“Ice cream,” I groan. “All I can manage right now is pudding and soup. Maybe we can change it up.”
“Jaw?” she grimaces. “Or stomach?”
“Teeth.”
Her eyes go wide.
“A few of them hurt and feel lose. A dentist is coming in tomorrow, but it really hurts to chew.”
“That bad?”
“I hope not.” I really don’t want to lose any teeth, but at least they are in the back and not front. Not that it makes them hurt any less. “They want to make sure any loose teeth are taken care of before they put me out again.”
Her light brown eyes go even wider with concern. “Out? You need another surgery?”
“Yep. They haven’t really addressed the hand since they were too busy removing my spleen and checking my kidneys. An orthopedic doc was in earlier and he wants to set some bones and will probably have to pin stuff back together.
“I am so sorry.”
“Hey, it is what it is. They’ll get it fixed and hopefully in the end it will all be as good as new.” I am being hopeful. The doctor already said I will probably have some limited mobility because of the damage, but I am going to get as much back as I can because my future and career depends on it.
“So, something soft,” she says and purses her lips. Then grins. “I make great mashed potatoes.”
My mouth waters. “With cheese?”
“Sour cream, chives, scallions. All mixed together.”
“Sounds perfect.”
“I’ll let your parents know. They’ve been staying at your place with Cam. I watch him when they come here, but they’ve made arrangements with your regular babysitter and she’s going to take him in the afternoon.”
“Sally?”
“Yep. She called and offered.”
“How….” I don’t even finish the question. I know how she figured it out They way everyone else has. The damned news.
Sixteen
There were days of this break that dragged and others that flew by, but I’m really sad to see it come to an end.
I’m standing in the middle of my bedroom, fists on my hips and looking around to make sure I didn’t forget anything. I’m the last to head back to school, the others left this morning. Not that I spent much time with my siblings. When I wasn’t at the hospital, I was watching Cam, only coming home when visiting hours were over. Half the time my family was out somewhere else and I didn’t have the energy to track them down.
None of them complained, of course, and Roslyn did go up and meet Jesse, whom she highly approved of. They got why I was there, but I do wish I could have spent more time with them.
Then again, this may have been the only time I got to spend with Jesse. Who knows where he’ll be when I return in the summer? He might be living with his parents in Poughkeepsie, or moved to a new town. It’s all up in the air and depends on the therapy and any further surgeries he might have.
Since our talk about my future and waiting, we haven’t discussed any future between us. I get that everything is up in the air with Jesse, but I’d love to know if he’s interested in a future. I am. Even if it is years away. And, I’d really like to know if this is it and we never plan on seeing each other again before I head back to school.
I check the bathroom one more time. None of my stuff is in there, and I grab my suitcase and backpack and head down the stairs.
Kian and Alexia are watching a movie in the living room.
“Headed out?” he asks.
“Yep.”
“Going to the hospital first?” Alexia asks.
“I want to say goodbye.”
“You really like him a lot, don’t you?”
I give her a sad smile. “Yeah. I do. I’m just not sure how he feels.”
“Give it time,” Kian says.
“I know. A lot has happened and I do need to concentrate on school.”
“Just don’t forget to have fun too,” Alexia reminds me.
“But not too much.” Kian winks.
As if. I barely go to parties, let alone have too much fun. Graduating with good grades has always been a main priority.
“We’ll, I’ll call when I get to my apartment and see you in the summer.”
Alexia hugs me and Kian kisses my forehead. He is such a big brother, and I let myself out of the house. After tossing my suitcase in the trunk of my car, I head to the hospital, ready to return to my book. Since his surgery on Friday to repair some of the damage in his hand, Jesse has been sleeping a lot more. If he’s awake, great. If not, I’ll read until he does wake up because I’m not about to go back to Vassar without saying goodbye and maybe getting some answers.
She’s been here every day, and practically all day. “This isn’t exactly how you planned to spend your week.”
Deirdre looks up and smiles, putting her book aside. “Not the setting, exactly, but I’m with the person I came back to see.”
I know she’s not in town for me. Her family lives here. It just happened to work out that she came into my gallery and we started talking.
“Ever since we talked at Sullivan’s right before Thanksgiving, I’ve been thinking about you. So, I decided to hopefully run into you during Spring Break.”
“Seriously?” Hope fills my chest. I thought it was a fluke I was there when she came in and it all just happened to work out the way it did. “I’d been thinking about you too. I figured you’d forgotten about me.”
“You made quite an impression on me, Jesse Tinley.”
It feels good to hear her say that because she made quite an impression on me too, and continues to do so.
She bites her lower lip and looks away. I’ve come to know that this is a sign
