I can do to help them out around the house or
something like that.” Ivy looked over at Luther with a smile. “What?!” She
shook her head slowly, a small tear escaping her eye.

“I love you Luther Gains.” He smirked.

“I love you too.”

By: Shirley Lue

Remembering My Husband

©Shirley Lue, 2016 – All rights reserved

Published by Steamy Reads4U

No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any
form, including electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the
publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles
or reviews.

This is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, businesses,
places, events, and incidents are either the product of the author’s
imagination or used in a fictitious manner.  Any resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, or actual events are purely coincidental.  This book is
licensed for your personal enjoyment only.

This book may not be resold or given away to other people. 
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Warning

This book contains graphic content intended for readers 18+
years old.

If you are under 18 years old, or are not comfortable with
adult content, please close this book now.

Nicole opened her eyes groggily, the images around her
blurring as she awoke. She felt a dull ache in her head, and she released a
soft moan. She raised her arms to rub at her temples, and realized that there
was a white, plastic medical bracelet around one of her wrists, and an IV
hooked up to one of her arms. She vaguely came to the realization that she was
in the hospital, but she had no idea how she had gotten there.

“Nicole?” she heard a tense and eager voice come from beside
her, and she looked over in the direction of the voice, her head throbbing
softly as she did so. She hissed from the pain and rubbed at her head.

“Oh thank God you’re awake,” the man said, his relief
clearly displayed on his face. His eyes were ringed with ark circles, and he
looked gaunt, like he hadn’t eaten a proper meal or slept in quite a while.

Other than that, though, Nicole had to admit that he was
quite attractive. He had short, black hair and deep brown eyes. His skin was a
light olive shade, and it looked as though it had been slightly darkened by the
sun. He wore a white t-shirt with a V-neck, and she could see dark chest hair
peeking from the neckline. She blushed to be thinking of him this way when she
should be more concerned with how and why she had gotten to the hospital.

More than that, though, she was concerned with the headache
that wouldn’t seem to relent.

“My head hurts…” Nicole spoke up, her voice coming out
hoarse and dry. “And I need some water…”

The man gaped at her for a moment, and his mouth moved as if
he wanted to speak.

“Oh- okay,” he said, looking around. Finally, he pressed a
button on the side of her bed. “I called the nurses, they should be right in to
check you out.”

“Thanks,” Nicole said. She looked the man up and down for a
moment and narrowed her eyes at him.

“What happened?” she asked, hoping that this man might have
something to do with what had happened and why she was in the hospital.

“We were in a car crash,” he explained softly, looking her
up and down with a mix of concern and hesitation.

That made sense to Nicole. This was likely the man she had
been in a wreck with. She wondered if he had been drunk when they had crashed,
and had stayed with her out of a sense of guilt. Nicole felt vaguely annoyed
that she had woken up to this stranger, rather than with a member of her family
or something of that nature, but she figured she could not deny him what his
guilt demanded.

“Were you hurt too?” Nicole asked him, hoping to open up the
conversation between them and maybe make him feel more comfortable in their unique
situation.

“Um, not really,” he said. He held up his left arm, which
was in a splint. “Just a sprain here.”

“Well, that’s good,” Nicole nodded. “I guess I was the worse
for wear here…”

She chuckled, but the man looked at her solemnly.

“Look,” Nicole said, moving to sit u and face him. He moved
as if to help her but she waved him off.

“We really should just put what happened behind us,” Nicole
said with sincerity. “I appreciate you staying with me, but I’m up and I’m
fine. I’m sure my family is on the way, so I won’t be alone for much longer.
And I’m sure your family is eager to see you as well. There’s no reason to feel
guilty for what happened.”

The man looked slightly confused, and he eyes her up and
down. It seemed as if he was about to say something when a small team of nurses
and a doctor came into the room.

“Ah, Mrs. Martel,” the doctor said, smiling at her broadly.
“Glad to see you’ve woken up.”

Nicole was confused, and she laughed.

“Sorry sir,” she said lightly. “I think you have the wrong
room.”

“Oh?” he said, and glanced down at his clipboard. “Are you
not Nicole Elise Martel?”

“No,” Nicole shook her head. “My last name is Mason.”

“Oh,” the doctor blinked, looking somewhat sheepish. “I’m
sorry. I wasn’t aware that you preferred your maiden name.”

Nicole’s smile vanished, and she blinked in a mix of shock
and confusion.

