True Love by Lurlene McDaniel

Author:Lurlene McDaniel [McDaniel, Lurlene]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-80930-8
Publisher: Random House Children's Books
Published: 2011-11-16T05:00:00+00:00

Six

Carley didn’t visit Reba because her friend’s room was crowded with relatives. So she marked time in the visitor’s lounge, keeping her head ducked so that her long brown hair would help conceal the left side of her face. When it was after nine o’clock, she cautiously returned to her room and quickly shut the door. She called Reba and said she’d be pulling for her during her surgery.

“You still friends with Kyle?” Reba asked. She’d been given medication to help her sleep and her voice sounded slurry.

“We talked for a couple of hours tonight.”

“That’s nice. Did you mention your face?”

“No way. I’m enjoying him thinking I’m a regular girl.”

“Someday he might see you.”

“Not if I can help it. Think about it. Once my infection clears up, I’ll go home and he’ll make friends with someone else. If he’s even still here.”

“So you won’t see him again when he’s out of the hospital?” Reba’s voice drifted.

“No,” Carley said. “I won’t see or talk to him again.” She paused, sensing that Reba was fading fast. “Go on to sleep,” she told her. “I’ll see you as soon as they put you back in your room.”

“ ‘Honesty is the best policy,’ ” Reba mumbled.

“What?”

“My … grandfather says … that …”

Carley sighed. “I’m changing the policy. Good night.”

She hung up and lay staring at the ceiling until the nurse came to hook her up for her evening dose of antibiotic. With her thoughts on Kyle, she drifted into a dreamless sleep long before the medicine was finished dripping.

———

The next morning Carley gave several of her Books on Tape to Kyle. “Can you stay?” he asked.

“I’m on my way to physical therapy.” She was feeling guilty. Maybe Reba was right. Maybe she should tell him everything.

“Can we talk more later?”

“I don’t want you to get sick of me.”

“It’s all right if I do. We’re in a hospital.”

The gauze pads concealing his eyes made it difficult to know if he was teasing. “It’s a good thing I have a sense of humor,” she offered cautiously.

He grinned. “I made a joke and you caught on to it. I’m getting better at this humor stuff, huh?”

“Don’t let it go to your head, buster.” She said goodbye and went out into the hall, where an orderly took her down in a wheelchair for her PT appointment.

Once her session was over, Carley returned to her floor and asked about Reba at the nurses’ station. “She came through with flying colors,” a nurse told her. “She’s down in Recovery, and we expect she’ll be sent up here by late afternoon. But no visitors except family today.”

“No problem,” Carley said, feeling greatly relieved that Reba had done so well.

“By the way,” the nurse said, “your lunch tray’s been delivered to Kyle Westin’s room. He told us you knew all about it.”

She didn’t, but she faked it with the nurse and hobbled down the hall to Kyle’s room. He was sitting at the table, his tray in front of him. Another covered tray had been placed on the table facing an empty chair.

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