Walking out of the elevator at Rosewood Memorial Hospital, I headed for the third-floor nurses’ station to retrieve a medical chart when I heard a familiar voice.
“George!”
Turning, I smiled when I saw Jasper, Josie’s son, running toward me as Josie’s cousin, Romeo, lazily followed behind. Laying the chart on the desk, I barely had time to react before Jasper ran into my legs, hugging them.
“Whoa,” I muttered, reaching down to hug the young boy.
“Are you okay, George?”
Confused, I kneeled before him. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”
“’Cause Uncle Rome told Grandpa you stuck your foot up your ass, and that’s why mom has been crying.”
Narrowing my eyes, I looked up at the man standing behind Jasper, who looked unrepentant, smiling like a loon, and I sneered, “Is that so?”
“So, you’re not hurt?”
“No, buddy, I’m not hurt.” I slowly stood. “But your uncle Rome is about to be. You want to tell me what the hell is going on?”
Leaning against the nurses’ station, the fucker winked at one of the nurses, who blushed beet red, scurrying away, giggling like a little girl, before he turned his attention on me. “Just speaking the truth, Doc.”
“Why was Josephine crying?”
“You should know. You are the one who made her cry.”
“If this is about the other day, I am only doing what she wanted.”
“You know, for a guy who’s supposed to be a genius, you sure can be clueless.”
“Not a genius. That’s my brother Frankie.” I groaned and ran my hand through my hair, as a mix of emotions washed over me. “Look, I’ll admit I might have misread the situation, but Josie and I have been really good friends for a long time. I care about her, deeply. But I also respect her wishes. If she wants to keep things platonic, who am I to argue?”
Romeo’s smirk widened, and he took a step closer, lowering his voice. “Let me let you in on a little secret, Doc. Women, they don’t always say what they mean. Especially not a woman like Josie, who’s been hurt and let down time and time again. Sometimes, you gotta read between the lines.”
As I stood there, processing Romeo’s words, a nurse walked by, shooting me a sympathetic glance. I felt like a fish out of water, floundering in the complex currents of human emotion.
“So, what am I supposed to do? I can’t just declare my undying love for her if she doesn’t feel the same.”
“No, but you can show her. Actions speak louder than words, Doc.”
Watching as Romeo walked away, I stood there trying to make heads or tails of what he said.
How in the hell was I supposed to show Josie how I felt?
It wasn’t like I was good at feelings and shit.
And besides, didn’t I spend the morning showing her?
Three times to be exact!
What more could the woman want? Okay, so the vibrator incident was a bit much, but I apologized for that. In my defense, my day went tits up and I forgot. Could have happened to anyone, right?
Grabbing Trip’s chart from the nurses’ station, I headed for his room and tried not to think about Josie, which was impossible considering she was all I’d been able to think about lately. Somehow, my relationship with my best friend morphed into something more.
Not that I was complaining.
But like most things in my life, the second my life looked like I was about to get everything I wanted... BAAM!
The universe stepped in and said,‘not today, asshole!’
