"Sir! The patient has severe second-degree burns and is about to undergo a skin graft,” the young nurse cut in coldly with an indignant manner. “What kind of boyfriend are you?”
“So just because she’s injured, she thinks she can hit people? Put Emma on the phone now!” Bart barked.
"You're crazy!" the nurse snapped back and ended the call.
My chapped lips curled into a bitter smile. It was impossible to save a relationship where even if you were hanging yourself, he would just assume you were playing on the swings.
Then I was wheeled into the operating room in my blue and white hospital gown, prepared for the skin graft on my right arm.
I was all alone, every step of the way.
To pass the time during my recovery, I scrolled through social media and found a post on Karen’s feed. In the picture, she pouted cutely while Bart applied some antiseptics to her face. She had written a caption, “I got slapped by a mean dog. This guy insisted on avenging me. What am I supposed to do without him?”
I took screenshot of her post and saved it then calmly turned off my phone.
I had had enough of this silly drama. I refused to see their public display of affection any longer.
Finally, after recuperating for some time, I was healthy enough to go home. Unfortunately, the hospital discharge took a long time and by the time I got home, it was already well at night.
When I opened the door, the first thing I saw was Brat. He was sitting on the sofa with his back facing away from the light and a cigarette between his lips. From the look of his face, it seemed he was ready to confront me.
"Nora, do you know why I didn't stay with you during your surgery?" he asked.
"Of course, I do. You were too busy lending your hand to Karen!" I said nonchalantly, as I walked into the room with my clothes in one hand
Bart was about to say something when his eyes fell on my freshly grafted arm. Suddenly, a flicker of guilt raised in his heart. "Nora, I'm sorry. I had never expected that you would get hurt that day. I thought because you had filmed scenes with fires before, you could handle this situation better. On the other hand, Karen is a timid girl. She became an art teacher as soon as she graduated. She never encounters any hardship. As you know the fire was so intense. If I hadn't saved her, how could she, a school teacher, who spends all her time with kids, be able to escape?"