Before the day is done

“I just found my yearbook from high school and my senior quote was ‘Cut me and I bleed Dior.’ Clearly, I haven’t changed.”

“Couldn’t you have found a better quote?”

“Come and sit down. I don’t want you to fall if you feel sicker, alright?”

“Okay. You’re very kind. I’m just a little spaced out, sorry.”

“You don’t look fine at all, dear.” The woman was pale, and Bláth was prepared to catch her if she fainted.

“I just feel a little under the weather.”

“Are you sure you’re feeling alright? You look pale, darling.”

“I’m-I’m fine...”

Clover wasn’t one for newspapers, but she’d read the headline as she was passing by. She’d never been heavily involved in mutant rights, mostly due to denying her own powers, but the thought of having such a basic right denied spiked anger in her and when the newspaper dispenser crumbled to dust she couldn’t bother to be scared. Not a month ago, she would have had to have her own marriage annulled and the thought of that happening to anyone else was awful. “What the fuck?”

“Can they actually do that? Are they going to test every single one of us and deny our marriages even existed...They can’t-” She cut herself off as she let out a slight squeal. “They can’t do t-th-at.” Everything that she had been through to save her marriage was for nothing, and her husband...now ex-husband, or not even an ex-husband didn’t know what she was...he was going to kill her.

“I’ve got some bad news for you then – you’ve got a bad concussion. We need you to relax for a couple of minutes until a doctor can come and see you. Now, I need to know what happened. You fell, right? Did someone push you?”

“ A bad one? I feel fine. I would like a second opinion.”

“Thank you for doing that, Esmé,” the blonde said, smiling gently. “Now, lie back and I’ll ask you some questions. I’m Nurse Bláithín Ó Gríofa, by the way.”

“Okay, Bláithín. I need to get home.” Esmé did what she said anyway, she was always an obedient person. 

“That’s okay, chicken. Now, I want you to follow my finger as I move it around, okay?” Bláithín placed her finger a foot from Esmé’s face and moved it up and down, left and right and diagonally slowly.

Esmé followed the woman’s instructions, blinking both of eyes frquently to improve her vision.

“Okay!” He crawled into the hospital bed, “I’ll sit with you anyway til I have to go home. Then you won’t be lonely.”

“That is very kind of you. My husband will be here shortly so I wouldn’t worry.”

Can you remember anything before or after you fell over? Did it feel foggy? Did you lose consciousness?

I-I don’t know.  

“Are you going to get some tape? Do you want water? More bandaids?”

“I’ll definitely see which is the best type for that. And I think I’m set, thanks.

Okay Esmé, have you had any trouble with balance, nausea, vomiting or double or blurry vision?

Slightly blurred vision and I feel nauseous. It’ll pass. I fell over in the first place so maybe balance is an issue. 

Can you state your name and what day it is, please?

Esmé Harrington and it’s Saturday, I think? I spend so much time in the house that days just merge.

That’s not good! You should put squishy tape on that. Mommy used to put tape on sharp corners so I wouldn’t run into things.

That sounds like a brilliant idea!

Hi! Sir calls me Bunny so that’s my name! How’d you get hurt?”

I tripped over my own two feet and headbutted the kitchen counter.