"Are you sure you want to go over this now? I don't want to upset you."
"I'm sure. I'm okay, really. Just stiff and sore. Nurse says I'll be worse tomorrow."
"A truck coming up the on-ramp decided that yield meant run over the nearest car, and he rammed you right in the middle on the passenger side. Sent you spinning into traffic where, thank God, you didn't hit any other cars. You came to a stop against the concrete dividers. Your airbag didn't deploy, and you hit your head on the steering wheel."
She tentatively reached to touch her shoulder, wincing at how tender it felt. "That would explain the shoulder too." She glanced back up at him. "You saw all this?"
"Connor and I were behind you when you got hit."
"Oh."
"They say whether they're keeping you yet?"
She shook her head. "I'm waiting on the doc to go over the results of the scan. X-rays were all negative, so that's good."
"Yeah, that's great. You scared me, honey."
She allowed the endearment to roll around, even testing it silently on her tongue. It sounded good coming from him, all soft and lovey sounding almost. Nothing like the affectionate "hon" she used when talking to Faith or Serena. Coming from him, it sounded damn sexy.
"I scared myself." Then reality hit her square in the chest. "My car," she said mournfully.
"What?"
"My car. She's totaled, I bet."
He looked confused by her emphasis on the car, and she couldn't blame him. She was lucky to be alive, but damn, she loved that car.
Tears brimmed in her eyes, which really pissed her off. The last thing she wanted was to turn into a weepy mess in front of Nathan, but her car. That vehicle represented an essential part of her freedom. It was an absolute celebration of herself, warts and all. She'd bought it the day after she'd gained back her weight and grew back her self-esteem.
"Aw honey, don't cry. I'm sure if the car is totaled, the insurance will pay for a new one."
She sniffed indelicately and wondered for the hundredth time why she couldn't cry like Faith. "It won't be the same. That car was special."
It was obvious he hadn't the first clue how to respond to her, but he still hated to see her cry, which was cute. He probably thought she did have a head injury and was even now plotting his immediate escape.
"I understand. I had a car like that. Well, it was a truck actually. A 1968 Ford short bed. Was the ugliest shade of green you'll ever see. I called it the Green Machine. I rebuilt it myself from a rusty old shell I got from a junkyard. Took me a year but I was driving it to school by my senior year. Man, I loved that truck."
"What happened to it?"
His lips twitched and turned down into a frown. "What usually happens to a man's pride and joy. A woman."
She laughed at the look of disgust on his face. "Girlfriend?"
"Sister. She went a round with one of the local bulls, and needless to say she and the truck came out the loser."
"A bull? Are you serious?"
"Yeah, got out of a downed fence. Ambled across the road about the time my sister rounded a corner. She was forever getting the gas and the brake mixed up when she got flustered. She hit the gas and hit the bull like a brick wall. She broke her collarbone and her wrist. Damn lucky she didn't kill herself. My truck was a complete and utter write-off. I had a funeral for it and everything."
She grinned, knowing just how he felt. "Maybe we can give my piece of scrap metal a proper send-off to the junkyard."
"It's a date," he said solemnly.
They were interrupted by the nurse's arrival. She walked to the head of the bed holding a capped syringe. "The good news is the doc gave me the go-ahead on the pain meds, which means you're just fine. He'll be in to make it official, but we had a trauma patient come in a few minutes ago, so he'll be there for a little bit. In the meantime I'll give you this to make you more comfortable."
Julie smiled up at her. "Thanks. I appreciate that."
"Slight burn when the medicine hits your bloodstream. It should go away about the time it hits your shoulder. Then you'll be feeling no pain."
"Sounds good," Julie said faintly as she felt the slight discomfort of the medicine. Then, as the nurse predicted, she traced the sensation to just below her shoulder and a warm hum settled in.
"Nice," she murmured.
The nurse chuckled. "That's what they all say. Get some rest. I'll be back to check on you in a few."
"Nathan?"
"Right here, honey."
"You can go, you know," she said, amused by how her words slurred. "You don't have to stay with me."
She thought he frowned at her but couldn't be sure. The ceiling and his face were doing this interesting sort of swirly thing.
"You're stuck with me, so deal with it."
She laughed. "You're cute when you get all grumpy."
"Is that why you try to drive me insane? Because you think I look cute?"
"I don't think," she said dreamily. "I know. A man shouldn't be that good-looking. Makes him too cocky."
"So now you're adding cocky to my lists of attributes."
There was a thread of amusement in his voice. Was he laughing at her?
"You have a nice cock too."
"Thank you ... I think. Maybe we should talk about something else."
"Did you like having sex with me?"
He took her hand and pressed his other hand gently to her mouth.
"Well?" she asked huffily.
"Yes," he said in a resigned voice. "I enjoyed it very much. Why the hell can't I get you to talk about this stuff when you're sober?"
Was he talking to her or to himself?
"Do you and Micah have sex together often?"
"Julie!" His voice came out in a strangled, hoarse whisper. "No, the hell we don't have sex together. We had sex with you. Not with each other. Jesus Christ, woman. You're a danger to society when you're under the influence."
"That's what I meant," she huffed. "Do you two fuck the same chick together very often?"
"Julie, honey, as much as it pains me to say this, we really need to talk about this another time. Preferably when you know what the hell you're saying. Ask me these questions when you're not three sheets to the wind and I'll gladly answer them for you complete with visual aids and an in-depth description."
"Nathan?"
He sighed. "Yes?"