It Was Time

The hospital smelled of disinfectant. It made Stacey nauseous to be there but Robbie was an idiot, and so here she was.

Robbie, or Roberta but don’t ever call her that, had pulled her from her apartment with an enigmatic proclamation, “You must leave or be forever lost!” And Stacey had allowed herself to be dragged, if for no other reason then because she had nothing better to do. It was either go along with Robbie or sit at home and watch reruns while eating mashed potatoes with corn and cheese. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go out, it was that she wasn’t a fun of obnoxious people. Robbie would end up one of those people.

“Where are we going?” She had asked patiently, and cast a quick eye at her clothes. Robbie had grabbed her so quickly that she hadn’t a chance to change. Unfortunately, Stacey was in her pajamas that consisted of a tank top and a pair of fluffy sweats that talked about coffee all over them with pictures of cups.

“Jason has a new attraction at The Max. I want to try it out, and you need to help me get home.” At least Robbie has her sense of self-preservation on straight. But 10 minutes later Stacey was rejecting that thought.

The Max was the new hit “scene” that was meant to cater to all ages. There were tables for people to eat or sit and enjoy a game, the required bar with the televisions for sports fans, and a stage and dance area for karaoke or live bands. Jason was a friend of Robbie’s who had employed her during college, and then kept her around for entertainment value. Robbie did not stay with a job for long. She started and invited all of her friends, which was significant because everyone loved Robbie, and then once it seemed that the place was having success, she left to start a new job. Jason had been cool with Robbie’s leaving, but made her promise that she would came back to hangout at least three times a month. Despite being a success, he still greatly valued her opinion. Stacey believed that Jason was in love with Robbie. The poor fool.

Tonight, the dance floor had been taken over by a mechanical bull. Padding was all over the floor, and clearly it was popular, because the area was surrounded by people ranging from early twenties to fifties. Stacey noticed that the older individuals were not trying to sign their names to the roster for a chance. She wouldn’t either. Jason was standing at the waist high gate, so Robbie stretched up on tiptoes to wave at him. He waved them over.

“I was hoping you would show up,” he said to Robbie and then glanced at Stacey. He had to do a double take. “Woah. What are you wearing in my bar?”

Robbie looked too before sighing. “Oh, Stacey.”

“Hey, you were the one who dragged me out of the house. I was perfectly happy staying at home.”

“No, no. It’s cool.” Jason was quick to placate her. He must really want Robbie to stay. “Gotta be comfortable while drinking.”

“So how many people are before me on this thing?” Robbie leaned over to check the list and Jason leaned with her.

“Most of these guys are regulars who know you, so I bet they will be more than happy to let you go first.” Jason smiled at Robbie, and Stacey sighed. Please stop trying Jason, she doesn’t care like that. A waitress was passing by and Jason called to her, “Hey, grab these two ladies a beer please.”

Stacey looked around, hoping she didn’t know anyone else here. To be honest, she was torn between being embarrassed to be seen in her pajamas and content because she was comfortable. She saw a woman sitting at the bar wearing a very tight dress, and decided that she was going to stick with content. Give it a couple more hours and that poor woman would start getting harassed by every drunk in the place. Maybe that’s what she wants, Stacey thought. At least she’s got more confidence than me, and good for her.

“How about it, Stace?” Jason interrupted her thoughts.

“How about what?”

“The bull? You are gonna give it a try, right?”

Stacey laughed, “How many injuries have you had here tonight? None? Then no, I’m good.” Stacey, through no fault of her own, was accident prone. With her luck, she slip before she got there and hit her face on the side or something.

“Oh, come on. You aren’t that bad.”

“I haven’t had an accident in over a month. I’m due. I can feel it in my bones.”

Robbie was flitting around the gate post, presumably asking the regulars if she could go before them. Stacey noted that most of them were nodding. There was one lady, however, that was giving Robbie a look that could curdle milk. When Robbie asked the guy next to her, the lady started shaking her head no while the guy nodded. Robbie walked back over to Stacey and Jason. “I think I covered everyone.”

“I don’t know, Robbie. That last lady looked like she wasn’t okay with it.” Stacey kept an eye on the woman and her companion as they proceeded to have a heated argument. “Look, they are fighting about it.”

