My Neighbor Next Door

Nick waited as patiently as he could while the woman went to get some food. He wasn't really sure what he wanted. Hunger and taste were two different things, sort of. Anything would be fine when he was truly hungry, but nothing sounded really wonderful either. His head was throbbing and some of the other pains were sinking in. Cringing a little bit he pushed the button on the side of the bed so he could sit up a little bit. Taking a deep breath he looked around the room rubbed at his face where it itched a little bit. Apparently he had a stitch near the hairline on the left side and he knew better than to itch that too much.

After a few minutes the woman arrived with a nice sectioned plate of food and Nick breathed in deeply as she set it in front of him on the table tray. It smelled good, probably tasted good too. "No, I can feed myself." A smirk came to his face. "Only one broken arm. I think I can manage a fork."

The brunette let out a sigh. "Well, you seemed to be struggling with the medication last night." She replied as she handed him the plate with the fork inside of the food. "Your water is right here." She adds, moving the cup a little closer to him on the bedside table.

Though he wasn't quite as grouchy, Nick still had a slightly ornery streak. "Not like a cast is easy maneuvering. They don't sell these things at a thousand dollars a piece and tell people they're sleek, smooth, fast moving, or exclusive." Fumbling with the fork he found it took himself a few tries to get the food all collected with his left hand doing the fine work. "There, I got it see." While she was here he figured maybe he could ask her about one of the guys from the crew. "So uh...anyone else come in with me last night? Maybe a guy drop by with my stuff or anything?"

Emma rose an eyebrow, looking toward the door as if she would be able to remember anything of the sort. "Not that I know of..." She responded as she looked back at him, glancing down at his plate so she could make sure he was handling the food okay. "I clocked out of my shift and spent the whole night here, and, to be honest, I haven't even slept. No one came in." A slight huff of laughter jumped from her throat as she spoke of not sleeping. She was obviously tired, with bags growing dark beneath her eyes. "Had to make sure you were okay. But, if you want, I can go down to the ambulance barn for you and see if there's anyone there who knows."

Didn't seem that anyone had come down and Nick shrugged. "No, that's alright. I'll just wait. Pretty sure when the next crew gets off they'll bring my bag in." He just wanted his phone so he could call and make sure some business was taken care of and that was it.

"Alright." Emma squinted her eyes shut and lifted her hand to her mouth, letting out a yawn. She clearly had never pulled an all-nighter and usually went to sleep at a decent time every night. "Whatever you want to do."

Nick didn't like to depend on other people for his own reasons and it seemed that Emma was trying to be nice suddenly. In some ways it made him a little nervous. At the same time he was slightly bummed to see her go. Laying around in the hospital felt like a long time and he didn't really like being here by himself. Misery loved company and that was exactly what he wanted. There wasn't anyone that he could actually think of that would sit with him.

Emma barely left the chair and then a man came in with Nick's bag. "Hey there. I uh...I got the day off. Kinda shook up after the accident, but I brought your stuff in here." Plopping the bag on the floor next to the bed he tilted his head and looked over at Nick carefully. "Wow, you look like shit."

"Thanks." Nick grumbled back at his crew member and friend. "Just give me my phone." Holding the phone with one hand he poked at it with the other till he got the screen up. "Uh huh, just enough battery to make a call. Thanks, Jake."

Jake shrugged and started back out the door. "Let me know if you need anything." It was a little odd that there hadn't been any phone calls on Nick's phone and he'd never heard the guy say anything about his personal life. At least not that he could remember now that he thought about it. "Call your mom huh? Let her know you're alright?" That was the most logical first call that he could think to make.

"Nah, gotta call the insurance company to see what the damages are." Nick knew he wasn't going to like it, but he had to find some way to pay for it. There were bills that would come in as part of his copay and he had to figure that out. Jake left with just a strange twitch of his eyebrows and Nick made the phone call. He'd barely finished with the call and he had his phone resting on his lap when he heard the door open again and it was Emma again. "Oh my gosh what are you doing? Go home and sleep." She was one determined lady and it was very uncomfortable to have her insist on staying in the room. Rolling his eyes he turned his head away and he stared at the door almost pleadingly. Insurance was only going to pay for up to a week and he needed to talk to the doctor and find a way to get out of here before then.
 
