Nothing Else Matters (24 page)

He smiled his signature adorable lopsided grin and Reyna felt a little weak by how much she felt for him. She would do anything for him.

“Besides, who says I’m not going to college?” she asked, hopping up from his lap. “I have it all worked out. We’re both going to get an education.”

“I should’ve known you’d have a plan.” Scott brushed his hair off of his forehead and yawned.

“I’m going to clear up the dishes. Why don’t you go upstairs and rest?”

“You sure I can’t help you?” He yawned again.

“I’m sure.”

As she set about cleaning up the kitchen, she heard the shower turn on upstairs. He’s so disobedient, she thought. He should be resting. Just then a devilish thought excited her.  Maybe there was something else she could do to truly prove to him her affections and bring him out of his funk.

She tossed her apron off and dashed upstairs.

Her heart raced as she stood outside Scott’s bathroom door. Could she really go through with something so brazen? He was her husband and she loved him more than anything. Wasn’t it about time they showed it physically?

Reyna took a deep breath, slipped off her clothes, and then quietly entered the bathroom. He didn’t notice her enter so she took a moment and studied the outline of his masculine, muscular form.  Her heart beat rapidly. Though he thought he was wasting away to nothing, what she saw completely refuted that. He was so beautiful he took her breath away.

“What are you doing?” he asked when she climbed into the shower next to him.

“What does it look like I’m doing? I’m saving the planet and conserving water.”

He smiled and rested his forehead on hers. “I love you, Rey.”

“I know.”

Reyna let her hands explore his firm body while Scott seized her lips into a monumental kiss. The hot water from the shower only served to intensify the emotions swarming through them. Scott lifted her up without releasing the lock of their lips. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she held on tightly for fear that if she let go she would melt and disappear.

Reaching behind him, Scott turned off the water. With Reyna’s legs still wrapped around him, he stepped out of the shower then knelt on the floor. He grabbed a towel off the rack, laid it down, and then gently placed Reyna on it while hovering over her.

Reyna heard him breathe her name like a primal moan as his lips moved away from her mouth and explored every inch of her body. He did things with his tongue that made her tremble with desire. Then he stopped and looked into her eyes as he entered her.

Inch by inch, he slowly guided deeper and deeper until he touched a place she didn’t know existed. They rode waves of ecstasy together until suddenly, Reyna felt paralyzed with pleasure. It was such a beautiful feeling she wanted to shout with joy. It alarmed her to realize that she was shouting. She shuddered again and again, and when she felt Scott’s release inside her it sent another tremor of bliss through her.

***

As I lay next to my wife watching her sleep, I felt for the first time that I could deal with this. So was so beautiful, so strong,
so
surreal. I don’t know when, but she had somehow found time to straighten her hair and it cascaded marvelously and sensually over her shoulders and graced the sides of her naked breasts. I gently brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck. I could deal with being sick, with not being an athlete and not fulfilling my mother’s dreams. As long as I had Reyna, I could deal with anything.

Wednesday Nov. 19

Once again Reyna woke up refreshed after sleeping next to Scott. He was like a cure for her insomnia. If this continued, she’d be up to eight hours of sleep a night by their first year anniversary. She smiled within herself then turned around to face her sleeping husband. She traced the outline of his face with her fingers, lingering on his lips. She never knew love would feel this way. That it could be so overwhelming and consuming. She loved the feeling of being in love.

Her ruminations were interrupted by a slight tapping on the door. After slipping on Scott’s robe, she opened the door and stepped into the hall. It was Stu.

“Hey, Sis,” he said, smiling brightly.

“Hey.” Reyna blushed, tightened the robe and stared at the ground. It was kind of embarrassing to know that Stu knew exactly what she had been doing with his brother. She’d hoped that Stu had stayed out late and hadn’t heard anything, but considering that she and Scott had made love off and on until after three in the morning, she was sure he knew what was going on.

“I was just wondering if I could get a ride to school.”

“Right. School.” Reyna, still flustered, peeked in on Scott. He was sleeping deeply and in no condition to go to school even if he were awake. As a matter of fact, both Reyna and Stu would have been excused from classes if need be. She was sure their teachers would understand their need to be with Scott during his recovery. But Reyna also understood where Stu was coming from. He wanted some normalcy in his life again. That meant going to school.

“Um, I’ll take you,” she said.

“If you weren’t planning on going, I’ll call one of my friends to pick me up. It’s no big deal.”

“No, it’s fine. I should probably go talk to my teachers and pick up some more assignments, at least. I’ll be back by lunch to take care of Scott.”

Reyna placed a tray with muffins, juice and his painkillers for the day next to Scott’s bed. She kissed his sleeping form and hoped to be back not long after he woke up. If she knew what was about to happen, she would never have left his side.

***

“OMG! You’re here!” Maggie screeched when she saw Reyna at school. Wrapping her arms around her she said, “It feels like I haven’t seen you in forever. We heard about you and Scottie getting married. That’s just the most romantic thing ever! Congratulations.”

“Thanks,
Mags
.” Reyna couldn’t help but smile at Maggie’s enthusiasm. She enjoyed and missed the way Maggie spoke about everything so exuberantly as if she had just found buried treasure. Besides, Reyna had to admit that her and Scottie’s story was pretty romantic.

