By Thursday Artemis was eating. Willingly, at least.
Hospital food disgusted her more than herself. But she knew that she needed nourishment to get well. And the quicker she got well, the quicker she could get the hell out of here.
Artemis played with the cotton sheets with her good hand after setting down her lunch tray. There was a television screen suspended from the ceiling, displaying a soap opera. Artemis rolled her eyes, contemplating changing the channel before she realized she didn't have a remote. She slammed her head against her pillow. How was it possible to be this bored? Forget the concussion, boredom would kill her first.
But then she remembered last night. Miren.
Her IV hand cupped over her forehead, gliding over her rustled hair. She remembered random bits and inconclusive pieces. Miren appeared fine, but she gave her no indication as to whether or not she would be returning to St. Rosemunde. Artemis shook her head. Was it wrong to expect that she would?
She had given the search effort her complete all. But what if that wasn't good enough? She was mad that Soren never helped her, but his original reasoning made sense, even if she didn't want it to.
"If she wanted to be sought out, don't you think you would've found her already?"
But she had found her. Or rather, Miren had come to her.
Didn't she?
Artemis shook her head again, trying to rid herself of these destructive thoughts. Part of her wanted to dismiss the encounter. Maybe it was just a desperate dream her subconscious mustered up to relax her. After all, she was practically high on painkillers. There had to be an explanation. There always was one, wasn't there?
She didn't know. She groaned, trying to shift into a more comfortable position. But no matter what she did, she could never be comforted by the uncertainty that surrounded her.
One thingâif nothing elseâwas certain. If Miren returned to visit her, that would mean their encounter was real. And she shouldn't have been content with that, but it was all she had.
That is, until a visitor entered her room.
"Artemis?" Parker called out. He stepped forward as the nurse gently shut the door behind him. It wasn't his first time visiting, but it was his first time alone with her. There was a bit of sweat glistening on his forehead. He must have come straight from lacrosse practice. But that didn't matter. Artemis tried to refrain from appearing startled by his uncalled presence. They averted their gazes from each other as they basked in a discomfited silence. With a sigh, Parker decided to break it.
"How are you holding up?"
"Well enough."
Parker nodded, his eyes falling on her IV. "How much longer do you have to stay here?"
She shrugged, unsure whether it was his presence or his questions that bothered her the most. "One more day. They need to give me a new cast."
Parker's eyes fell to her broken arm. "I see. Sorry about that."
"It wasn't your fault."
But wasn't it? Wasn't everything? His eyes then drifted to the boutique of flowers in his hands. He placed them in Artemis's arms before she could reject them.
"Here. But I'm not in love with you or anything." He scratched his head, hoping to dismiss the intimacy of the gesture.
Artemis' lip twitched as she thumbed through the orange petals. "Thank you." Her head was low as her lips pressed into a line. "And I know. You didn't have to come all this way to say that."
"I know."
"Then why are you here?" She was too weak to snap at him. "What happened between us was an accident. And it's trivial to the chaos your girlfriend caused."
"My girlfriend is being ridiculed for pushing you at the dance." His attention was to the open window. The sun shined optimistically, mocking their adversity. Artemis raised an eyebrow.
"Then she's finally getting what she deserves." She folded her arms. "Has she even stopped by to see me?"
Parker hesitated for a moment, contemplating her question. "I don't think so."
"Typical."
"Although I can't completely disagree with you," he began, shaking his head, "Part of me just wants to know if it's true."
"Does it matter?" Artemis said, trying to sound more passive than she felt. But in reality, did it matter? She narrowed her eyes. "She's just mad that I'm your queen. Should we tell her that we kissed too? Then maybe she'll kill us both."
And then their hellish high school problems would be over. Parker shook his head, declining her spiteful offer.
"No," he replied. "I don't know."
"Well, I don't know either," she said, before adding, "Why I fell, I mean."
"What were you doing upstairs?"
Artemis raised her hand to stop him. "Look, I'm ill. So if you came here to interrogate me, then you can just leave. I'm not in the mood."
"I didn't," he said softly. "But you're right. Maybe it was a mistake coming here."
She hated when he did that. Whenever she tried to rudely dismiss his valiant efforts, he always offered her a considerate remark. He was nice by nature. Perhaps too nice for Penelope.
But nice didn't mean good. And despite how friendly he came off, it just reminded her of how he showed that kind level of sympathy to everyone except Miren.
She examined Parker intensely; she wasn't too sure that she wanted to accept his indirect peace offering. But like the bed she was confined to and the impending status of Miren's whereabouts, she had no choice.
"Thanks again for the flowers," was her indirect offer, as she surveyed him passively from the corner of her eye. She played with the underdeveloped buds, half hoping they would bloom in her fingertips. Though she had greater hope for greater causes.
Parker nodded, though the stiffness on his faceâhis formâdidn't lessen. Artemis cocked an eyebrow. It was a peculiar sight, Mr. Righteous appearing somber. It was a look better suited for his rival, Mr. Angry Eyes. The Parker from a few months ago would have been promising to do anything he could to make her life more bearable. She would be laughing right now. She would be forgetting everything right now. But now the numb, blunt pain throbbing in her arm was a welcomed distraction.
"Did you want to talk about anything else?" she asked. Truthfully, she felt this encounter had reached an end. She didn't want to discuss anything else. Her doctor said that stress would stunt her healing and lengthen her stay. And the only things that could lessen the tension she was feeling now would be Miren bursting through the door, assuring them that everything was all right, or Penelope imploding. Naturally, she preferred the first option. Though, she could settle for the second.
Parker's mouth quivered. He was holding something in. But so was she.
"I saw Miren last night," she said, hoping it would get him to loosen up. It was funny, because Parker was the most carefree person she knew.
"That can't be possible." He closed his eyes. Yes, he had definitely made a mistake coming here.
"And why not?" Artemis rose from her reclined position. She blinked at him as she was presented with a sight she had never seen before: Parker crying.
He wasn't weeping, but frustrated tears were beginning to spill from his eyes. He refused to wipe them away.
"Because Wallace duped us. He lied about everything."
Artemis gave him a perplexed look. "I don't understand..."
Maybe he should have spared the sick girl. Held his tongue and played ignorant for just a little longer. But she would have heard the news sooner than later.
Nothing could have prepared her for what he said next.