13. Could Be Something Beautiful

Ali

Ali:

Please tell me that you’re feeling better today.

A li stared at her phone, wishing Nolan would just respond to her. She had texted him later the night before, but he hadn’t once replied. She attempted to call him, but the call went straight to voicemail. Now that it was the next day, she had gone all morning waiting to hear from him. She considered sneaking on to see if he had clocked in for his shift, but that seemed shady. If she wanted the promotion to fall in her lap, then she would have to refrain from anything that could cause termination.

Her phone dinged and she quickly looked down at it, to find his response.

Nolan:

Ugh…if only…

Ali sighed. If he wouldn’t get better independently, he needed to see a professional. As a nurse, he should be fully aware of the implications of not taking proper care of himself.

Ali:

Nolan!! Get yourself to a doctor. Do I need to come take you myself???

She waited for his response, staring longingly at her phone. “Hey, Ali.”

Ali looked up, and she saw Jo. Jo gave a warm smile before taking a seat at the computer. She had her hair pulled up into a loose bun and applied a slight hint of makeup that shaded her cheeks, and Ali’s chest clenched. Jo would notice her gawking at her if she didn’t think quickly.

“Hey, Jo.” She quickly looked back at her phone. “Busy morning?”

“Pretty busy. You?”

Ali turned to find Jo leaning into the desk, almost anticipating what Ali had to say. Ali gave a curt nod. With no response coming from Nolan, she slipped her phone back into her pocket.

“I’ll be heading to lunch. Wanna join me? I hear there’s a potato bar down there today. Toppings as far as the eye can see. Sounds good.”

Jo’s eyes widened. “Works for me. Just have to do some quick documentation, and I’ll be yours.” Ali’s jaw dropped and Jo looked up. “I mean, I’ll be ready.”

“Of course.” Ali turned away; her cheeks felt flushed. The elevator doors opened, and she looked up to find Nolan stepping out of the opening. He snickered when he met Ali’s gaze. “ Seriously? I thought I was going to have to go get you and bring you back to the hospital. You said you weren’t any better.”

He snickered. “Technically, I just said…if only…” He laughed. “A million times better.”

She playfully punched him in the stomach. He grimaced and pretended to fall over. She then pulled him into a hug.

“Gee, Ali,” he mumbled. “This type of public display of affection in the hospital isn’t allowed.”

She pushed him away, then elbowed him in the side. “I’m just glad you’re better. I was worried about you.”

“Awww shucks. You make a guy blush.”

Ali laughed and turned to the desk, where Jo’s eyes were zoned in on them. “Sorry about that,” Ali replied, pointing to Nolan. “You recall Nolan.”

“Of course,” Jo murmured. “I’m not going to be able to do lunch,” Jo quickly remarked. “I have a ton of work.” She got up from her chair and shrugged. “Some other time,” then she was off. Ali stared after her, then glanced over to Nolan.

“Is it something I said?” he asked.

Ali sighed. “Who knows? Sometimes I just don’t get her.” She linked arms with him, and they went to the elevator. “Let’s not dwell on that. I’m so happy you’re back.”

“Anything beats being stuck in bed puking,” Nolan replied with a chuckle. “Even work.”

They stepped on the elevator and took it down to the cafeteria. “Are you far behind in work?” Ali asked, making small talk.

He shrugged. “It’s never good when you’re down a person. It is what it is. I’ll just try not to get sick anymore.” He laughed as the doors opened, and they went to the cafeteria. When they got inside, she spotted the table where everyone had sat the previous day. May and the rest of the nurses were there. May looked over to where they stood, and Ali gave a slight wave, to which May replied with the same, then turned away.

“What?” Ali asked when she spotted Nolan arching an eyebrow.

He shrugged. “That was awkward, and believe me, I’ve been in many awkward situations. I was gone two days and feel like I’ve missed a lifetime.”

Ali playfully pushed him away. “Don’t be a Drama Queen.”

He wiggled his eyebrows. “I can be one of the best.” He then smiled. “But seriously, did I miss something?”

Ali shrugged. “I don’t think so,” she said. “I mean, since you were out, I had lunch a couple of times with Jo, and yesterday, that included sitting with the rest of the nurses. I sometimes think that maybe we get too engrossed in a division between the senior nurses and residents. You know?”

He frowned. “Guess I never really thought about it.”

Ali considered it as they went, grabbed their food, and found a table in the back. By the time she sat down, she was grinning. “I have an idea.”

Nolan laughed. “I bet you do. You tend to have a few of those.”

Ali was certain this would be a good one. As long as everything would fall into place. “We want to give everyone a voice here, right? And show that we’re all one unit. I think a good start for that would be to go out with some of the newbies. Make it a night where we can all just regress. What do you think?”

“Like go to a club or something?” he asked, tilting his head.