“Look, I was planning on calling you, but since you’re here I’ll just tell you.” Maggie looped her arm through Reyna’s and walked with her to her first class still gesturing wildly with her free hand. “On behalf of the social committee, we would like to give you and Scott a wedding,” Maggie said, clasping her hands together excitedly.

“What? A wedding? What do you mean?” She didn’t know what Maggie was talking about. She and Scott were already married.

“Well, as you know, Fall Ball is Saturday night. We already have the venue, the decorations, the food, everything. But instead of making it just a dance, we want it to be your wedding.”

Reyna stood speechless. She couldn’t believe the sentiment of the gesture.

“Maggie, I’m overwhelmed. I don’t know what to say,” Reyna said, smiling broadly. She thought about her father. This would be his missed opportunity to walk her down the aisle. It would be perfect. “But can you do that? Will the Charleston Prep administration allow it?” she asked, trying not to get too excited. Maybe there was something in the student handbook preventing teenage marriage.

Maggie waved her hand in the air like she was swatting away a fly. “Oh, please. What does Charleston Prep have to do with it? It’s the social committee’s money and the ball isn’t on campus. Even if it was on campus, I’m sure the administration would be fine with it. Everyone loves you and Scott.”

“Well … um … wow,
Mags
. I kind of need to talk to Scott. I don’t know if he’s up for planning a wedding.”

Speaking about a million words a minute Maggie said, “Oh, just say yes. We’ll take care of the rest. You and Scott won’t have to do a thing. You know Caroline Darby? Well, her mom is a dress designer and she has the perfect dress for you. You won’t be able to keep it, but, hey, you can use it for the night. You’re gonna look gorgeous. And do you know what the theme of the dance is? It’s so perfect it’s going to be fabulous. The theme is Romeo and Juliet.”

Reyna’s smile faded. Most people knew how much she hated that play. But she guessed she’d never mentioned it to Maggie. Honestly, she didn’t want her wedding associated with such a tragic story, but she also didn’t want to hurt Maggie’s feelings. She had obviously put a lot of thought into it. She was being ridiculous. It was just a play and it had nothing to do with her and Scottie. But for some reason, she couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling of foreboding.

***

I woke up to the sound of the alarm clock. I looked for my wife but she wasn’t lying next to me anymore. Apparently, she had gotten up early and set the alarm for me to take my medication. I’d slept through the buzzing sound for over an hour and now my body was paying for it. The pain was tortuous. Worse than anything I remembered experiencing in the hospital.  I needed my medicine. Thankfully, Reyna had left it out for me along with something to eat. She thought of everything.

I couldn’t eat though. The thought of food made me want to wretch. The amount of pain alone made my stomach turn. I thought if I could just get a few painkillers in me I would feel better and be able to eat later.

I tried to swing my legs over the edge of the bed and cried out in pain. My knees were so sore I couldn’t bend them. I wanted to curl up into a fetal position and cry, but the thought of moving an inch was overwhelming.

Not knowing what to do, I lay paralyzed for a few moments trying to think. With every passing moment the pain in my chest from the surgery grew and my knees felt more and more enflamed. I had to do something. If I stayed there any longer, I would pass out from the pain.

One inch at a time, I forced myself to crawl over to where Reyna had placed my medication on the other side of the bed. Every muscle in my body strained. Every inch I thought would be my last.

My hands shook as I grabbed a bottle of
Oxycodone
. Not having the energy or the strength to reach for the juice, I swallowed the capsules dry. Once the pills were inside me I sighed with relief. I truly believed that they would start working in moments and bring enough relief for me to take the rest of my medication. But that’s not what happened.

My body didn’t accept the
Oxycodone
on an empty stomach. The vomiting that proceeded a few moments later was agonizing. I scooted away from the bile that had escaped my body and soaked the bed sheets so that I wouldn’t be lying in it.

Paralyzed with pain, nausea, and fear, I lay in bed fighting the urge to pass out. My chest ached with an indescribable pressure. I thought I was having a heart attack. I felt I would die if I kept laying there.

My eyes drifted to my open bathroom door. I thought about the night of passion my wife and I had shared. I didn’t want to die. I wanted to grow old with Reyna. Though two days ago the thought of never playing sports again made me want to welcome death, today I had a new reason to live. I was a husband. I didn’t want to make her a widow after just a week of marriage. I didn’t know when to expect Reyna back and I needed to get to the hospital.

***

The thought of that stupid tragedy Romeo and Juliet plagued Reyna’s mind. It just gave her a bad feeling. Sitting in class was pointless. After missing a week of school, she wasn’t sure what was being taught and she couldn’t concentrate on the lesson anyway. She was sick with worry about Scott. She thought about calling him to make sure he was all right, but she didn’t want to wake him if he was resting. The strong painkillers probably had knocked him out. Everything was fine, she tried to convince herself. It didn’t work. She couldn’t believe she had left him alone. What was she thinking? By the end of second period, she decided to go back to Scott’s house and check on him. She had just finished explaining this to the rest of her teachers when her cell phone buzzed.