10. Sam

10

SAM

"'Bout as welcome as a porcupine in a nudist colony." ~ Archie "Witty" Whitlock

"Everything looks good." Dr. Mathis announced as he stood at the end of my bed. "Do you have any questions?"

Yes. How do you know Kenna, and why did she grin when Taylor mentioned that you did? Those were the only questions I had, but I didn't think they were appropriate to ask.

"Nope." I knew the road ahead of me was not going to be fun, but I also knew that it wasn't the end of the world. I'd be out of commission for a few weeks and then have to take things easy, but maybe that would give me more time to figure out what in the hell was going on with Kenna.

"We'll let's get you out of here then. I'll let them know you're good to go."

"Thanks, again." I nodded.

As he was walking out, Kenna was walking in. The two nearly collided in the doorway. Then they did one of those little dances where they tried to get out of each other's way but kept blocking each other. It was basically the epitome of a rom-com cha-cha slide meet-cute.

"Sorry, you go. Doctors first." Kenna smiled as she took a wide step back, clearing his path.

Dr. Mathis moved past her and said, "Good to see you again, Kenna."

Her eyes dropped to the ground before they lifted back up to his. "You, too."

I watched, helpless, as the two of them held eye contact for a few seconds too long before her cheeks flushed, and then she continued into the room.

"Hey!" she said with a little more perkiness than she'd had any other time she'd come and visited me.

"How do you know Doctor McDreamy?" I demanded.

She'd forced me to watch enough episodes of Grey's Anatomy ; I knew she'd get the reference.

"It's just McDreamy, not Doctor McDreamy."

"How do you know him?" I barked. I hadn't meant for the question to come out as harsh as it had, but I could always blame it on the extreme discomfort I was in, which was significant.

Kenna's green eyes widened slightly before she blinked and shook her head. "I met him a few months ago when he was on a date with Taylor."

"He dated Taylor?"

"They went out once."

That should probably make me feel better, but since I'd dated sisters, cousins, hell, even a mom and daughter when I was in my twenties, it didn't.

For years, I hadn't seen Kenna flirt with anyone. Now, in the past few months, it seemed like every time I turned around, she had a new admirer sniffin' around.

"How are you feeling?" she asked as she set down the bag filled with the clothes she'd brought me from home; her expression clouded with worry.

I was in pain. A lot of pain.

"Good," I lied.

She nodded as her phone rang. She pulled it out, and when she saw whoever was calling, her cheeks flushed again.

"Sorry, I have to go…take this."

"Who is it?" I asked as she walked out of the room, but I got no response.

In the hallway, I heard her answer, "Hi."

I knew that ‘hi'. It was several octaves higher than her usual voice. She was talking to a guy. If I had to put money on it, I would bet that guy was Jonah.

Two days ago, he texted; now, he is calling, which means he is stepping up his game.

"Alright, cutie, it looks like you're gettin' outta here." Mary Beth Martin, who I learned was retiring at the end of the week after a forty-five-year nursing career, winked at me as she walked into the room with a plastic bag of medication and paperwork.

"Thanks for the extra Jell-O."

Yesterday, after I woke up from surgery, Mary Beth smuggled me in a dozen Jell-O servings because it was the only thing that sounded good.

"Anytime. Now, I'm not one to offer my two cents, especially when ya ain't asked for it, but, not for nothin', that girl out there is a keeper."

"I know."

"I hope you listen to Beyoncé and put a ring on it," she said with a smile, but sounded serious.

"Oh, she's not… we're not together. We're just friends."

"Sure ya are." Mary Beth smiled widely, as if she'd just heard a load of BS.

No one ever believed that there was nothing going on between me and Kenna, but the sad truth was that there wasn't and there never would be. Did I love the girl? Hell yeah. Would I ever act on it? Hell no. She deserved a hell of a lot better than me.

Mary Beth talked me through my discharge papers and then helped me into the private bathroom with the assistance of my crutches. Once I was alone, I changed into the clothes that Kenna had brought for me. By the time I was dressed, my teeth were brushed, and I'd given myself a whore's bath, I was exhausted. My crutches were leaning against the wall, and I carefully placed them under my armpits and then opened the door. I hobbled out and saw that Kenna was back in the room, sitting on a chair in the corner.

She glanced up and asked, "You ready?"

I nodded. "I can't wait to go crawl into my bed."

Her face cringed.

"What?" What was she not telling me?

"How do you feel about my bed?"

My heart slammed into my chest, and my entire body tingled with awareness. I was sure that I was hearing things, and she hadn't just invited me to her bed. "Your bed?"

"You're staying with me for the next two weeks."

"With you?" In her bed? When we were kids, I used to crawl through her window and stay in her bed whenever my parents were fighting, which was often. And then, after my parents died, I'd go to Kenna's room just so I could sleep. "Why?"

"You can't walk upstairs."

She was right. I remembered Dr. Mathis telling me that I wouldn't be able to drive or walk upstairs for two weeks, at least.

"I'll stay on my couch." I hated, and I mean loathed with a fiery passion, having anyone have to take care of me. I never wanted to be dependent on another human being or inconvenience a single soul.

"How are you going to use the bathroom?" she countered.

Shit. My two-bed one-bath home did not have a restroom on the first floor. Both the bedrooms and bath were upstairs. I hadn't cared when I bought it. The only thing I cared about at the time was being next door to Kenna.

I'd grown up living next door to the Hales all my life. When I was in the military and she was in college, was the first time she wasn't just a few steps away; it had been fucking brutal. After graduation, she moved back into her parents' house, which was perfect because after I got out of the Marine Corps I moved back into my childhood home with Witty.

After college, she lived with her parents to save up and buy a house. Then, about five years ago, she'd managed to purchase her first home. Her move coincided with Witty deciding he wanted to live at Sunset Acres. I sold my parents' house and used the money to pay for his care and put a down payment on the house next door to hers. I hadn't even looked at it before I had Jan Jenson, Wishing Well's sole realtor, draw up the papers.

"You're staying with me. This is not up for discussion." Kenna's brows lifted slightly in challenge, the way they did when she was digging her heels in. It was fucking adorable.

She was fucking adorable.