“Whatever. Movie, putt-putt, bowling, dancing, it doesn’t really matter as long as we do it to sort of bridge the communication with everyone.”

He shrugged. “Could be a good idea. Do you think this will help you get the promotion? They’ll see it as you guiding the new generation.”

Ali laughed. “Hadn’t even thought of it in that way. I just feel that it’s necessary for us all to grow.”

Nolan seemed to agree, so it was all decided, and Ali couldn’t wait to get back up to the floor and make sure Johanna was on board with it all. After all, she was one of the people she wanted to help guide the communication. She thought they had already made leaps, but then, when Jo was quick to avoid going to lunch with her, it was clear they still had some strides to take.

After lunch, Ali went upstairs and sought out Jo. She caught her in Vincent’s room. She was in a chair next to him and reading him a story. Ali cleared her throat to get Jo’s attention. When Jo turned, her cheeks flushed, and she quickly stepped out of his room.

“I know that you think I’m too attached,” Jo started. “But I was on lunch, and he was bored.”

Ali held up her hand. “I’m not here to scold you. What are you doing Friday night?”

“Excuse me?”

“Friday night, Nolan and a few others are going to go out and do something. We like to do things off the clock so we can make sure we are actually off the clock. I know you just happen to be off, so I thought you’d want to come. You can invite May or anyone else that you would like.”

Jo frowned as Ali waited for her response. She then fidgeted and shrugged. “You guys do this regularly?”

“Just a way to relax. No frills or anything. What do you say?”

Jo nodded. “Alrighty then.”

Ali stepped back. “Go ahead and finish your story since I interrupted your lunch.” She turned on her heel and hurried off. She shouldn’t have been so excited that Jo agreed to it. She was already feeling too involved, but she wanted to do something to have a good time. And if she got closer to Jo, who was she to argue?

Friday night they settled on going to a club, where they could listen to music and give themselves a chance to actually know each other a little bit better. As Ali entered the club, though, she worried that maybe she had made a mistake. She spotted May and Jo at the bar, chatting it up with a couple of bartenders. They were laughing and looking like they were both really enjoying themselves. Was Ali fooling herself by thinking that Jo would be even remotely interested?

Plus, if she was being completely honest with herself, she knew that things would be way too complicated if they got involved. Things didn’t work out when you fraternize with co-workers, and there were rules set in place. She was one of the reasons that the rules were put into place to begin with. Or at least speculation would point that out. She stepped in closer, and Jo released a loud laugh as the one bartender, a guy who looked to be no older than twenty-one, continued to grin. Ali was out of her element, and there wasn’t even any guarantee that Jo was into a lesbian rendezvous. She shook her head and turned away. She would rather go home, get in her fuzzy slippers, and just pretend that she had even thought that the night would be a good one.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Nolan asked, entering the club before Ali could leave.

“Not feeling very well. Perhaps I got what you had. You made me sick.” She gave a couple of fake coughs, and Nolan arched an eyebrow .

“If that wasn’t fake, I don’t know what is.” He grabbed her hand and swung her around so they were headed back into the bar. Ali stared at Jo, and her gut clenched.

“Looks like Johanna has made a little friend,” Nolan whispered into her ear. Ali elbowed him in the stomach, and he grimaced. On cue, Jo turned and spotted them. Her face fell, just slightly. Ali dropped her gaze and then forced through a smile.

“Hello,” she said.

“Hi, Ali…Nolan.” Jo gave a small nod as she glanced from Ali to Nolan. “Was starting to think that you two weren’t coming.”

“It didn’t even seem like you missed us. You were flirting and all.” The snide comeback caught Ali by surprise. She clamped her teeth down on her lower lip. Not that she noticed, she wanted to blurt out, but she had spoken the truth and couldn’t take it back. She looked over to Nolan, and his eyes were wide. Ali sighed and turned to May. “How are you, May?”

“Doing well, thank you.”

They all awkwardly stood there, with Ali considering how much worse it would be if she ran off. “Anyone else coming?” Jo asked, breaking into the tension.

“This was all that could make it,” Ali mumbled. “I need a drink.” She went up to the bar, and the bartender, who Jo had been engrossed with moments earlier, stood at attention. “A beer, anything cold.” Make it a triple. She looked over, and no one was talking, which made things even harder to get past. “Thank you.” She took a sip of her beer and turned to the others. “Who’s hungry? I’m famished.” She led the way to a table that had just recently emptied and plopped down first, with Nolan grabbing the seat next to her, followed by May and Jo sitting across from them. “The nachos here are to die for,” she said. She figured if she talked like nothing awkward had happened, then maybe she would be able to move past it. So far, so good. At least, she hoped.

“I always love a good nacho,” Jo remarked. Ali met her gaze, but Jo quickly looked down at the menu. “Pork nachos sound delicious.”

