Screaming on the Inside

Spending the night in the hospital wasn't fun. In the least. Johnny would have disagreed though, seeing as all he did was hit on "hot" nurses. I didn't find a single one of them attractive, but I did find one person attractive..
You guessed it.
It was about 3AM by the time everyone else got to sleep, and the morphine made me go in and out of it all the time. I looked over at Marley, who was still sitting in her chair and curled over onto my bed. She made me want to pull her up with me, but I thought it'd be a bad idea, seeing as I'd most likely drop her. I am no knight in shining armor.
I kept running my fingers through her hair, thinking about what I was supposed to do. " If I tell her how I feel," I thought, "She might get freaked out and stop talking to me. But if I don't tell her, we'll never be more then what we are. Friends. But she has to feel the same, she has to. She wouldn't lead me on like she is if she didn't, right? Is it too soon to be looking for another relationship? And how soon is 'too soon'? And who says I can't date Marley?! But wait, what does that say about Samantha and me? Would anyone think that I didn't love her? Would they think I was a terrible person for letting our marriage go and dating someone else? I can't be alone forever, and what if this is my only chance at a good relationship?" My thoughts clouded my head and made me nervous, but I knew deep down that I should tell her. Did I like her? Of course I did. Did I think she was pretty? Smart? Funny? Adorable? Caring? Overall the closest thing I could get to perfect? Yeah. No question. I just wished I knew what she thought of me.
I fell back asleep with my fingers tangled in her hair, and woke the next morning to something not so pleasant. "HEY NICK!!" Johnny yelled.
"WOAH! What the hell man? What are you doing?" I asked, scared shitless.
"Waking you up! The nurse said that you can go home today, but not by yourself. So you'll be staying with meeeee!" I wanted to slap that chipper look off of his face so bad.
"Oh boy." I said, sarcasm dripping from my mouth.
"Don't sound so enthused." He mused.
Marley came into the room, dressed in the same clothes she wore the day before, and glared Johnny down. "Did you wake him up?" She asked. I knew she was about to threaten him, making me laugh.
"Of course not." Liar.
"Johnny you ass!" She almost yelled, smacking him with a pillow Lloyd had used. She turned her gaze to me and smiled. "Well good morning sunshine."
"Hey there." I smiled. Her presence out me in a good mood.
"We can leave in a bout an hour, so the nurse is going to come in and take out all of those needles and probably give you a long list of do's and don't's." She informed.
"Oh I'm sure. Not that I'll listen." I admitted. I never listened to doctors.
"The hell you won't." She smiled devilishly. The look on her face suggested that she knew something I didn't.
I rolled my eyes and just sat back and listened to the conversations going on in the room. I found myself staring at Marley a little, especially when she talked. I just admired her way of carrying herself and her outlook on everything. She was inspiring and sweet. What was wrong with me? These thoughts, going through my head, were not anything like I'd ever really thought before.
About an hour went by and a nurse walked in. "Alright darlin'." She said with a southern accent that reminded me of my aunt. "Time to get those yucky needles outta yer arm." She put on her gloves and started turning off machines and taking out the IV, and not so carefully at that.
I winced, more in annoyance then pain. The way she was just ripping the shit out of my arm just annoyed me, but the feeling quickly surpassed. "There ya go. I'm goin' to make sure everything's taken care of. You get dressed in normal clothes now." She looked over to everyone else in the room. "Yall help him outta bed now, ya hear?"
Everyone nodded in agreement and she left. Johnny made an attempt to pick me, making all of us laugh. "Put him down!" Dan said through his laughter.
Dan and Lloyd helped me out of bed, trying not to hurt my side and hips, then I went to the bathroom to get dressed, after denying Johnny's offer to help me.
I came back out in my black long sleeve shirt and whatever pants I was wearing when I got there. "Let's go." I said, wanting to get the hell out of there. We all eventually got to leave and Marley seemed to be playing mommy. She was constantly making sure I was okay and everything on the ride back to her house. The original plan was to drop her off and then the rest of us go back to Johnny's, but I think she had different plans.
"Do you want to stay with me tonight?" Marley asked, sounding a little uneasy about our current arrangement.
"Do you want me to?" I asked, knowing I'd be a burden.
