"I'd like that, sir." He held out his hand. The doctor took it, amazed by the young man's grip.
"You're gonna be great, kid. Sorry! Sam."
Shortly after they left, Emma woke up. She didn't seem surprised to see a hospital room. Nor was she at all surprised to see Sam.
"Hey," she smiled at him, stretching languidly. "How long have I been asleep?"
Sam glanced at the clock. "Not sure what time you went out last night. At least twelve hours."
"Shit.... When are they letting me out?" She looked at the IV with distaste.
"We're leaving around three. We're going to rehab, Em."
"What? My folks will have a fit! We can't go!" She tried to get out of the bed, struggling against him. "I can't do this. I don't need rehab."
"We're going. You and me—together."
"I don't want to go. You don't understand! My parents will totally freak."
"It's okay. You don't have to worry about your old man ever again. Rosalee took care of him." He explained who she was and how she had handled Emma's parents.
"She did that for me? Why?"
"Because that's how she rolls," he chuckled, tickling her. "This is gonna be good, Emma. When it's over, when we're done, you don't have to go home. Not ever. We can get a place together, you and me, keep ourselves clean. We can leave this town and start over. I've got family in Virginia. My grandparents—we could live there...."
"Do you think we could?" She sounded so young and wistful, he wanted to hold her.
Taking her in his arms, he hugged her gently. "I know we can, Emma. We can start over somewhere that no one knows us. They don't know our history. We could even get married—that's if you want ...."
"Sammy, you're so good to me. You've always been so good to me."
"Well, I love you." He was so embarrassed by his admission, he blushed. "I've always loved you, Emma. I can't remember when I didn't. It's always been you and me...."
"Against the world," she finished. "I haven't heard that song in ages."
"As it happens, I have it on my iPod. Gimme a sec."
Sam dug the player and earbuds out of his pocket. Turning it on, he found the song for her. Emma listened to the plaintive song by Richie Wermerling with a sad smile on her lips, her dark eyes closed. Sam took the opportunity to admire her. She was too thin, waxy pale, but her shoulder length hair was a glossy black that was all natural. Her rose colored lips were full, though cracked and dry from being dehydrated. There was a faint hint of pink in her cheeks that he hadn't seen for months. It seemed only natural that he should kiss her. Leaning forward, he did just that. Startled, her eyes fluttered open, but she returned the kiss, holding him close.
"You never answered my question, Em."
"Which one? You asked so many."
"When we're better, do you want to move away? Maybe get married?"
"You're doing it again, silly. One question at a time."
"You want to get married?"
"We're too young for that, Sammy. But yeah, I want to leave here. I want to go somewhere new and make a fresh start. And more than anything, I want to be with you."
His fingers brushed her cheek as he leaned his forehead against hers. They remained that way for several moments, until a sharp tap at the door broke them apart.
"Hi," the nurse said. "I'm Debbie. I'm here to get you disconnected from all the contraptions. You're gonna have to go out, sugar," she told Sam.
"I'll go get a soda. You want anything?"
"I'd love a Coke."
"Okay. How soon should I come back?"
"Give us twenty."
©2020 Dellani Oakes
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