face, where those sapphire eyes were open and blinking at me.
“Hey,” I whispered, and watched as his eyes wandered confusedly for a moment, then focused on mine.
“Hey, babe,” he whispered back, and my eyes filled with tears. Hey and babe were now officially the most beautiful words in the English language. “You look pretty.” Go ahead and add three more words to that list.
“I’ll grab your nurse, okay?” I said, reaching for the call button.
“So glad you’re here,” he murmured, and was back to sleep before the nurse even left her chair at the station. But that was okay.
Simon slipped between asleep and awake the rest of that day, and most of the night. The last round of scans showed that although he had suffered a significant concussion,the effects would not be lasting and he’d have a full recovery. Benjamin spoke with the doctor as well, confirming that I’d be staying with Simon at the hospital until he was ready to be released.
Simon finally began to really wake up around three in the morning, preceded by the funniest twenty minutes of my life. Wallbanger on pain meds isn’t like any show I’ve ever seen. Starting with:
“Hey. Caroline. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“All the time, babe, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
“I’ll say it more often.”
“Sure, Simon. You can tell me whenever you like.”
“Hey. Caroline. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“You sure did, about two minutes ago.”
“What’s a minute?”
This also happened . . .
“And at the bottom of the cave, it was like, the world opened up, and there were stars . . . but it was like . . . we were the stars . . . there were stars everywhere, but like . . . we were the stars . . . and you know what else?”
“What’s that, Simon?’
“We were them.”
“What?”
“Them.”
“Them?”
“The stars. . . . we were them . . . the stars . . .”
And if you liked that, you’ll love . . .
“Babies. I want to fill you up with babies. Like, make you pregnant with babies. And have some of the babies. Babies. Babies. Caroline? Babies.”
And finally . . .
“Caroline, I’m so glad you’re here. But why’d you bring so many leprechauns?”
M y stomach hurt from trying hard not to laugh at how silly he was on pain meds. But as they wore off into something a little more manageable, he began to make a little more sense. He sipped at some water that I held, nodding when he was through.
“Go ahead and lay back; you shouldn’t sit up so straight,” I said, urging him back against his pillow. The doctor said he might be dizzy for a while.
“I’m good right now, actually.” He frowned, watching as I stretched my back out. “How’re you feeling? Don’t you want to get some sleep?”
“I slept on the plane.”
“You did not, you never sleep on planes,” he corrected.
Caught, I smiled ruefully.
“I’m fine—really. Tell me how you’re feeling. Are you super sore?’
“A little, yeah,” he admitted.
“And the rib?” I asked.
“Rib?”
“You cracked a rib, and a bunch more are bruised,” I said.
“I did?”
My eyes widened. “How much do you remember?”
“All of it. At least, I think I do,” he said, his eyes searching as he remembered. “Oh yeah, I bet I did crack a rib.”
“You tell me everything that happened. Right now,” I said, reaching for his hand and holding it tightly. “And don’t you dare leave anything out.”
He told me about the incredible cave and the scale of photographing such an amazing natural space. And of the rickety bamboo structure he used to scramble over to get his motherfucking photos. And the fact that he was hurrying to get the last bit of light before they had to move on to another shot. And the fact that he was not entirely secured into the safety harness he’d agreed to wear. And the fact that he tumbled ass over camera more than fifty feet down the side of a limestone
“Hey,” I whispered, and watched as his eyes wandered confusedly for a moment, then focused on mine.
“Hey, babe,” he whispered back, and my eyes filled with tears. Hey and babe were now officially the most beautiful words in the English language. “You look pretty.” Go ahead and add three more words to that list.
“I’ll grab your nurse, okay?” I said, reaching for the call button.
“So glad you’re here,” he murmured, and was back to sleep before the nurse even left her chair at the station. But that was okay.
Simon slipped between asleep and awake the rest of that day, and most of the night. The last round of scans showed that although he had suffered a significant concussion,the effects would not be lasting and he’d have a full recovery. Benjamin spoke with the doctor as well, confirming that I’d be staying with Simon at the hospital until he was ready to be released.
Simon finally began to really wake up around three in the morning, preceded by the funniest twenty minutes of my life. Wallbanger on pain meds isn’t like any show I’ve ever seen. Starting with:
“Hey. Caroline. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“All the time, babe, but I never get tired of hearing it.”
“I’ll say it more often.”
“Sure, Simon. You can tell me whenever you like.”
“Hey. Caroline. Did I ever tell you how much I love you?”
“You sure did, about two minutes ago.”
“What’s a minute?”
This also happened . . .
“And at the bottom of the cave, it was like, the world opened up, and there were stars . . . but it was like . . . we were the stars . . . there were stars everywhere, but like . . . we were the stars . . . and you know what else?”
“What’s that, Simon?’
“We were them.”
“What?”
“Them.”
“Them?”
“The stars. . . . we were them . . . the stars . . .”
And if you liked that, you’ll love . . .
“Babies. I want to fill you up with babies. Like, make you pregnant with babies. And have some of the babies. Babies. Babies. Caroline? Babies.”
And finally . . .
“Caroline, I’m so glad you’re here. But why’d you bring so many leprechauns?”
M y stomach hurt from trying hard not to laugh at how silly he was on pain meds. But as they wore off into something a little more manageable, he began to make a little more sense. He sipped at some water that I held, nodding when he was through.
“Go ahead and lay back; you shouldn’t sit up so straight,” I said, urging him back against his pillow. The doctor said he might be dizzy for a while.
“I’m good right now, actually.” He frowned, watching as I stretched my back out. “How’re you feeling? Don’t you want to get some sleep?”
“I slept on the plane.”
“You did not, you never sleep on planes,” he corrected.
Caught, I smiled ruefully.
“I’m fine—really. Tell me how you’re feeling. Are you super sore?’
“A little, yeah,” he admitted.
“And the rib?” I asked.
“Rib?”
“You cracked a rib, and a bunch more are bruised,” I said.
“I did?”
My eyes widened. “How much do you remember?”
“All of it. At least, I think I do,” he said, his eyes searching as he remembered. “Oh yeah, I bet I did crack a rib.”
“You tell me everything that happened. Right now,” I said, reaching for his hand and holding it tightly. “And don’t you dare leave anything out.”
He told me about the incredible cave and the scale of photographing such an amazing natural space. And of the rickety bamboo structure he used to scramble over to get his motherfucking photos. And the fact that he was hurrying to get the last bit of light before they had to move on to another shot. And the fact that he was not entirely secured into the safety harness he’d agreed to wear. And the fact that he tumbled ass over camera more than fifty feet down the side of a limestone
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