So This is Love

When the nurse came back into the room, Grace reluctantly sat up and away from the boy. She was surprised at the sense of despair that she felt at the loss of his touch.

“How’re you doing?” the nurse asked Grace, smiling. She began to go through Grace’s charts and monitors, making notes on her clipboard.

Grace shrugged. “My head hurts and my wrist, too.” She’d noticed earlier that her left wrist was wrapped up, but she hadn’t paid much attention to the pain until then.

The nurse nodded. “You sprained your wrist, and we think you could have a concussion; you also had to get stitches in a few places. We'll give you some medicine for the pain, and then you should be good to go once morning rolls around,” she said in a friendly voice, smiling at Grace the whole time.

“Did you call my mom?” Grace asked, suddenly remembering her earlier fears. Did her mom even know where she was?

The nurse shook her head. “You didn’t have an ID on you when you were brought in, and no one knew who you were. We haven’t been able to get a hold of anyone who knows who you are. Do you know your name and phone number?”

Grace nodded. “Of course. I’m Grace Campbell,” she said, and also gave the nurse her mother’s phone number.

When the nurse stepped out of the room to call Grace’s mother, the boy returned to her bedside.

“Grace,” he said softly, almost reverently. He smiled. “I like it; it suits you.”

“You haven’t told me your name yet,” she reminded him.

“I’m Damien,” he said, smiling again. In the dimly lit room, Grace could barely make out his deep dimples as he smiled.

“It’s nice to meet you Damien,” she said, unable to stop a smile from spreading across her face.

“It’s very nice to meet you Grace.”