Collisions Ch. 03

Her dad kissed her on the forehead and then followed his wife out of the room, leaving Mellie alone with her thoughts.

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"Hey! Gatita!" Mellie recognized Oscar's whisper as she woke up.

"What are you doing here?" she asked him groggily.

"Just checkin' on you again. I only woke you up because you were frowning in your sleep. I hoped maybe having a visitor would put a smile back on your pretty face."

Mellie looked up at the clock. "Holy crow; it's 3 in the morning, Oscar. Why did you come back so late?"

"I didn't. I mean, I came back at like 11:30, which isn't late. You were sleeping peacefully then, and I was able to hide whenever the nurse did her rounds." He looked at her, extremely happy to be able to stay with her. He had enjoyed watching over her while she slept. She looked like an angel with her pale skin and her hair flowing over the pillow. He wanted to make sure she wasn't alone, and to be the person to help make her feel better.

"Oscar! You need to sleep! You have school tomorrow." Mellie lectured him, but gently. She didn't want the nurse to hear her talking with him. Surprisingly, she was glad he had been there. But she was still so tired. Her eyelids already felt heavy again.

Oscar noticed and said she should go to sleep. "I'll be here, mi gatita." He grabbed her hand and held it gently.

Comforted by his presence and kind touch, Mellie fell back into a deep sleep.

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When Mellie woke up the next morning, there was no sign that Oscar had even been there. She decided she must have dreamed the whole thing. How strange, she thought. I would guess that I'd dream about Bobby being here, but not Oscar. It's weird, but I felt safer with Oscar than I did on my date with Bobby.

Pondering this dilemma, Mellie ate her breakfast and hoped the doctor would discharge her at some point during the day. She felt much better now, though she was still in some pain. But she was definitely ready to go home and spend her time recuperating there rather than in the hospital.

She passed the time before lunch watching television game shows and old sitcoms. Her mom and dad each called the room phone a couple times, and her mom said she'd come visit at lunch time.

When her mother arrived, she brought Mellie some clothes and a new cell phone. "It's already received about 20 text messages. Apparently your friends know something happened. You might want to answer them so they know you're alright."

"Thanks, Mom. I appreciate it." They ate lunch together, then her mom returned to her work, and Mellie began texting her friends back, assuring them that she was perfectly fine, just a little battered and bruised. Luckily, her left arm was the one that had been broken, so she was easily able to use her cell phone and do everything else through the day. She worried a little about showering and such, but pushed those thoughts away because she knew her family would help her as needed.

Later that day, the doctor came by and inspected her. He told her he would discharge her, but that she would have to stay home from school for a few days and she would need a nurse to teach her how to care for some of her dressings and other injuries. He also told her that her normal doctor knew about the accident and to notify her if any issues arose.

Mellie's parents came to pick Mellie up when she was discharged. They had a family dinner at home, then Mellie worked on homework while day dreaming about the Homecoming dance the following week. I hope Bobby will still want to take me, but what if he doesn't want a date with stitches on her head and a cast on her arm? After finishing her homework, she devoted all of her thoughts to Homecoming. She fell asleep dreaming about it.