Robbie gave a dismissive look. “She’s not even riding, he is. And that might not even be what they are arguing about, so don’t worry about it.” But Stacey was determined to keep an eye on that lady.

3 riders later, Robbie was ready to go. As she started to remove her shoes, Stacey saw the lady from before weaving her way over to them. She knew right away this woman was drunk, and was gonna be trouble.

“Robbie, you better let this woman go first.”

“What? No.” Robbie looked up at the woman before, again, dismissing her and grabbing the gate.

“Hey!” The lady grabbed Robbie. “Wait your turn. I’m next.” Stacey looked pleadingly at Jason. There was no way he was gonna let this woman get on that thing as drunk as she was. Was he?

“You aren’t even signed up,” Robbie said. “Your man was. And he said I could go before him, so back off.” Robbie shrugged out of the woman’s hold, but the woman grabbed at her with her other hand.

“He signed his name to save me a spot, and I am telling you that I am next.”

“You need to let go before this ends badly for you.”

“LADIES! Ladies.” Jason laughed nervously. “It’s ok. No need to argue.” He turned to the woman. “Ma’am, I’m afraid I’m gonna have to give her the spot. It’s not your name on the roster, it’s his. If he gave you the spot after he signed then that’s fine but he also gave her the right to go first.”

But Robbie didn’t know when to let things go. Instead of walking away, she childishly stuck her tongue out at the woman and smirked. The woman swung at Robbie, and Robbie had moved just in time. Unfortunately, Stacey was standing behind Robbie, and caught the woman’s fist right in the jaw.

When Stacey woke up, it was to bright lights and the disinfectant smell. She blinked repeatedly, trying to get something into focus. She turned her head one direction and saw the door, then the other and saw Jason. He was slumped in the chair, rubbing his eyes. She went to open her mouth, but felt a shooting pain instead. She groaned and Jason looked up.

“Hey. It’s about time you woke up. You had us worried.” He leaned forward and grabbed her hand. She gestured to her jaw. “Give it a few minutes. You have a nice sized bruise there. Thankfully, your jaw isn’t broken, but it is swollen. Let me get the nurse.” He pushed the call button for a nurse, who came in a few minutes later. She took Stacey’s vitals and then said that a doctor would be later to see her. Stacey looked over at Jason, and tried to convey her question.

“If you are asking where Robbie is, I sent her home a few hours ago. She really needed to shower and change. She should be back soon. If you are asking what happened, Robbie happened. The woman didn’t appreciate being mocked and clocked you instead of Robbie. There was a guy behind you who grabbed you before you hit the floor, so no concussion. I grabbed Robbie before she could strike back, and the boyfriend grabbed the woman. I threw them out before getting my assistant manager to manage the bar and we drove you here.”

Stacey nodded, but regretted it when the pain shot through her jaw and up to her temple again. She touched the side lightly but still flinched. Jason gave a light chuckle and grabbed her hand. “Stop touching. It’s gonna hurt for a while. Relax until the doc gets here.” His thumb was rubbing over her knuckles. She looked at their joined hands and then at him.

It took the doctor about a half hour to come in and check on her. He had her slowly and carefully open and close her mouth. It hurt due to its stiffness, but after a couple of tries the soreness went away. The doctor gave Stacey a few basic instructions for over-the-counter medications, and what to do if things got worse, before saying that she was free to discharge.

Stacey gave Jason her undivided attention. “Be honest,” she said softly. “How bad will I be made fun of?”

“Well, it is the first time I had someone wearing coffee pajamas taken to the hospital.” He grinned at her. “I also didn’t have any other reported injuries.”

“I told you it was my time. I felt it in my bones.”

“Just be happy that ‘your bones’ didn’t get broken. It would have made it really awkward when I did this.” Jason leaned into her and gave her a soft kiss. Stacey blinked as he moved away.

“I thought you were in love with Robbie.”

“Robbie is a great friend, but she’s a bit wild for my taste. She’s known for a while about my crush on you, which is why she dragged you into the bar tonight.” He stroked her uninjured cheek. “Though I might have to re-think this decision. I mean, you do have a glass jaw. What will happen if I kiss you too hard and its ‘your time’ again?”

Stacey shoved him and he laughed. “I don’t think you could possibly render me unconscious with a kiss.”

“I’ll enjoy trying.”

Thank God Robbie was such an idiot.