I sat up in the bed. Then I slid my feet over the side and tried to stand. Shaky, but not as weak as I thought I’d be. After a few minutes, I felt that I could support my weight, and I slowly made my way to the bathroom. After using the facilities, I noticed that a new toothbrush, toothpaste, a washcloth, liquid soap, and body wash had been laid out on the counter. There were two white towels folded in a cubby. I wasn’t sure if all this was his or mine, but I hoped he didn’t mind sharing. My bandages had been removed, but I wasn’t quite sure what to do about the cast on my arm. I knew I shouldn’t get it wet, so I wrapped it in a towel.

Chris’s shower was enormous, befitting a man of his size. I could barely reach the controls from the outside of the shower door. It was set on hot, which was fine with me, and steamed up the glass almost instantly. Stepping inside, I luxuriated in water washing over me like a baptism, hot needles running down my back. I dumped a handful of body wash on my hair and brought the liquid to a helmet of lather. I was going to sit down on the shower bench, but then I realized I wasn’t going anywhere. My eyes saw pinpoints of light as my knees buckled until I was sprawled out on the floor, breathing fast and shallow. I tried to lift my head, but that only made me dizzier.

I called out for Chris, but of course no one answered me. Okay, so I’d just lie here until I could gather up my strength. Unless the drain clogged, I wouldn’t drown. The problem was every time I moved my head, things spun around me.

A moment later, I heard him enter the bathroom. He opened the door and I smiled.

“I could use some help, please.”

“What the fuck are you doing! I told you not to try to do this by yourself.” A sigh. “Hold on.” He took off his black jacket and his T-shirt and turned off the water. He knelt down. “Grab my hand.”

“I can’t move.”

“Fuck.” He stripped naked and stepped inside, water dripping on his head from the leaky nozzle. He knelt down and looped his arm around me, pulling me up like a rag doll. Soap spread all over his chest. “C’mon.”

“I have to rinse my hair.”

“You’re impossible.” He sat me on the bench, and instinctively, I crossed my arms over my chest. He looked at me covering myself and laughed. “Nothing I haven’t seen before.” He turned the handheld showerhead on. “I told you not to do this without me.”

“Yeah, you already said that. I felt yucky.”