Mer Tales 01 - Everblue

her to come around and assist me, I looked at my second story window. It had only been a day, but things looked different, almost as if I didn’t belong there anymore.
    Mom opened the car door and gave me a hard look before handing me my crutches. “You are to take it easy.”
    I sighed. “Yes.”
    With all the medication pumping through my veins, how could I even fathom anything other than sleep? I struggled to get to my feet, my head spinning.
    “ Ashlyn! You’re home!” Lucy ran up to the car and wrapped her arms around my neck as I teetered on one foot. “I was so worried.”
    “ I’m fine,” I said and warmed at her kindness. Apparently twelve-year-olds were germ breeders; anyone under fourteen couldn’t visit unless they were actually a patient.
    “ Can I help carry anything?”
    I did a double-take before pointing at my bounty inside. She rounded them all up and hauled them into the house with a smile on her face. I stood like a flamingo and gawked.
    Gran’s room had a stale smell to it mixed with potpourri and sickly sweet perfume, but I didn’t mind. The bed was comfortable and she had a TV, which I planned to use liberally. I untucked the blankets so I could drape them over my leg easier; the excess pillows became a foot rest.
    Lucy perched herself on the chair with wide eyes. “What happened? Mom said you can’t remember anything. Do you have amnesia? I read about someone with that once in school. Are you staying home all week? Where’s your cut? Do you have stitches?”
    “ Whoa,” I spluttered out, head swimming with questions. “You’ll need to slow down. I can barely keep up.”
    Lucy laughed. “Sorry.”
    “ Yeah, I’m staying home all week so my leg will heal. It’s pretty nasty. Want to see it?”
    “ Ewww, no.” Lucy squirmed.
    I smiled at my creative diversion from answering her about my supposed amnesia . “I’m just glad to be home. My nurses woke me every three hours to check my temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. I couldn’t get any sleep.”
    “ Crazy,” she said, blowing her bangs out of her eyes. “Did Callahan come and see you?”
    “ Yes and he brought me flowers.”
    “ Oooh! He did?” Lucy squealed and got up to find the arrangement.
    I watched her with wonderment. Who was this delightful girl? I would have fallen into the lake years ago if I’d known she’d be nice to me afterward. Having a real conversation for once was refreshing.
    “ Did he kiss you?” she asked abruptly.
    “ What?”
    “ After the dance.”
    I felt my cheeks warm up. “Oh. Not yet.”
    Lucy shot me a smirk with half-lidded eyes. “Yeah, right.”
    I shook my head and laid back on Gran’s bounty of pillows as Lucy read my cards out loud. The popcorn ceiling reminded me more of cottage cheese sprinkled with glitter—like stars. I imagined my angel up in the clouds and wished to see him again.
    “ You’re kinda famous, you know.”
    I rolled my eyes and turned towards her, propping my leg up on pillows. “Famous?”
    “ Yeah. You were on TV and Laura Jane says you could probably write a book about what happened and make a lot of money.”
    “ Oh she did, did she?” I tried not to laugh at her best friend’s ridiculous observation.
    I finally realized why she was being so nice to me. My accident must have raised her social standing at school, giving the kids something to fawn all over her with.
    “ Do you remember how you got to the Ranger station?”
    I chewed on my fingernail. “No.”
    “ Well, we went and talked to that Ranger guy. He didn’t know anything either. That’s weird, don’t you think?”
    “ You went alone?”
    “ No, I went with Laura Jane.” Lucy got comfortable at the foot of the bed, clutching the stuffed teddy bear with a bandaged leg Shannon had brought me. “It was her idea. Her mom drove us over there so we could get an interview with him for the school paper.”
    “ Wow. That’s—”
    “— impressive,” Lucy said, finishing my statement. “I know. She’s going to be a journalist someday.”
    “ I bet she wants to interview me, too,” I muttered under my breath.
    “ Oh, would you?” Lucy’s eyes shone.
    I blinked, realizing I’d opened myself right up, practically volunteering. I couldn’t say “no” now that we suddenly had a pleasurable sisterly relationship. “Sure. If she wants.”
    Lucy smiled from ear to ear. “Awesome!”
    “ Lucy!” Mom barked from down the hall. “Ashlyn needs to rest.”
    “