Flash #11

Word Count: 22,124.
Thanks for being the slightest bit interested in what happens next.

Jo swears to God that if they show that commercial for Oxyclean again, she is going to throw her heel at the set. Thank God that fuckin Ellen finally went home. She was almost as annoying as this waiting room TV. Jo wonders again if she should call Mac’s mom. She takes the cell phone out and sees Sally’s already called him once. But she puts it away again, reasoning that she’ll call when she has some good news. And it will be good news. It will. She tries to focus on the thought that he won’t die on her, but a terrible voice keeps whispering that God’s trying to teach her a lesson – that they shouldn’t have hooked up at that party. But why, God? This is the father of her daughter. How could he leave her with Sheila to raise alone? The God voice has nothing else to tell her, so she goes back to talking to Mac in her head: Not now, you son-of-a-bitch, she says.
“Are you here for Curtis MacNamara?” a man in scrubs asks her.
Jo startles inside. “Yes,” she answers.
“I’m Doctor Stephenson. Curtis made it through surgery and we think he’ll be alright.”
“Thank God,” Jo whispers and tears are upon her again.
“He’s very lucky. Lucky the wound was on his right side. Lucky the knife hit a rib before it got too far. But we had to take out some bone debris and we were worried there was a puncture to the lung,” the doctor went on.
“Can I see him?” she asks
“You can go in just for a minute, but just a minute, please. He needs to rest and he’s on a lot of medication.”
“I swear,” Jo answers.
When she gets to his room, she takes a deep breath before pushing through the door. Mac is on his back, as grey as if he were dead. He is hooked up to a couple of I.V.’s and a machine that is monitoring too many things. He is wearing a hospital gown, but she can see the thick bandages underneath. She sees his eyes are closed but as soon as she moves closer he eyes open them; as blue as ever, but not shining as they normally are.
“Jo,” he whispers.
“Hey,” she answers, trying to look confident and strong.
“Where’s Sheila?” he asks.
“Don’t worry – at my mom’s.”
He closes his eyes again and Jo puts her hand on his arm. His freckled skin lies beneath redish hair and she strokes it. Jo hopes he can’t feel that her hand is trembling.
“Call my Ma,” he whispers without opening his eyes. “Tell her I’m fine.”
“I promise.”
Mac seems as if he might be drifting off and Jo moves to leave. He opens his eyes again saying, “Stay a minute more.”
“You go it,” she replies, smiling.
“Jo,” he says. “I’m sorry.”
It makes her tears come back and she swallows them quickly. “Shhh.”
“I didn’t see it coming,” he whispers and falls back asleep.