"Of course I do." She flashed that sweet smile at me. "And I'd feel a whole lot better about that then you staying with Johnny. You know they aren't going to be able to take care of you."
"You want to take care of me?" I teased, but she turned it a little serious and lightened it with a blush.
"Well, I mean, yeah. I care about you." She admitted. That was it. I suddenly didn't care if she felt about me the same way I felt about her. I was determined to tell her how I felt and that would be the end of it. It just had to be in a romantic way, just in case she actually did feel the same.
"Aw. I care about you too." I said, not wanting her to ever think I didn't, but that didn't help her blush.
We got back to her house and Dan said he'd drop off some clothes for me later, and they left. She took my arm and walked inside with me, which I had zero complaints about.
When we walked in, Carly and Jacky were nowhere to be found, but they were both there, seeing as the cars were in the driveway.
"Carly? Jacky?" Marley called out.
"One minute!" We heard Carly yell from her bedroom. It was only a little obvious what was going on while Marley wasn't home.
"Well that's embarrassing." Marley said, a little shocked.
"For them? You never know. They don't seem to be the kind of people that would really care if you caught them." It was true. I had to say it.
"Ha, you're probably right." She said, making me sit on the couch. "Are you hungry or anything?" She asked. She reminded me a lot of one of those "perfect" housewives you see on TV all the time who always seemed to either have food ready or making food, kept a clean house, and never showing off her body to the world. I liked that. It gave her house more of a homey feel and a calming feel.
"Not really." I didn't want to bother her with making me food, she had enough to worry about.
"Are you sure? I can make something before I leave for work." She said, already putting her hair up in the mandatory pony tail.
I looked at my watch and saw it was already 11:30. If she were to make me food she'd be late. "Yeah I'm sure." I said, reassuringly. She came back in a few minutes later with a glass of warm tea with honey. The scent of the honey almost overpowered the normal apple cinnamon smell the house had.
"Here. Drink this, it's hot. Be careful." She set it down on the table next to me for it to cool down.
"Aw you didn't have to do that." I smiled. I could get used to stuff like that.
"It's okay. No problem." Her warm smile could've lit up the whole town, or that's how she made me feel at least. "If you're hungry There's food in the fridge or you can just make whatever you find." Carly came out of her bedroom ready for work.
"Ready Marley?" She asked. "Oh you Nick's here!" She exclaimed, apparently not thinking I would be. "Hi Nick." She smiled, then headed out to the car. "I'll be waiting in the car." She called.
"Hi to you too." I said sarcastically after she left.
"Oh you." Marley giggled.
I gave her that look that told her exactly what I wanted. I figured there was no reason in hiding how I felt anymore, I was going to be completely open with it and then tell her so it wasn't such a shock. I tugged on her hand, making her some down to my level.
"I can't keep Carly waiting." She warned, letting me know that she couldn't give me all that I wanted. I didn't mind though. I just wanted one more kiss.
"You won't." I assured.
Marley brought her hand to my face and pressed her warm lips against mine. I caressed her side and did all I could to make her feel like I really cared about her, that I even.. Loved her.
I could tell that she felt that way, at least a little, because she really seemed to warm up to what was happening. Things got a little more personal, not in a dirty way, and also a little emotional. I poured out everything into that kiss. I let out my anger, depression, stress, and a whole lot of the new found love I had for the girl I just met, no more then two weeks before.
Carly honked the horn outside and she had to leave. "I'll be back soon okay?" She said, not really making much space between us yet.
"Mhm.." I nodded, and kissed her again, this time more quickly and less personally, but nothing short of loving.
"I have to go." She said sadly.
"Go." I dropped the hand that held her face to mine, letting her go.
"Uhm.." She was blushing and seemed to be at a loss for words. What was she thinking?
"What? I asked, softly, replacing my hand on her face.
She seemed to be thinking of what to say, or debating on weather she should say something or not. "Nevermind." Apparently she decided to not say it.
"Are you sure? You know you can tell me anything." I reassured.
"Yeah." She nodded, but seemed a little unsure and disappointed in herself.
"Go to work. We can talk when you get back, alright?" I tried to make her feel better about whatever was bugging her.
"Yeah." She smiled softly. She kissed me one more time then left.
I didn't expect to be telling her all of this so soon, but what better time? Time to get a plan and work it out, because I wasn't about to fuck this one up.