Free Interrupted (The Progress Series) by Amy Queau Page A

are you feeling?”
    “I’m okay. Just a little restless. I need a cigarette. But the doctor said that I should be able to go home tomorrow, if everything looks good.”
    “Do you want me to spend the night? I don’t want you to be alone—” Karen began.
    “Oh, no Mom. I’ll be fine. I’ll just need a ride home in the morning. So, you can just come back then.”
    Charlie dove into the bag of food, grabbed a tangled handful of fries and popped them in her mouth. Because she hadn’t eaten in over a day, her taste buds were on overdrive as soon as the salt hit her tongue. She quickly grabbed her soda and chugged it down. Bill found a baseball game on the television and they all sat down to eat.
    As she finished her dinner, Charlie’s nerves were starting to get the best of her, trying to find a way to pump up the courage she was going to need in order to speak to Aaron Paulson. She had an idea of what she was going to say, but wanting to say it and actually saying it were two different things.
    “Is she sleeping?” Charlie could hear a faint voice outside her door. Glancing over, she could see only Andrea speaking to someone outside her range of vision.
    “No, go on in.”
    Carrying a bouquet of tulips, Samuel walked slowly to the entryway and stopped.
    “Hey,” he said, glancing at Charlie quickly and then looking down at the floor.
    Oh god, he looks good. Every time I see this guy it just gets better. Just the sight of him calms me.
    “Well hello, Sam,” Karen said in that all-knowing mom way. “Come on, Billy, let’s give Charlie and Sam a minute.” Karen tugged on Bill’s sleeve.
    “What! There’s three minutes left! I never stay awake long enough to see the end of a game—” Bill said in the always-unknowing dad way.
    “Bill, we’ll watch it in the waiting room. Come on.”
    Karen dragged Bill by the arm to the hallway as Samuel approached Charlie’s bedside cautiously.
    “Hi. I…uh…I brought these for you,” he said.
    “Thanks.”
    “May I sit with you a while?”
    “Um. No. I mean, yes! Sorry. Yes, you can stay. But I’d really like to go downstairs and have a cigarette. Do you think you could sneak me out?” Charlie gestured to the wheelchair in the corner of the room.
    “I don’t think I need to sneak you out. I think people do it all the time.”
    Charlie rolled her eyes. “Can’t you let me have a little fun ? Come on, let’s be sneaky.”
    Samuel smiled “Sorry, I’m just a little nervous.”
    “Don’t be. I have no intention of saying anything to you that will make you feel bad. So come on, let’s go smoke.”
    Making her way to the wheelchair and throwing a blanket over her body, Charlie grabbed her purse as Sam took the position behind her.
    Just as they turned the corner to enter the hallway, they were stopped abruptly when her feet hit the shins of Aaron Paulson.
    “Ouch,” Aaron said.
    Oh, shit. This is it. Courage, Charlie. Find the courage you need to say this to him. He’s here because you asked the nurse to bring him here. Find the strength you need to say what you’ve always wanted to say to him. Find it!
    Looking around the hall, she couldn’t find anything. Nothing solid to hold onto while she found the words she needed.
    “You okay?” Samuel whispered in her ear and she turned to look at him. He was inches from her face.
    There it is. That’s what I needed. Stay confident. Stay calm. Samuel is with you. Do this, Charlie.
    “You wanted to speak to me, Charlie?” Aaron said, visually bracing himself for the blowout.
    With confidence, Charlie straightened her posture and began speaking.
    Here goes …“I’ve thought about you over the years. It’s true, I have. And I’ve prepared a little speech in case I ever had the chance to give it to you. When I saw you this morning, staring at me in that bed, one thought came to my mind. And that was that you don’t deserve my fucking speech. You don’t deserve another minute of wasted thoughts. But I