RIBS

Roberto pulled the comforter over his head to block the sun. He wasn’t ready to get up yet. His head was full of strange images. As he lay in the twilight between sleeping and waking, the last thing he remembered was lying in the forest attacked by roots. What a nightmare! He rolled over, sending pain screaming through his ribs.

It hadn’t been a dream.

He looked at his surroundings and saw Lynette, sitting at her study table.

“Morning,” he said.

“Hi, Baby. That was some weird scenario I found you in last night. At first, I thought it was part of Priya’s installation, until you tried to scream.”

“How did you get me out?”

“One strand at a time.” From the tabletop, she picked up a pair of heavy duty shears. The blades were stained green and black.

He sat up gingerly, trying not to move his ribs but each breath made him gasp.

She ran her fingers through his hair. “We should get that looked at.”

“No hospitals, no doctors.” Roberto remembered the hypodermic-wielding ambulance attendants.

He heard her stomach growl.

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“Want to go for breakfast?” she asked.

“I am hungry, but it can wait.” Lynette sat beside him and moved in for a hug but her weight shifting the mattress made him wince.

“Sorry. Does it hurt that much?

“I’m fine.” He stood up and dusted himself off.

“Come into the bathroom. Let me look at that.” Lynette pulled tensor bandages out of the medicine cabinet. “Hold still but don’t hold your breath.”

Roberto didn’t cry out while she wound tape around his ribs, but he gritted his teeth.

She finished and frowned at him. “That won’t hold. We should go to the medical center.”

“No. I can manage.” He loved the look of admiration she gave him, as if refusing treatment made him a tough guy. Truth was, even if he’d broken his neck, he was afraid of being sent to the hospital. “Just give me a minute.”

Roberto stayed in the bathroom where Lynette had left the first aid kit. He had broken a rib playing soccer once and knew what to do. Looking at himself in the mirror, he carefully wound the tape tighter than Lynette had. He winced and swore, clamping his jaw with pain.

“Roberto, are you okay?”

That Lynette. What had started out like a fling felt so different now. The concern in her voice went right through him, pain and pleasure mixed. It hurt him to make her worry, but at the same time, her concern gave him a feeling of warmth. He burst into the bedroom anxious to reassure her he was fine.

“I must leave this town.” He grabbed a shirt off the floor, trying not to let the pain show on his face. “Come with me?”

Lynette’s jaw dropped, but then they kissed.

When they unclinched, Lynette said, “Let me drive. There’s an all-day pancake house by the highway. We can plan the trip while we eat.”

As they walked out of residence, Roberto sensed he might never feel this free again. There was something moving in the air, and it wasn’t just the cold breeze. Whispering below the surface of things, a voice called him back to the cemetery.

“After the pancakes,” he said, “I want to take you somewhere.”

“I don’t care where we go. I’m just happy you’re okay.”