“They are my favorite,” Ali mumbled.

Nolan and May hadn’t gotten a word in edgewise as Ali and Jo nonchalantly discussed the nachos they were going to order. It didn’t take long for the tension to ease, and Ali could slowly relax. The waitress took their orders, with everyone ordering the nachos in some fashion. Once she was gone, Ali glanced over to Jo. Jo had her gaze set on a couple who were manning the billiard’s table.

“Do you play?” Ali asked.

Jo shifted her gaze, then shrugged. “A long time ago. My dad and I.” She shook her head and sat back in her seat, taking a sip from her water. “A long, long time ago.”

Ali drank her beer, glancing over her bottle for a moment longer than intended. Nolan nudged her side after she had been staring for too long, and Ali dropped her gaze. “So, as I mentioned earlier in the week, we like to do these nights out together so we can all just relax and ease some of the stress away. I wish more people would have been able to come.” She shrugged. “Perhaps next time.”

The truth was that Ali wasn’t too upset that the foursome was the only one who was able to join that Friday night. She thought it’d be nice to have some quality time with Jo, so you could say that she was indulging for selfish reasons. But she could hardly confess that to any of them. Although from beside her, she saw Nolan staring at her. He knew her well enough to just know .

The waitress brought them their drinks and nachos, and they further relaxed to just talk, leading the conversation in music, food, the good and the bad. When a song came on, and Jo started humming to it, Ali caught herself staring once more. It was an Adele ballad, not quite what she pegged Jo for being interested in. Jo’s cheeks turned a dark red as she met Ali’s stare.

“I’m off-key, right?”

Ali snickered. “No, but I wouldn’t judge because I’m no Adele, but this is one of my favorite songs.”

Jo smiled. “Mine too. When I was in college, I found that listening to her would soothe away some tension and allow me to focus on studying.” She smirked. “I know, people would call that nerdy.”

Ali shook her head. “I wasn’t going to say that.” Again, Jo’s cheeks turned red. Jo dropped her gaze and went back in for another handful of nachos. She bit into them, and Ali forced herself to turn away. Nolan arched an eyebrow, so Ali quickly diverted his gaze.

“Do you have to go to the restroom, Jo?” May asked, breaking into Ali’s thoughts.

“Huh? Not particularly,” Jo replied.

“Too bad,” May murmured. “Come with me anyway.” She stood up and reached for Jo’s hand, pulling her away from the table. Ali shrugged and kept eating on her nachos. It wasn’t too long, though, when Nolan chuckled.

“What?” Ali asked.

“Do I need to remind you what happened the last time you got romantically involved with an employee at CAPMed?” His tone was stern, and Ali groaned.

“That’s not what this is,” Ali argued. “She’s not interested, for one.” Ali shrugged. “Hell, I’m not interested. She’s merely a nurse that I’m helping to mold. That’s all. And Max wasn’t just another employee. She was a supervisor.”

He rolled his eyes. “You must think I’m stupid. So, basically, you are Max, and Jo is you.” Ali dropped her jaw. “You have been mentally undressing her since you arrived.”

“What? I have not.” She looked away from him when he started to laugh. “Did you see how she was flirting with the bartender? Right under my nose. Pitiful.”

He quirked up his lips. “Well, does she know she’s not supposed to be flirting under your nose?”

Ali scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. I’m being silly. Things wouldn’t work out, as you have pointed out. My love life hasn’t exactly been stellar, and the hospital has strict policies.”

“Right,” Nolan replied. “So, that’s what it is, and that is how it shall be.”

Ali crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat. She saw May and Jo round the corner and head straight back for them, so she sat up and went back to eating her nachos. She would accept fate with where her cards were laid. There wasn’t exactly anything she could do to change things. And Jo had every right to flirt with whomever she wanted.

Jo sunk down into her chair and kept her eyes off Ali as she continued to eat her nachos. “I’m looking forward to seeing what skills your dad has taught you,” Ali replied.

“What?” Jo looked up, her eyes as big as marbles.

“In billiards. I mean, if you have been playing for that long, I’m sure you are good.” A cloud of relief washed over Jo, and she nodded but didn’t leave a response. By the time they finished eating, they were all ready to get up and try their hand at a game of pool.

“Teams?” May asked .

“Sounds good to me.” Jo quickly grabbed May’s arm and, holding it up, pointed to Nolan and Ali. “Us against you two.”

Ali was a tad disappointed, but she wouldn’t voice her opinion. “Flip a coin to see who goes first. Your call.”

“Heads,” Jo called. Ali flipped the coin, and it landed on heads.

“Your break.” She fell back against the wall and watched. Her heart hadn’t once stopped beating loudly in her ears. Was it her desires coming out or was she truly coming down with what Nolan had? Either way, she felt like she was about to be sick.

