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Chapter nine- flashback

"Claudia, tell her!" Billie whines, pulling at her arm as they sit side by side on the empty armchairs beside my bed.

"Sorry, Bil but I can't. I'm with Erin on this one." Claudia says with a shrug, biting back a laugh as Billie pouts at her in response.

"Ha!" I say smugly, leaning back against my pillows, "I told you so."

Billie looks back at me with a betrayed expression, "Salt is a great name for a dog! Come on, it matches Pepper perfectly, what's not to like?"

"The fact that you really can't see the problem with it is crazy." I tell her in amusement, shaking my head.

"I can't see the problem with it because there isn't one." She challenges stubbornly, standing up and coming back to sit in her usual position on the bed next to me, leaning against the headboard with me in her arms.

For the past while, my days have consisted of the same daily routine, which for the most part was just Billie entertaining me with pointless questions that always ended up as a debate.

I knew she couldn't care less about half the things she would talk about, (apart from naming her future dog "salt" which was obviously an important conversation) but she still did day after day, just to try and keep me distracted from my own thoughts.

Despite my best efforts to keep her from worrying about me, she caught me still awake late at night, and I eventually ended up telling her everything that had been on my mind. I was scared at the time that she would start treating me like I was made of glass, but I guess she knows how it feels to be where I am, and since then she's been there for me exactly how I need her to be.

An involuntary smile spreads across my face as I watch Billie and Claudia continue to argue their points, not bothering to even try and keep up.

Their bickering slowly fades to silence as a nurse knocks on the door before making her way into the room, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," she says with a knowing smile, clearly having heard the disagreement from outside.

"Not at all." I giggle as Claudia's face flushes slightly from embarrassment.

The nurses stands near the monitors, writing down notes on a clipboard, but I'm too lost in Billie to pay attention. Her fingers trace my cheekbones with an adoring look in her eyes, and it feels like we're the only ones in the room until the nurse awkwardly clears her throat.

I look over at her with a smile, feeling so far gone over Billie that I couldn't care less who sees us.

"You're healing nicely by the looks of things, so if you'd like to take a shower- " the nurse starts to say, but I cut her off in excitement, knowing exactly what she was about to say.

"Yes!" Then I add as I lower my voice slightly, "that sounds nice."

"Alight, then." She chuckles, coming over to my bedside as Billie hops off, and carefully pulling back the blanket covering me

"Do you think salt is a good name for a dog?" Billie suddenly asks the nurse, and she looks up at her in surprise.

"Billie." Claudia chides, shooting her a look that clearly says "not now".

The nurse laughs gently at the question as she helps me out of bed, Billie lingering close by just in case I need her, "Sorry sweetheart, but I'm going to have to say no."

"Even if I have another one named Pepper?"

"Billie." Claudia repeats.

"I'm just asking!" Billie replies defensively, holding her hands up in surrender.

Ignoring Billie, I swing my legs over the side of the bed, placing them flat on the ground and taking shallow breaths. I had expected the movement to hurt a lot more, but thankfully there was only mild discomfort.

"Do you need a break?" Billie asks worriedly, keeping the nurse at bay when she tries to help me stand.

"No, it's okay. I'm fine." I assure her.

I struggle to my feet with the support of both the nurse and Billie, using them to stable me once I'm in a standing position. I take a small step forward after a moment or two, and then continue to walk towards the bathroom, growing more confident with each step.

"You're doing great." The nurse encourages kindly, her hands on my forearms as she matches my strides, keeping me steady.

Once we reach the bathroom, I'm able to stand on my own and I turn to Billie, beaming, "I did it!"

"Fuck yeah you did," she grins, placing a kiss on my cheek, "toughest girl I know."

"Well done, Erin," the nurse smiles, "but you need to take it easy, so no lifting your arms above your head. I can help you of course, or your girlfriend if you prefer."

"My girlfriend."

"Perfect. Call me if you need anything, and I'll be back shortly to change your bandages."

With that, she leaves the room, and Billie helps me into the bathroom and over to the shower. The only thing separating the shower head from the rest of the room was a simple shower curtain, so after Billie helped me undress, she began to run the water through my hair.

Showering was a slow and painful process, the shampoo and body wash irritating my wound, but it felt so nice to wash properly that I fought my best to ignore it.

Once I was finished, the nurse returned as promised to change my bandages, and I put on a fresh hospital gown with Billie's help, and my wet hair was pulled back into a French braid with Claudia's help.

Finally back in bed, I relaxed against the clean sheets, feeling more myself than I have since I got here.

"Feel better?" Billie asks, climbing up beside me.

"Much." I sigh happily, thanking the nurse as she goes to leave.

"Keep up the good work, Erin," she tells me kindly just before she closes the door, "and you might just be able to go home sooner than you think."

A/N: hey guys!

I know everything is kinda crazy right now, so I hope you're all doing okay ❤️

Remember to use your voice, and to support the black lives matter movement in any way that you can.

Drink lots of water and please take care of yourselves!

Much love, Isabel 💕