Next to Emma in her hand was a suitcase. It was packed with a week's worth of clothing and hygienic supplies. She rolled the bag to the armchair across the room from Nick and plopped down into the seat. "You need company." She insisted. "Which is why I made a quick trip home to get stuff so I can stay here with you." She patted the top of the bag and made a smile towards Nick. She really did not want to leave him alone. She knew how lonely hospitals could be when there was no one you knew that was there with you. Emma may have not been Nick's friend, but he still knew her and it was good to have a familiar face around.

"And, I appreciate the offer for sleep, but I have to make sure you are okay." She continued. "Don't worry, I'll get out of your hair sometimes because I still have to go work my shifts every day, but I'll send my friend who is also a nurse, Hannah, up here to help you." She let out a sigh, still wanting to know about his family. She had a lot of questions for him, actually. A lot of questions she wanted to ask, but felt that if she asked them he would get mad and say that she didn't need to be so nosy. "Okay?"
 
How did it happen that he had attracted a very unhappy neighbor and now she found it her goal in life to perch in his room and stare at him? Then it was even worse that she had a friend that when she wasn't here would be coming in to peck and pick at him too. "I don't need company." Nick gave a weak protest and then turned his head back toward her. She was settling in and there wasn't anything more to say about it.

"You know I'm a grown man. I can stay here by myself just fine." It wasn't as though he couldn't stay here alone. Instead he settled in and decided to sleep some more. It wasn't till the next morning that Nick decided to voluntarily say anything to the woman. "Why in the world do you think I need company so badly?"
 
Emma just rolled her eyes and didn't respond. She sat in the chair and kept her guard up for anything that could have happened. She set her elbow on the arm of the chair and propped her head on her hand, watching him intently. Occasionally, her eyelids would close together some, but she would snap them open, forcing herself to stay awake. Though, eventually, her body and need for sleep overcame her and she ended up falling fast asleep, her elbow falling off the side of the chair and her head resting on it instead.

The next morning, she woke up before Nick, taking advantage of the time she had and showered, brushed her teeth and hair, and changed scrubs. She decided to go get him breakfast before he woke up, himself, too. Returning to the room, he was awake, and she placed his tray of food and water onto the bedside table as he asked his question. A flush of memories rushed through her head and she seemed emotionally distressed by her expression for a few moments until she eventually snapped out of her haze of bad memories.

"Because I know what it's like to be alone in a hospital after a life changing event." She sighed and took the fork out of its packaging, tossing it onto the plate. Now, she seemed fairly upset and a little angry amongst the mix. "Don't ask me about it, either, because it's really none of your business. Just eat. I have a shift." Emma turned around and left the room to go clock in.
 
Why did he want to ask her about a hospital stay? She was still unpleasant the next morning and he didn't like having a pernicious neighbor that seemed to be wanting to torment him in every imaginable way. Grumbling under his breath he ate the meal and then decided he would relax while she was on shift. It was very disturbing to have someone always watching him when he slept and he wished that she didn't.

The days seemed to slide by and then it was finally time for the doctor to release him. Nothing had felt longer or more stressful than the time that the woman spent staring at him. When he got the papers he saw that there was a note saying before he was allowed to leave the hospital he had to have someone that would be willing to take him home and check on him. That was awkward. Picking up his phone he reluctantly texted Jake to see if the man would be willing to come down to the hospital and at least help him get to his apartment. With a deep frown on his face he waited for a response and he finally got one after a bit. Emma didn't need to know that he was getting released today because he was sure she would want to take him home. Best of all she was on shift right now and he could get home and that was all good.

Jake came by the hospital to pick up Nick and one of the nurses wheeled Nick down the hallway and then out to the car. It was hard to get into the car, but Nick managed it somehow and he mostly laid out across the back seat. "Did you pick up the wheel chair for me?" He needed one for the apartment if he wanted to get up and go anywhere. Jake nodded and with that the two of them were ready to get him home.

