Do You Remember

I do.
Boy, do I ever.

But I remember every time you’ve held my hand, and every touch that we ever shared and every kiss… and I’m going to shut up now before you put a restraining order on me or something.

But yes, we’re not talking about every time; we’re talking about one particular time.
The first time.

We were sixteen. It was right before your birthday and we were messing about in your father’s shed, just for something to do.
I, stupidly, was not wearing shoes.
I remember you told me at least half a dozen times to “put some damn bloody shoes on”, but did I listen to you?
Of course not.
Which is how that rusty old nail got stuck in my foot.

I don’t even remember whereabouts I was in the shed, but all of a sudden I felt this agonizing pain in my left foot and I suddenly couldn’t walk.
I thought it might’ve been a massive splinter or something but when you forced me to sit down and let you look, the horrified look on your face told me otherwise.

“Umm. Um. Don’t look okay?” you told me as you ran out of the shed, calling your father and telling him to get the car started because “Josh needs to go to the hospital again”.
Of course, after having someone tell you not to look at something, the normal reaction would be to look.
I mean, come on, obviously there would be something to see, right?

Well… Addison, you were right.
I shouldn’t have looked.
You laughed at me when I came to, but I fainted and woke up in the hospital waiting room in a huge amount of pain with you and your father next to me.

You were trying not to smile when I blushed at the thought of you coming back into the shed and finding me passed out.

“I told you not to look, Joshy,” you said, in a smartass tone.
“Shut up,” I snapped huffily and, like the grown-up sixteen year-old I was, I stuck my tongue out at you just as the doctor called my name.
You jumped up and helped me to stand before you and your father got under my arms and acted at human crutches to help me into the small room that the doctor showed us.

The doc explained that removing the nail would be quite simple after seeing the X-Rays.
I had cut him off there, asking when the X-Rays had been taken.

You whispered in my ear that I was unconscious during the whole time I was checked over and X-Rayed.
I nodded, embarrassed and the doctor continued.
He explained the procedure that he was going to use before performing it quickly and showing me the 2 ½ inch nail that was stuck in my foot.

I shouted at him to get it out of my sight. It was covered in blood.
Ugh.
And Addison?
Yes, I did see you snickering at me when I was freaking out and I wanted to punch you in the face.
Although, obviously I wouldn’t have because I was head-over-heels for you and would never have hurt you in a million years.

Anyway, so after the nail was out of my foot, I expected to be allowed home.
Oh, how wrong I was.
It was a shock to me when the doctor told me that I’d need to have a tetanus shot.
Shot?
Oh great.
More embarrassment.

I hate needles almost as much as I hate blood.
But you didn’t know about the needle phobia…
Well, you didn’t until you noticed that I’d gone deathly pale and my eyes were wide in fear.

“Oh my god, Josh. Are you afraid of the big scary pointy thing that’s going to make your arm hurt for about ten seconds and then make you feel better?” you asked in a baby voice.

I turned to scowl at you and you smiled widely before moving to the chair that was right next to mine.

“It’s okay, Addy’s here,” you continued patronisingly.

“Shut up,” I mumbled and looked up to the doctor who was holding a big needle in his right hand.
I immediately started freaking out and hyperventilating.
You rolled your eyes and grabbed my hand, squeezing it tightly in yours and you told me to look at you, and not what the doctor was doing.
I complied and I looked into your smiling face.
I was acutely aware of your hand in mine and I blushed furiously, looking down at our embracing palms.
I noticed that they fit perfectly together and, somehow, it made me fall in love with you even more.
Also the fact that you were perfectly content to sit with our hands interconnected gave me hope.

I barely felt the needle penetrate my skin.
Your healing hands numbed the pain with just a touch.

I wish my hands were as magical, maybe then, you wouldn’t be in so much pain.