No Kiss Goodbye Read Free Page B

struggle to find five minutes in the day to grab a shower, but wonderful, amazing, super Nicole managed to have a surplus of time to hand stitch a new tablecloth that I imagine is sitting proudly on my now finely polished dining room table. I could handle all that, really I could. But I finally see red, or more like neon scarlet, when she explains how Mark has enjoyed some homemade soup because he was badly in need of some nourishment. My arse! If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all the years Mark and I have been together, it’s that the way to his heart is definitely through his stomach. Buy him a burger and chips and he’ll be your best friend for life.
    My temper pounds in my temples, and I visualise myself leaping forward and wringing Nicole’s very thick neck.
    Nicole gasps dramatically. ‘Laura! Laura, can you hear me? Did you just move? Laura?’
    Oh God… I moved. I really did. I’m still working. I forget everything that has happened in the previous days, and all I care about now is doing it again.
    ‘Oh my God, this is fantastic. Wait there. Don’t move. I mean do move, move as much as you can.’ Nicole is hard to understand because she’s speaking so fast and moving away from me.
    And then there’s complete silence. That damn silence that I’ve grown to hate. And I know I’m alone again.
    Noisy footsteps pound the corridor and thoughts of the last time the ward saw this much activity rushes into my head. But this time, the footsteps are rushing towards me.
    ‘Laura, Laura, can you hear me?’ Mark asks struggling to catch his breath.
    Mark’s voice is shallow, and for the first time, he’s not making an effort to hide his exhaustion. I want so badly to reach out to him and wrap my arms around him. I want to hold him so close we’re just like one person.
    ‘Laura…’ He pauses, as if waiting for me to answer. ‘I’m holding your hand. Can you feel me, princess?’
    Without thinking, my fingers flex and attempt to grip his. There’s a piercing squeak from the steel legs of Mark’s chair as they are forced backwards along the highly polished tiled floor. My heart pounds. Maybe I’ve scared him. Is he in shock? I hear him shouting in the corridor, but I can’t make out what he was saying. My heartbeat is deafening.
    ‘She moved, Doctor. I felt her. Laura held my hand. She’s going to be okay, isn’t she?’

Chapter Three
     
    Ava paces around the room like a greyhound on steroids. She stops every so often to fidget with some poor defenceless bouquet of flowers perched on the cluttered table beside my bed. I wonder why she’s so nervous. It’s rubbing off on me. The butterflies in my tummy are rocking out to their own Zumba class.
    ‘How are you feeling?’ Ava asks.
    ‘I’m fine,’ I snap. ‘I was fine when you asked five minutes ago, and I’m still fine now.’
    I notice Ava’s cheeks flush, and I feel awful. It’s not fair to take my wobbly emotions out on her. Ava is watching every word out of her mouth, and it disappointments me that making conversation is this difficult for us. I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come. The accident has left its mark on me; it doesn’t get to leave a mark on our friendship, too. I have to make sure of that.
    ‘I’m sorry, Laura,’ Ava says, hanging her head sadly. ‘I’m useless at this kind of thing. I keep thinking of things to say, but then I stop myself because I’m sure you don’t want to talk about anything.’
    She has a point. I’m not exactly little Miss Chatterbox lately. If I have to listen to one more friend or relative make small talk about the weather or politics, then I’m going to scream.
    ‘We could always bitch about Nicky?’ Ava suggests.
    I smile.
    Ava mirrors my expression and pulls a chair over to sit beside me. ‘I love you, you know.’
    ‘I do know. Thanks.’
    ‘You must be the strongest person in the world,’ Ava says, as she lovingly knocks her shoulder gently against mine.
    ‘No, I’m