When Ali made her first shot, the balls broke, and she landed a stripe in the corner pocket. She high-fived May, and then May took a shot. It was clear who the professional of the two was. May didn’t get her ball to go in, leaving an opening for Ali. Ali took her shot and got in one of their balls, with Nolan following by getting another.” They high-fived one another, and she glanced over to see Jo shaking her head. She laughed as she turned to May, but then her gaze went to Ali’s.

Ali quickly went for another ball, and it flew into the pocket. “You’re going to run the table, aren’t you?” Jo commented, following it with a laugh.

Ali shrugged. “To be honest, we make sure to play at least once a week. Isn’t that right, Nolan?”

“At least,” he said.

“Carry on, then,” Jo replied, motioning for Nolan to continue. However, he missed the ball, leaving an opening for Jo. She posed and then took her shot. She made it and turned to May. May groaned.

“Maybe you should just do both our turns.”

Ali snickered. “Not quite how that works. Nice try, though.” May grimaced and grabbed the pool stick, then stood in her position and attempted to make the shot. But she missed. “You almost had it,” Ali cheered.

May rolled her eyes and mouthed sorry in Jo’s direction. Ali surveyed the balls, then settled on her path to victory. She made the shot, and that was the start of the end. Together, Nolan and Ali didn’t miss one shot, and they brought the win. Ali waved her hands in the air and turned to Nolan. He grinned and pulled her to him, planting a kiss on her lips. She laughed as the kiss ended, and she turned to Jo.

“Great game, you two,” Ali commented.

Jo cleared her throat. “I need fresh air.” She then rushed off and left the other three there, to gawk.

May sighed. “I guess what Jo thought was true.” The words were just above a mumble. Ali barely heard them until she focused on what May had spoken.

“Excuse me.”

May’s eyes widened. “Nothing. I need a beer.” She turned and hurried to the bar. Ali scrunched up her nose and looked over to Nolan. He shrugged, which was no help to Ali.

“I’ll be back,” Ali replied. She hadn’t seen which door Jo hurried out of, but she opted for the closest one. It had a porch that overlooked the back of the bar. With several tables set up out there for customers, Ali worried that there would be an audience. Instead, they were alone. “Good game,” Ali started. “I suppose I get a little competitive.”

Jo looked over her shoulder and shrugged. “You have every right to. I would be that way, as well.” She leaned back against the railing and stared at Ali. “Congrats on the win.”

“Thank you.” Ali moved in closer. “We could have been on a team, and then we would have both won.”

Jo smirked. “Well, I doubt Nolan would have liked that.” Jo spun on her heel, so she faced away from Ali. Ali focused on those words, but they didn’t make sense to her.” She moved in closer until she was standing next to Jo. So close that she could have reached out and touched her without even once thinking against it.

“I’m so confused,” Ali whispered.

“About what?” Jo looked over and stared at her. Ali allowed her eyes to dip to her lips. She just wanted to kiss her, see what it felt like, admire the way their lips caressed beneath the moonlight. It’d feel so right, no matter how wrong it’d be.

“There are so many times when we’re together that I think you want me to kiss you. Yet, others, I feel like you’re purposely pushing me away.”

“Ali,” Jo whispered.

Ali reached up and touched her finger to Jo’s lips. “There are so many times that I fight the urge to reach out and touch you. Yet, others, I just don’t have the willpower.” Ali withdrew her finger and swooped in, her lips crashing against Jo’s, her heart echoing into the night.

“We can’t,” Jo blurted, pushing Ali away. She shook her head. “Do you know what would have happened if we had been interrupted?”

“I don’t even care. I know there are rules, and we have to abide by them, but sometimes you have to go with your heart and just once say damn the rules.”

Jo’s eyes narrowed in on her. “Rules? Are you kidding me? This isn’t about rules, Ali. Your boyfriend is just feet away, and if he would have caught you, the rules would have been the least of your worries.”

“My boyfriend?” Ali’s jaw dropped. “Do you mean Nolan?” Jo slowly nodded, and Ali started to laugh, the laughter picking up as those words sunk in. “Nolan is gay, Jo. I thought you knew that. His boyfriend is in Milwaukee. I’m not with Nolan. Where you got that notion is beyond me.”

Jo’s cheeks flushed, and she looked past Ali. “I…I…” She closed her mouth and shook her head. “You guys seem so close. You kissed in there. I just thought…”

“You thought wrong. Is that why you’ve been so cold around him?” Jo sighed. “I’m only into women, and I know there are rules, and you totally might not be interested, although that kiss tells me more than I need to know. At least, I think.” Ali smiled softly.

Jo heaved a sigh and moved in closer. “Damn the rules,” Jo whispered before wrapping her arms around Ali and pulling her into a jaw-dropping kiss. Ali’s knees buckled, and they just held one another. Nothing could disrupt Ali’s happy heart.