“My… maiden name?” she asked, her heart rate accelerating as
she looked around the room. All eyes were on her, and all faces wore the same
mask of concern. Nicole suddenly felt as if she was suffocating.

“Miss Mason,” the doctor spoke, and she was only slightly
comforted by his correction. “I just have a few questions for you. Nurse Tally
will set up a diamorphine pump for you while we discuss so that we can get rid
of your headache. I heard you were thirsty?”

Nicole nodded, reminded of the dryness in her mouth.

“Don’t worry, we’ll take care of that,” the older man smiled
down at her. “Jackson?”

The doctor looked at the man who had been at her side.

“Will you go down the hall and fetch us a bottle of water
for Nicole?” he asked.

“Of course,” the man, Jackson nodded and stood up. He gave
Nicole a wary glance, and then finally left the room.

Nicole waited until he was gone, and she turned her gaze
back to the doctor. She glanced at his nametag, which read Dr. Tim Red.

“Now,” the doctor said firmly and cheerily. “I have a few
questions for you.”

“Okay,” Nicole blinked. She was sure that there was some
information they needed to fill out, as her driver’s license only gave them so
much of what they needed to know.

“Great,” Dr. Red smiled at her. “Now, can you tell me where
your current place of residence is? No need to give me your address, just a
city and state should suffice.”

“Charleston, South Carolina,” Nicole answered easily.

The doctor nodded vaguely and scribbled onto his notepad.

“Alright,” the doctor looked up at her. “Can you tell me
what kind of car you drive?”

Nicole wanted to remark that she likely didn’t even have a
car anymore due to the wreck, but she decided to keep the comment to herself.

“My car was a Ford Fusion,” Nicole said. Again, the doctor
nodded, and made a note on his clipboard.

“Am I to understand clearly that you have no memory of the
accident?” the doctor asked her.

“No, I don’t,” Nicole admitted, shaking her head slightly.

“That’s perfectly alright,” the doctor smiled, and made
another note. “Now I have a more generic question, and it’ll be the last one,
okay?”

“Okay,” Nicole answered and gave the doctor a small smile.

“Could you tell me about what the date is?” he asked her. “I
know it may take you some time to remember.”

Nicole thought for a moment. It had been rainy and cold on
the last morning she could remember, but not ridiculously cold. It was probably
sometime in the fall.

“I couldn’t tell you the day,” Nicole shook her head for a
moment. “But maybe later October, early November?”

“November second,” the doctor informed her kindly. “And the
year?”

Nicole blinked, thinking it an odd question. Then again, he
had warned her that they would be on the generic side.

“Two thousand eleven,” she replied. The doctor seemed to
pause, but then nodded and scribbled down yet another note on his clipboard.

“Well,” he looked up and gave her another smile. “I think
that’s enough interrogation for now. Now, do you have any questions for me?”

Nicole thought quietly for a moment, fiddling with her
bracelet before looking back up at the doctor.

“Dr. Red?” Nicole asked, and the doctor nodded with a smile.
“Who was that man?”

“He’s been here making sure you wouldn’t be alone when you
woke up,” the doctor explained. “He was in the crash with you. He’s been very
worried. I’m sure he’s very glad to see that you’ve woken up.”

“Oh,” Nicole blinked. “How long have I been out?”

“Just under a week,” the doctor said grimly. “Your vital
signs were all fine, fortunately. We had faith that you would wake up
eventually. But it’s a relief when it happens all the same.”

“Yeah, I can imagine…” Nicole mused, looking at her
surroundings for a moment. “So… what happened to me? I mean in the crash.”

“Well,” the doctor sighed and took off his glasses. “It was
a very bad crash. You hydroplaned and skidded off of a small bridge.
Fortunately, you were coming off the bridge already, you ended up just sliding
into a grassy median. But the car flipped, and rolled. That’s what the police
said, anyway. It was really miraculous that you both got out of it as well as
you did.”

Nicole blinked, as bits of the story started to fall into
place. She was slightly puzzled as she realized that it sounded like the man at
her bedside, Jackson, had been in the car with her when it crashed.

 “So…” Nicole licked her lips and blinked. “That man…
Jackson… was in the car with me?”

The doctor’s lips pressed into a thin line and his brows met
in a frown, creating a worry line on his brow. Natalie could feel her heart rate
increasing, and the machine she was connected to logged the change.