Gruesome was the only that word came to mind when Dr Button put my dislocated shoulder back in the socket.
" You could've at least given her something for the pain," I heard Mason from behind the curtain, a little exasperated.
" She did just fine without it," Dr Button retorted, while I hugged the pillow he'd given me to bite on, whilst he tortured me in the name of healing me. I didn't do well, I was on the verge of fainting.
" Hmm, interesting," Dr Button absently said as he checked further the damage to my shoulder.
" Tell me again, how this happened?" He asked to recount the events, patiently waiting for my answer.
" It was an accident. I tried to move a cabinet and it toppled over me," That was the best I could come up with, that made any logical sense. Saying that I got swept by a rogue wave in my dreams, was out of the question. Even to myself, I sounded crazy.
" I understand. Because to me it looks more like you got hit by a car, at full speed," And that alone was enough to make Mason slip past the curtain.
" You got hit by a car?" Oh, boy. The mix of anger and surprise in his tone made me smile.
" No, he just said it looks as if," I countered and looked at Dr Buttons' stretched hand with two tablets in it.
" What is that for?" I asked, a bit wary of the medication.
" Pain medication. You need to take it to cope with the pain. And I'll have to immobilise your arm for a week or so. I'll need to take an x-ray to have a better look at your bones," He said as I took the tablets out of his hand, and raised my eyes to look at Mason when under my nose appeared a glass of water. He didn't look happy.
" Fortunately it is nighttime, and this won't take long," Dr Button interrupted when I clumsily slipped off the bed, leaving the pillow behind. My knees buckled and quickly discovered that my feet weren't quite ready for solid ground after being perched on the bed for almost forty minutes.
Mason's furrowed brows and his clouded expression worried me. I had no idea if he'd believed what he'd heard, however, I was hoping it was sufficient.
" So it seems that your clavicle has some microfractures, but you're young and they should heal pretty nicely. Other than that you're good to go. Also, don't use that arm in the next few days," He says as Mason and I pushed ourselves up, to stand.
" I'll make sure that she does. I'll get in touch with you tomorrow. There are other things that I wish to discuss with you," Mason gravely added, shaking Dr Buttons' hand.
" Not tomorrow. I'm on a graveyard shift for the next couple of days. Give me a call on Thursday and we can discuss whatever is troubling you," Dr Button added as we made our way out of his office.
" Thank you, Dr Button, " I smiled, feeling rather blissfully happy. A feeling that I wasn't quite accustomed to. It was giddy happy.
" Not a problem Lily. I'll see you in a week or so to check on your shoulder," He said as we slipped back into the emergency room.
Mason said his last goodbyes, as I felt myself drift further. I felt lighter than air. It was an amazing feeling, and the pain was gone.
" Let's get you home," Mason chuckled in response to my giggling, as we stepped outside the hospital.
" Want to do something fun?" That was completely out of character for me to speak as such with Mason.
" What do you have in mind? Keep in mind that you are on very strong pain medication right now, and you should be in bed at this hour," Uff, I thought as I awkwardly stumbled into the car.
" How about we go to the beach," My giddiness wasn't subsiding and I couldn't stop myself from giggling.
" Alright, but after that straight home," He amusedly agreed and put the car in drive. I squealed worse than a child making him wince, but that didn't stop him from laughing.
The high was amazing, and like nothing I had experienced before. I was surprised, I was lucid enough to tie two words together.
Pulling on the esplanade, at Caragan Point, I jumped out of the car and charged towards the steps at a hundred miles per hour.
" Easy there," Mason said as he grabbed my arm before I set foot on the first step, " One shoulder is more than enough," He said as he picked me up in his arms, and climbed the steps with me in his arms.
" You're adorable when you want to be," I heard myself saying and didn't quite recognise the girl who said those words, and that was enough to make him put me down, looking rather serious.
" Lily, " He sighed, downcast, as he lowered himself to take a seat on the step.
" I know," I raised my arm before he would say something I wasn't prepared to hear. I was still in love. No matter how many times, I had told myself that I wasn't. Convincing myself otherwise was quite an arduous task.
" I don't know if you will remember this tomorrow but," He paused when I turned around to look at him," I don't know how to do this, Lily. The only thing I know for sure is that I don't want to lose you," He softly said and raised his head to look at me. I was stunned, at his words.
" I thought we were over," I dazedly said and lowered myself on the sand. I needed to sit down.
" I never said it was over. I only said I needed time to think." Those words stirred me deeply. I had lost all hope. I swallowed the knot in my throat and fell silent letting all of that sink in.
" I'm not a fuzzball," He sighed, brooding.
" Hardly noticeable," I said giggling, and sunk my fingers into the warm sand.
"I'm being serious, Lily. I have no idea what to do with all of this, and I'm terrified. Maybe we should do this tomorrow," He wiped the sand off his hands on his trousers, glancing in the distance.
" No, we are doing this now," I tried to sound firm but for some reason, it came out with a giggle.
" I don't know," He paused, scrubbed his face and opened his mouth, trying to choose his words, maybe.
" I...Maybe later, down the road, you'll meet someone that is...more or better said less me," He sighed, running his fingers through his tousled mousy blond hair.
" You can't be serious," I giggled, " I'm on the verge of being dangerously dehydrated from the profuse sweating. I live in constant angst, questioning myself, and my sanity. What makes you think, I want to do this again?" It was all true, and despite my best efforts to sound as serious as possible, it came out quite the opposite. I briefly wondered what was in those pain tablets.
At the quirked-up brow, I shuffled on the sand closer to him, " I'm tired Mason. So tired," I admitted, "I didn't quite know what to say at that moment. It wasn't the best moment to have that kind of conversation but I wasn't quite sure if there will be another moment.
" I know. I'm too. It has been a long month," He soulfully said, scrubbing his face with his hands, and slipped off the step to wrap his arms around me.
Under the moonlight, on the last summer day, I peacefully melted into his chest.