John’s shift. Jessie snuck her an extra fifty bucks for her trouble. They even had to bring in a couple of folding chairs from the garage to accommodate all six of them.
Everyone was in a good mood.
“I think we know who the real chef in this house is,” Ryan teased Hannah.
“Don’t get cocky,” Kat shot back at him on her behalf. “Until you can make something that’s not a middle school cafeteria staple, she’s still got the belt.”
“Is this some kind of fancy cheese?” Hannah asked, feigning wide-eyed innocence at Ryan’s culinary accomplishment.
“Yes,” he answered. “It called ‘melted.’”
The two nurses, sitting next to each other, compared notes quietly and Jessie swore she heard Patty utter the phrase “amazing improvement.”
She didn’t talk much herself, preferring to just bask in the glow of the closest thing she’d had to a real family experience in forever. She even pretended not to notice that nearly being sexually assaulted seemed to have had no discernible impact on Hannah, who was giddy after her role in bringing down a sex trafficking ring.
By the time Kat and Patty left, the rest of them, save for John, were wiped out. Hannah said goodnight and headed to her room. As John got Ryan ready for bed, Jessie did one last check on her sister.
“I don’t want to pressure you,” she said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “but do you want to talk about what happened?”
Hannah shook her head.
“Not really,” she said. “Maybe down the line, but right now I just want to focus on the positive, you know?”
Sure,” Jessie said. “I totally get that. Still, I’m going to make an appointment for you with Dr. Lemmon for tomorrow after school. Be as forthcoming as you want or say nothing at all. Either way, I think you should at least have a chance to unload whatever’s on your mind.”
Hannah nodded noncommittally.
“See you in the morning,” she said, effectively ending the conversation.
Jessie sensed that something was off but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. Part of her wondered if she’d just spent so much time worrying about her sister that it had made her paranoid. She was tempted to push a little more, but ultimately chose not to. There’d be time for that.
“Goodnight,” she said, ordering herself to get up and walk out without another potentially alienating word.
She left Hannah’s room and returned to Ryan’s, where John was just finishing up. The nurse stepped out, leaving them alone for the first time all night. They sat side by side on the edge of the hospital bed, not talking for a while, just holding hands.
“Have surprise for you,” Ryan finally said.
Jessie marveled at how much clearer he sounded in just the few days he’d been home.
“What is it?” she asked.
“Stand there,” he said, pointing to a small “X” taped on the ground about five feet away from the bed.
She got up and moved over to the spot.
“Face me,” he instructed.
She turned around.
“Watch this,” he said.
Then, with great effort, he grabbed the walker beside him and pushed himself up off the bed. Jessie, fighting the urge to rush over to him, kept her legs locked in place. He wavered slightly as he looked down at his feet, then looked up and winked at her.
Without a word, he took a small, shuffling step with his right foot, then another with the left. He clutched the walker so tight that his knuckles turned white. After about twenty tiny steps and nearly a minute, he was standing directly in front of her.
“Want to dance?” he croaked.
She laughed, allowing herself a rare, full-throated moment of pure joy.
“Yes,” she said. “I absolutely do.”
He moved the walker to the side and put his hands on her shoulders. For a moment she thought he might actually try to dip her.
“Next time,” he said, his eyes bright but his breath slightly labored. “Taking rest of the week…off. Too pooped.”
It was the first time they’d been standing together face to face in forever and she couldn’t let the opportunity slip by. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she leaned in and kissed him. Then, very slowly and carefully, she guided him back to bed and tucked him in. He was asleep before she left the room.
Jessie returned to the guest room, which she was increasingly hopeful was only a temporary arrangement. She got ready for bed, climbed under the sheets, and turned out the lights. And then, within moments, she too was asleep.