had broken the spell that had been surrounding them for several tense seconds.
“You have a great mother,” he told her as he reached into the box and picked up a cinnamon twist. He grabbed a chair, bringing it close to her bed and taking a seat, before he kicked back, shocking her when he pushed off his shoes, then put a foot on the edge of her bed.
She was unsure what to do or say. But she realized she liked having him there so she decided to go with it. After all, the man had brought them coffee and pastries. That was definitely worthy of respect.
She took a sip of her coffee before biting into her cinnamon roll again. “I really do appreciate you bringing this to us. I have a feeling it’s much better than what the hospital will be serving.”
“That’s for sure, though I’ve had some pretty good hospital food,” Carl told her as he finished off his donut in about three bites. He looked at the box as if he was going to grab another, but must’ve decided it was too far from his reach so he sipped on his coffee instead.
They chatted about food and hospitals, the good and the bad, for a few moments before a nurse came in, checking her vitals, saying the doctor would be there within a couple of hours, and she should be getting discharged that day. The aide came next with her tray of food — yep, the pastries were far better. But she laughed when Carl reached over and snagged her pudding.
“Are you really going to eat that?” she asked. He peeled back the top.
“I don’t know why, but I seriously love hospital pudding. I know it’s the same brand you get in the store, but it’s just not the same,” he told her with a shrug. She couldn’t help it. She laughed. The man was unpredictable.
When Carl’s face turned serious, Avery felt a tug in her gut. She didn’t want the conversation to take a different direction. She didn’t want to think about what had happened the night before. It was too soon and too painful. She was at a crossroads and she didn’t want to talk about it.
On the other hand, it wasn’t as if she had friends to bounce ideas off of. She could certainly talk to her mother, but her mom always told her to do what she felt was right. She could shave her head and run around naked, and her mother would say okay, as long as it made her happy.
Maybe talking to a virtual stranger wasn’t such a bad thing. He wasn’t biased about her situation and didn’t really know much about her. He’d been attracted to her, had forced a conversation, felt a connection, and now they were here in her hospital room.
“How are you feeling?” he asked. Before she could answer, he gave her a smile as he slowly ate his pudding. “I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up or not, but as I see the yellowing on the side of your forehead, it’s staring me in the face.”
She lifted a hand, touching her tender face. She hadn’t had a chance to look in a mirror yet. She was afraid to. She wasn’t vain by any means, but she didn’t want a constant reminder of what had happened every time she passed a mirror. At least the bruising and cuts would eventually heal — hopefuly her mind would too.
“I honestly don’t know how I feel,” she admitted.
“I can understand that. I’ve been in some situations that have taken me weeks, or even months, to work through. Some of the things I’ve done, I’ll never fully work out. That’s the life of a military man.”
“Ah, a military man. My little attack is nothing compared to what I’m sure you’ve faced,” she said, almost embarrassed she’d been so upset over one little assault when this man had probably been through much, much worse.
“Never undervalue what you’ve experienced, good or bad. Each person has their own path they walk, and it affects each of us in different ways. It doesn’t make you weak to be afraid or sorrowful for what’s happened to you,” he assured her as he set down his empty pudding cup and reached for her hand.
“I don’t think I want to be an attorney anymore,” she blurted, her voice filled with shame.
“Why?” he asked. If there had been judgment in his eyes, she would’ve stopped right then. But