***********************

One of the nurses saw Emma heading back to the room. "He got signed out this afternoon. Had a brother, or a friend or someone come pick him up."
 
Emma passed the week, still being cautious about anything that could happen to Nick. She felt a little bad and a little embarrassed, wondering if he thought of her as a stalker. She wasn't meaning to. She just wanted to make sure he was okay. The day she was walking back up to Nick's room after clocking out of her shift, the nurse told her what happened, and she sighed. Of course. He totally thinks she's creepy and weird. He left before she could stop him or insist on taking him home. Going into the room, she grabbed her suitcase still standing where it had been for the past week, she rolled it out of the room and into the elevator, leaving the hospital walls for the first time in a week.

Upon returning home, she decided to wait in her own apartment for a bit before going to check on Nick. She unpacked her suitcase, did her laundry, and cleaned up the kitchen a little bit so she could make herself dinner. She prepared four chicken breasts with Roma tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella stuffed inside of them, and a side of garlic butter noodles. She prepared the plates and wrapped two of them, sticking them in the refrigerator. Emma set the remaining two plates on the counter as she went into her room to change into a pair of denim skinny jeans and a flowy white tank top decorated with a sugar skull on the front.

She returned to the kitchen and picked up the plates of freshly cooked and unwrapped food and carried one in each hand, using her elbow to open her apartment door and knock on Nick's door. "I know you might hate me, but I figured you would want some food that isn't burnt." She called to him, having a slight tone of being upset, and taking a step back so he could look at her through his peep hole if he wanted.
 
Nick didn't get home until almost half an hour after he'd been loaded into the car and he was already snoozing. It was a lot of work just to get up and he was more than ready to go anywhere outside of the hospital. Jake wandered over to his side of the car and opened the door. "Hey, Nick we're here."

Sitting up a little bit Nick rubbed his face with the one free hand. "Oh, I'm the second door on the right." Digging into his jacket pocket he handed the key to Jake and let his friend go ahead and get things unlocked before coming back and getting a wheel chair out of the trunk for Nick. Getting out of the car without putting weight on his legs was next to impossible and even the slightest bump sent a shock of pain through his legs, but he did get into the chair after a few attempts.

After about half an hour of work and getting him set up at the house Jake left with the promise that he or one of the other guys from the crew would remember to text him every few hours to be sure he was ok. That was good enough for Nick. When Jake left Nick took himself to his room and he changed into a pair of basketball shorts. At least he could somewhat be comfortable in them and it didn't hurt to wear them over his pelvis and then it didn't take too much effort to get his pants on or off either. Laying across his bed he stared at the mess of black bags shoved in his closet and he knew that at least it wasn't too hard to find his stuff and then he didn't have to feel bad about things going missing or being strewn about either. It was all the same.

The only sad part about his apartment was that he didn't have a sofa or anything comfortable to lay in if he wanted to be outside of his bedroom so he would probably be spending a lot of time there. It felt like too much work for Nick to get out of bed again so he laid there for a while and eventually fell asleep. A knock on the door sounded part way through his nap and he grunted a little. "Just come in."

Obviously the person hadn't heard and they kept on knocking so he yelled louder. "C'mon in!" Getting out of bed was too much effort and so he pulled a blanket up and remained laying on his back while he waited for whoever it was to come in. Probably Jake forgot something or decided to check and make sure he didn't die as soon as he left.
 
One of Emma's eyebrows raised, confused but also pleased at the same time at the fact that he was just letting her in without saying "no". She opened the door with her elbow and walked inside. Still, did his apartment look rather messy and he didn't even have any furniture, but she wasn't going to nag him about helping him clean up if he didn't want her to. Nick didn't seem to be in sight, so she set the plates down on the kitchen counter and wandered down the hallway to Nick's room. She knocked on the door that was open to give him attention that she was here. Now she was getting it. He let her in because he didn't hear her outside.

