Darcy moved away, and a nurse who’d probably grown up with America’s founding fathers took her place.
“Conscious, are we?”
Not giving him time to answer, she pried his eye wider open and shone a small light in it. His head screamed at the invasion, but he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.
The old bat nodded and straightened. “Pupils responding nicely.”
Michael refrained from responding not-so-nicely. “Can you raise the head of the bed a little?”
The nurse hit a button, and Michael’s head slowly rose. Darcy came into his line of sight, wringing her hands at the foot of the bed. He smiled at her, and she tentatively smiled back.
“I want to go home,” he told the nurse.
“Take it up with the doctor.” She turned to Darcy, her hair shimmering a painful blue under the fluorescent light. “Five more minutes, young lady.”
Then she squeaked out of the room.
“Come here, Darcy.”
She came up beside him.
Michael took her hand. “Stop blaming yourself.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Yes, you can.”
She looked everywhere but into his eyes. “Can I tell you about my senior prom?”
Michael started to nod, only to wince. “I have no idea why, but sure.”
“Brad Fontaine asked me to go with him.”
“Who was Brad Fontaine?”
“He was captain of the football team. Probably the most popular boy in school.”
“He also had very good taste.”
She shook her head. “He asked me on a dare. He had a bet with his buddies that he could survive a date with me.”
Michael’s heart constricted painfully. For some reason, he had the feeling this story was going to piss him off.
She finally met his gaze. Her eyes had dried, but there was a lifetime of hurt in them. She sighed softly. “The night was like a dream for me. I’d always had a secret crush on him, but always knew he was way out of my league.
“We were standing by the punch bowl, and all of his friends kept coming over and saying all of these strange things about bets and stuff. When Brad went to the rest room, Sara Jo Simms came over. Sara Jo was Brad’s ex-girlfriend, and she’d been giving me nasty looks all night long. She told me all about the bet.”
Dammit! How could kids be so cruel to one another? Michael thought of his own youth, and felt almost guilty for the ease with which he’d made it through school. Always having been one of the tallest, most athletic, and academically successful students, he’d never been the brunt of hurtful pranks.
“I was so embarrassed,” Darcy continued. “Everyone knew but me. I should have known it was too good to be true. When Brad came back, I was shaking. He asked me to dance. All I wanted to do was go home.” She forked her fingers through the hair at her forehead, pushing it back from her face. “Someone came up behind me and pinched my . . . bottom. I was so startled I dropped my punch.” Her head shook sadly. “Brad slipped in the punch and broke his ankle. Because of that, he couldn’t play football his freshman year in college. Not only that, but he lost fifty dollars, because he had to pay ten of his buddies five dollars each.”
“Personally, I think the son of a bitch got what he deserved,” Michael said. “So what’s your point?”
“I went to see him in the hospital. He was so angry! He told me that someone should lock me up and throw away the key, because I was nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.”
Michael called the jerk a few more choice names. Darcy met his eyes, and he flushed as a memory returned. “Well, Darcy Wel-Wellington, you are a one-woman disaster zone.” Her look told him she was remembering those words, too.
“Listen, Darcy—”
“No!” She pulled her hand from his. “Don’t you see? He was right. You were both right. I wasn’t meant to have a relationship because, if I do, I’ll end up hurting someone.”
“That’s not true!”
She stepped back. Michael wanted to reach out and grab her, pull her on top
“Conscious, are we?”
Not giving him time to answer, she pried his eye wider open and shone a small light in it. His head screamed at the invasion, but he gritted his teeth to keep from crying out.
The old bat nodded and straightened. “Pupils responding nicely.”
Michael refrained from responding not-so-nicely. “Can you raise the head of the bed a little?”
The nurse hit a button, and Michael’s head slowly rose. Darcy came into his line of sight, wringing her hands at the foot of the bed. He smiled at her, and she tentatively smiled back.
“I want to go home,” he told the nurse.
“Take it up with the doctor.” She turned to Darcy, her hair shimmering a painful blue under the fluorescent light. “Five more minutes, young lady.”
Then she squeaked out of the room.
“Come here, Darcy.”
She came up beside him.
Michael took her hand. “Stop blaming yourself.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Yes, you can.”
She looked everywhere but into his eyes. “Can I tell you about my senior prom?”
Michael started to nod, only to wince. “I have no idea why, but sure.”
“Brad Fontaine asked me to go with him.”
“Who was Brad Fontaine?”
“He was captain of the football team. Probably the most popular boy in school.”
“He also had very good taste.”
She shook her head. “He asked me on a dare. He had a bet with his buddies that he could survive a date with me.”
Michael’s heart constricted painfully. For some reason, he had the feeling this story was going to piss him off.
She finally met his gaze. Her eyes had dried, but there was a lifetime of hurt in them. She sighed softly. “The night was like a dream for me. I’d always had a secret crush on him, but always knew he was way out of my league.
“We were standing by the punch bowl, and all of his friends kept coming over and saying all of these strange things about bets and stuff. When Brad went to the rest room, Sara Jo Simms came over. Sara Jo was Brad’s ex-girlfriend, and she’d been giving me nasty looks all night long. She told me all about the bet.”
Dammit! How could kids be so cruel to one another? Michael thought of his own youth, and felt almost guilty for the ease with which he’d made it through school. Always having been one of the tallest, most athletic, and academically successful students, he’d never been the brunt of hurtful pranks.
“I was so embarrassed,” Darcy continued. “Everyone knew but me. I should have known it was too good to be true. When Brad came back, I was shaking. He asked me to dance. All I wanted to do was go home.” She forked her fingers through the hair at her forehead, pushing it back from her face. “Someone came up behind me and pinched my . . . bottom. I was so startled I dropped my punch.” Her head shook sadly. “Brad slipped in the punch and broke his ankle. Because of that, he couldn’t play football his freshman year in college. Not only that, but he lost fifty dollars, because he had to pay ten of his buddies five dollars each.”
“Personally, I think the son of a bitch got what he deserved,” Michael said. “So what’s your point?”
“I went to see him in the hospital. He was so angry! He told me that someone should lock me up and throw away the key, because I was nothing but a disaster waiting to happen.”
Michael called the jerk a few more choice names. Darcy met his eyes, and he flushed as a memory returned. “Well, Darcy Wel-Wellington, you are a one-woman disaster zone.” Her look told him she was remembering those words, too.
“Listen, Darcy—”
“No!” She pulled her hand from his. “Don’t you see? He was right. You were both right. I wasn’t meant to have a relationship because, if I do, I’ll end up hurting someone.”
“That’s not true!”
She stepped back. Michael wanted to reach out and grab her, pull her on top
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