Stella awoke to searing pain in her foot, her head throbbed like her heart had been forced into her skull and her mouth was dry and filmy. The haze of sleep lifted with the surge of adrenaline as she darted up to pull the heavy curtains to. Her foot was blistered and angry red. It burned and itched and seeped clear fluid. She limped to the phone and called the only number her mind could find in the maze of pain and confusion.
"Aimes, can you," she rasped and swallowed, "can you come here please? It's an emergency."
She hung up the phone before she could get a reply and hobbled to the front door. Unlocking it, she sank down against the wall, letting her foot rest on the smooth stone tile. The carpet was like steel wool against her skin. In seconds, she was in a pre-sleep haze. Just as she let her eyes close, the door burst open. Her friend, Amelia rushed in and her eyes darted immediately to the burns. Setting her bag down, she appraised the wounds and shook her head. Stella was glad she only lived across the hall.
"You need to get to a hospital," only just noticing the nudity, "I'll grab you some clothes. Sit tight."
Standing up and taking the rest of the apartment in, she saw the living room curtains parted enough to let sunbeams through. She also noticed the cleanliness of the room before her. She smiled a little and then headed to the bedroom. Pulling out underwear, a bra, some leggings and a blue military style sweater dress, she also thought to grab some black knee high socks. With the clothes in hand, she walked back out towards Stella, still in a heap on the floor.
"Really, Stells, you didn't need to clean up for me, you're in no fit state."
"What?" Stella glanced around and then panic washed over her, "Oh my God. I didn't someone's been in here! I left my clothes all over the place last night. I threw my coat over the back of the sofa, my shoes were over there. Someone has been in here!"
"Are you sure?" Amelia held the panties open so as not to touch the blisters.
"I'm positive," Stella said, standing and limping towards the bathroom, stopping, stunned again.
"What is it?" Amelia asked, pulling out gauze and some tape from her bag.
"The bathwater, I never drain my bathwater. It's a bad habit, and I certainly don't hang the stopper like this. My dirty towels are folded, so is my laundry. My dirty laundry is folded in the hamper. Who does that?" her voice would have nearly been a shriek, had it not been for the salty, papery feeling in her throat.
"Let's just get you out of here for now and get that foot taken care of."
While Amelia wrapped the foot in gauze, Stella sipped a bottle of water. They worked together in silence to get her dressed and ready to go. When Amelia got the call that the car she'd called was outside, Stella wrapped her head and face in a scarf, pulled gloves onto her hands and finally, donned her coat. She put on some large sunglasses and pulled the deep hood forward as Amelia led her quickly to the darkened car. Travelling in the day was always awkward, the sunglasses were hardly enough protection for her sensitive eyes, she kept them closed and lived in those 45 seconds as a blind woman relying on her friend to help her get inside quickly. The whole drive, the girls focused on keeping every inch of her pale skin covered.
The exam and treatment hurt like hell, but the pain meds were glorious, once they kicked in. The headache evaporated and the IV fluids left her feeling much better. The doctors decided to put her on crutches to keep the skin from pulling and flexing while the bulk of the blisters healed. One young, cocky physician tried to lecture her on protecting her skin with her condition. As if she didn't know. As if she wasn't feeling the suns effects keenly enough for one lifetime. She began to feel angry until Amelia spoke up. She knew the Doctor because she worked in this hospital as a nurse. She was grateful for the quick tongue and fiery temper that possessed her dear friend.
After the stressful ride home, Stella was thankful to be in her own place again. Since she was feeling better, she decided she was starving. Surveying the fridge with disappointment, she decided she wanted something spicy.
"Thai for lunch before you head to work?" she asked over the hum of the open refridgerator.
"Oh I'm not going to work. I'm going to stay while you file a police report. I only have a half shift anyway, I'm covering for Nanette."
"Oh, you don't need to do that, I'm not going to call the cops. I don't need anyone traipsing through here. Honestly, this is like midnight to me, I need to eat and crash."
"Stells, I really think you need to call and get this incident documented. If someone had access to your place, you're in danger."
"If he or she wanted to hurt me, they would have done it."
"We JUST left the hospital. You DID get hurt."
"I'll call Henry and get the locks changed," Stella promised to her friend, who simply huffed in response.
They shared red coconut curry and pad Thai, and crunched on spring rolls that were like little bits of heaven. Nothing lifted their spirits like Thai delivery. The mood lightened and they joked about Amelia's horrible taste in men. Her last boyfriend left her, for his male second cousin. If she didn't joke about it, she felt like she would cry.
"He wasn't even good looking, but come ON! His Cousin!" Stella said, swallowing her next pain pill.
"I know. I swear, I know it's not legally incest, but it's a good thing they can't have biological kids together. The nurse in me shudders to think about it."
"I wonder if I have any hot cousins, out there somewhere."
"You're so gross," Amelia said, tossing a bean sprout, hitting Stella right in the face.