"Hey, I know I'm probably the last person you want to see, but I made a fresh dinner that isn't hospital food or burnt and had extra." She pursed her lips, awaiting his response. She definetly wasn't expecting him to accept her offer, but even if he did not, she would bring the two wrapped plates and put them in his fridge so he would have them for another time. "I also thought you'd probably want someone to talk to and eat dinner with. It's fine if you don't, I'll go if you don't want me here."
 
The last person that he'd expected to see what Emma. Did she have to com here too? Nick almost couldn't believe his eyes. She did offer him food and he couldn't quite refuse that. In fact food was one of the few things that he hadn't been sure how he was going to make while he was wearing the cast and sitting in a wheelchair. It was a difficulty he had yet to overcome and he would be sitting in the wheelchair for a few weeks at the very least. Around 6-8 and then on crutches to sort of help his legs get back to their usual use again for another 1-2 weeks.

"Uh..." Nick felt a little bad since she'd been acting as if she was family and he hadn't quite been friendly, but he still felt nervous about that. "Thanks. I uh, guess it would be nice if you wanted to sit down while I eat. Maybe be nicer if you want to share the next one." Almost immediately he got the idea that he sort of messed up and he corrected himself. "Not that you have to cook anything for me. I'll be fine. I can do it just fine, but I'm saying if you bring food you might as well bring some for yourself too so I'm not the only one eating."

A smile grew on Emma's face as she listened to Nick approve of her dinner. "Don't criticize my food now and I'll might think about making you dinner again." She teased. She felt a sense of accomplishment that she was getting somewhere with this guy. Getting somewhere where they could be tolerable neighbors that can chat and flash smiles at each other in the hall as a greeting while leaving for work and she didn't have to worry about what he thought of her anymore. "Do you want me to bring the plates in here?" She offered.

Nick sat up in the bed a little and he grimaced. "Yeah, it would be easier." He didn't really want to get up and he hadn't figured out how he would get into the wheelchair in the morning or get anywhere in his apartment just yet. That would all come in time. For now he would just get through the meal and then probably sleep again. When she came back with the plate he ate a few bites and then nodded to her. "Thanks."

Emma nodded and turned to disappear through the doorway for a few moments before returning with their food. "It's one of my personal favorites." She implied, handing him one of the plates with a fork. She began eating where she was standing, unsure if he would allow her to sit on his bed. She had already broken enough boundaries at the hospital that he was probably still upset about. The first few moments of eating were quiet until she broke the silence. "I'm sorry about how I acted at the hospital. You know, always around." She apologized. "I just wanted to make sure nothing happened to you and that you were okay and safe."

Setting the plate down Nick glanced up at her and he frowned. "Yeah, a little obsessive and kinda weird. Not like you know me." He wasn't sure what else she wanted him to say. Probably not that, but that was the way it felt and he didn't like it. "So uh....Its ok to just knock on my door in the afternoon. I uh....maybe I'll give you my number so you can text. Just wanna sleep without having to wake up and yell everytime I think someone is at my door."

Emma's smile on her face dissipated as she listened to Nick tell her what his thoughts were about he staying in the hospital with him. "Wow." She let out a sigh. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to come off as a creepy stalker." She took a bite of her chicken, savoring the taste as she chewed and then swallowed. "I can't help but be that way with people that I know who are in pain and in the hospital, especially. I guess that's the reason I kind of forced myself to become a nurse at the end of my schooling." She didn't speak anything further of the hospital. The memories were too vivid and taunting, and she was glad when he changed the topic of conversation. "Yeah, sure. I promise I won't barge in and be a nuisance, either." She laughed. "How are you feeling though? About the accident and all that?"

At least the lady seemed to get it and he was hoping she could keep it that way. "Well uh...I think the accident was a little bit of a freak thing. Shit happens and all you can do is roll with it. Drunk drivers piss me off and the guy that hit me was drunk and I don't even know if he has insurance yet. Could be a little interesting figuring things out if he didn't. So that's just about how I feel about it right now." For the most part Nick was trying to plan and operate as if the other man didn't have insurance. Mostly because he didn't want to plan for the other to have had insurance and then find himself in a serious bind.
 
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