kept looking at the door of her hospital room, dreading Giulio would reappear. Earlier, Samuel’s presence had helped her withstand the unwanted visit from her ex-husband. Samuel, a man whose condition elicited her protective instincts, had given her the strength to not cower before Giulio.
“Is your friend gone?” The nurse had come to check her reflexes. She was now passing a flashlight before her eyes.
Martina blinked. Her headache hadn’t lessened with the painkillers the nurse had given her a few hours earlier. “He had to go.”
“Is he your significant other?” The nurse gently grabbed Martina’s wrist and pressed her thumb on the most visible vein.
Martina chuckled as she pulled her knees up. “We barely know each other.”
The nurse’s eyebrow shot up. “Really?”
“Yes, why?” For a moment, she thought back to the moment Samuel had made a joke, and she had discovered he had dimples when he smiled. She had never noticed that before.
The nurse shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling. The way you looked at each other. I mean, you’re here because you fought three strangers to save him.” She released Martina’s hand, and took her temperature next. “He’s kind of cute. And even in a wheelchair, I’d bet he’s more man than your ex-husband.”
Martina blushed at the woman’s explicit allusion to Samuel’s prowess in a field she shouldn’t be thinking about. But the suggestion had been made and her mind traveled that path, only to feel suddenly too warm. A few scattered images from their sparring sessions came back to her. She had to admit she liked the way he moved around her. He was competent in the art of fighting and he was an attentive partner. Maybe those qualities of his extended to… “I really don’t know him.”
The nurse, oblivious to Martina’s reaction, wrote a few lines on the notepad she had taken from one of her pockets. “All your vitals are normal. I’ll come check on you in an hour and try not to fall asleep. Anyway, I think he’s nice.” With a wink, the nurse moved to the other patients, leaving Martina with a few wild thoughts and too much night ahead of her. The woman came back as promised sixty minutes later on the dot, and every hour after that until the next morning.
Martina looked out the window all night. She looked at the parade of people who went to the terrace in the adjacent wing to smoke. She could see them from her room, and once or twice she made to leave, only to stop at the door and walk back to her bed, worried the moment she left, Samuel would arrive. She wouldn’t smoke. In fact, she hated the mere smell of cigarettes. Giulio used to smoke soon after having sex. Nicotine smelled like humiliation mixed with pain. No, she would definitely never smoke, but she could use a breath of fresh air and the terrace was the only outdoor space she could access from her floor. She tried to relax her mind, but with so many thoughts crowding it, she wouldn’t have slept in any case. The artificial light from the streetlamps had been replaced by the pink of dawn, then by the first sunrays breaking through the clouds hanging low, and finally by a blue sky cleared by the spring winds. Samuel hadn’t come back.
“How do you feel about eating something?” The nurse had brought her a breakfast tray.
Martina’s eyes went once again outside. “I’m famished, but I need to leave before my ex arrives.”
The nurse nodded. “I’ll fetch the papers for you.” She put the tray on the over-bed table and pushed it closer to Martina. “Meanwhile, eat something.”
Martina drank the tea and devoured the toasted bread, her stomach growling. She was about to push the button to call the nurse and ask if she could have another piece of bread, when the woman entered the room with a worried face and forms in her hand.
“I just saw your husband talking to the doctor.” She pushed the papers and a pen at Martina. “Sign here, here, and there.” She pointed
“Is your friend gone?” The nurse had come to check her reflexes. She was now passing a flashlight before her eyes.
Martina blinked. Her headache hadn’t lessened with the painkillers the nurse had given her a few hours earlier. “He had to go.”
“Is he your significant other?” The nurse gently grabbed Martina’s wrist and pressed her thumb on the most visible vein.
Martina chuckled as she pulled her knees up. “We barely know each other.”
The nurse’s eyebrow shot up. “Really?”
“Yes, why?” For a moment, she thought back to the moment Samuel had made a joke, and she had discovered he had dimples when he smiled. She had never noticed that before.
The nurse shrugged. “I don’t know. Just a feeling. The way you looked at each other. I mean, you’re here because you fought three strangers to save him.” She released Martina’s hand, and took her temperature next. “He’s kind of cute. And even in a wheelchair, I’d bet he’s more man than your ex-husband.”
Martina blushed at the woman’s explicit allusion to Samuel’s prowess in a field she shouldn’t be thinking about. But the suggestion had been made and her mind traveled that path, only to feel suddenly too warm. A few scattered images from their sparring sessions came back to her. She had to admit she liked the way he moved around her. He was competent in the art of fighting and he was an attentive partner. Maybe those qualities of his extended to… “I really don’t know him.”
The nurse, oblivious to Martina’s reaction, wrote a few lines on the notepad she had taken from one of her pockets. “All your vitals are normal. I’ll come check on you in an hour and try not to fall asleep. Anyway, I think he’s nice.” With a wink, the nurse moved to the other patients, leaving Martina with a few wild thoughts and too much night ahead of her. The woman came back as promised sixty minutes later on the dot, and every hour after that until the next morning.
Martina looked out the window all night. She looked at the parade of people who went to the terrace in the adjacent wing to smoke. She could see them from her room, and once or twice she made to leave, only to stop at the door and walk back to her bed, worried the moment she left, Samuel would arrive. She wouldn’t smoke. In fact, she hated the mere smell of cigarettes. Giulio used to smoke soon after having sex. Nicotine smelled like humiliation mixed with pain. No, she would definitely never smoke, but she could use a breath of fresh air and the terrace was the only outdoor space she could access from her floor. She tried to relax her mind, but with so many thoughts crowding it, she wouldn’t have slept in any case. The artificial light from the streetlamps had been replaced by the pink of dawn, then by the first sunrays breaking through the clouds hanging low, and finally by a blue sky cleared by the spring winds. Samuel hadn’t come back.
“How do you feel about eating something?” The nurse had brought her a breakfast tray.
Martina’s eyes went once again outside. “I’m famished, but I need to leave before my ex arrives.”
The nurse nodded. “I’ll fetch the papers for you.” She put the tray on the over-bed table and pushed it closer to Martina. “Meanwhile, eat something.”
Martina drank the tea and devoured the toasted bread, her stomach growling. She was about to push the button to call the nurse and ask if she could have another piece of bread, when the woman entered the room with a worried face and forms in her hand.
“I just saw your husband talking to the doctor.” She pushed the papers and a pen at Martina. “Sign here, here, and there.” She pointed
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