19. Keeping Things Simple –Not

Johanna

J o rifled through the bills, her breath hitching as she stared at the pile of debt that continued to rise. She was making decent money, or so she thought. However, her bills at the hospital, along with Maverick’s vet bills, she was struggling even to get by. Living paycheck to paycheck was something that she always told herself she would never get down to. But that was a laugh, considering now she was lucky to make ends meet with the bills that continued to crowd her kitchen table.

She grabbed her phone and pulled up Ali’s number. Ali could sometimes take that stress away from her. Unfortunately, she had been too busy to get together over the past week and that was giving the drowning in debt a whole new meaning.

She called Ali and leaned back in her seat. “You’ve reached the voicemail of Ali. Leave me a message.”

“Hey, babe,” she began. “It’s been a few days, and frankly, I’m missing you. I thought I saw you were off this weekend, but perhaps I read that wrong. Call me when you get this message. Maybe we can take Maverick for a walk in the park. Or you could just spend the weekend here.” She hesitated. Three words were aching to be said, but they hadn’t said that yet, and she didn’t want to scare Ali even further away. “I’ll talk to you soon.” She disconnected the call and turned back to her bills. If Ali knew the financial strain she was in, she probably would want to end things straight away. Her phone rang, and she was hopeful until she spotted May’s number. “Hello?”

“Was that an exasperating sigh?” May asked before laughing.

“Nah, just got done doing the elliptical.” A lie would be a better solution. “What’s up?”

“Well, Iggy and I are bored and thought we would come on over, and then we can go to the dog park or something. What do you say?”

It wasn’t the person she anticipated spending the day with, but if Ali wouldn’t call her back, then she would gladly accept an invitation from May, anything to get out of the apartment and away from the pile of bills staring her in the face.

“Sounds good. See you in thirty?”

They disconnected the call, and Jo scooped up the bills and tossed them into the nearby drawer. Out of sight, out of mind, at least for a few minutes. She hurried to her room and changed into something loose-fitting and comfortable, then went back to where Maverick was in the living room.

“Do you want to go for a walk?” she asked. Immediately, he jumped up and started frantically wagging his tail. She laughed and crouched down next to him, petting behind his ear. She didn’t know what her life would be like without him coming into it. “She’ll be here with Iggy any minute, boy, and we’ll all go out to the park.”

May got there a few minutes later, and they left her apartment to go to the park. May drove them to the park, and when they got out and started the trail, they spotted a coffee cart.

“I could use that,” Jo quietly admitted. May was agreeable to that. The park wasn’t too busy, so they grabbed their coffee and took a seat on the nearest bench. They unleashed their dogs into the big area where they could run and not have to be held back from doing what dogs do.

Jo heaved a sigh as she sipped on that coffee. “That sounds like you have the world on your shoulders.”

Jo laughed. “You got all that from one sigh.”

May shrugged. “It was a big sigh.”

Jo turned and just watched the dogs playing. “I don’t know, I guess I’m letting my thoughts get too loud in my head.” May arched an eyebrow. “Ali,” Jo continued.

“You guys seem to be pretty hot and heavy,” May offered. Jo opened her mouth. “Just from what you’ve told me.” She then smiled. “Well, she does seem to give you this look every time she sees you across the room. Really hard not to notice.”

Jo blushed and looked down at her cup. If May noticed that, then maybe others had as well. “She seems to be ignoring me. I haven’t seen her at the hospital, and when I call her, she doesn’t pick up. She doesn’t return my texts.” Jo looked up, feeling a tad panicked as the words came rolling out. “What if she decided that I’m not worth it.”

May snickered. “Not possible. But how long has this been going on for? A week? Two?”

“A few days, maybe four,” Jo mumbled.

May laughed. “So, I think you’re being a bit paranoid. It’s clear to me how much she really likes you. She could be busy. I mean, that’s a distinct possibility, right?”

“Well, yeah, but why not just a simple message to say, hey, can’t talk now, but I’ll see you later?”

May shrugged. “Not everyone thinks that way. That doesn’t mean she’s not anxious to see you again.”

Jo wasn’t convinced. She shrugged and took another sip from her cup. “How has work been going for you?” she asked. “We rarely get a chance to discuss the program. Feeling good about your position there?”

“Yeah, really good. I feel like the hospital cares about us. And I am enjoying what we’re doing.” Jo agreed on those counts. “How’s Vincent been doing? Glad to have him back on our floor, I’m sure.”

“Absolutely. It was rough sneaking away to check in on him in the ICU. He’s getting stronger every day. I’m just thankful the surgery went well. I worry that maybe he’s a little depressed, though, being away from his home and friends. It would be difficult for a kid. I wish I could help him more in that aspect.”

“Well, maybe find out what he’s missing back home and see if there’s anything you can do to change that. You just never know what smile you could put on a child’s face.”

Jo pondered that and nodded. It was a nice thought. She finished off her coffee and stood up from the bench, tossing her empty cup into the trash can. “Let’s do some walking.” They called for the dogs, who immediately ran over to them. Then, they led the way around the track.

May had a valid point about Ali. She could just be busy. She didn’t want to push, but really wanted to hear from her so she could rest her wary heart. She was determined that she would go to her when given the opportunity, and they were on the same schedule. What would it hurt to just talk?

The next day, Jo entered Vincent’s room. He was staring out the window. The room was so still and quiet that if you held your breath, you would have been able to hear the soft hum of his machine. Jo cleared her throat, not to jar him from his solitude. He looked over to her and gave her a smile.

“Hi, Jo,” he replied. His voice was so soft, nearly unheard.

“Why do you look so sad?” she asked. “Are you in pain?” She sat down on his bed as he slowly shook his head.

“Just thinking,” he replied. He turned and once again looked over to the window. “Missing home,” he quietly replied.

“I know that it must be rough. You’ll be going home very soon; I can promise you that.” She reached out and touched his hand, squeezing it lightly. This was the perfect segue to the conversation she wanted to have with him. “If you were home, what would you be doing right now?”

He looked back to her, and his eyes were wide open. “I would be playing with my friends,” he began. “I have so many. I’m on a baseball team, and I’m sure they’re worried about the next game.”

“What position do you play?”

“Pitcher. The coach says I’m the fastest pitcher he’s ever coached.” His eyes darkened slightly. “And I’d be playing with Bixby.”

“Who’s Bixby?” Jo inquired, still holding onto his hand.

“My Golden Retriever. I’m sure he’s missing me.”

“I have a dog, too,” Jo replied. “Want to see a picture?”

He eagerly nodded as she withdrew her phone. She pulled up a picture of Maverick and held it out to him. “I just recently adopted him because I wanted him to know that he would have a safe home environment.”

Vincent cooed over the picture. “That’s a great dog,” he said.

Jo beamed. She thought so, too. She placed her phone back in her pocket. “Tell me all the things you play with your dog.” She leaned into the conversation as he discussed the activities that he could do along the way with his Bixby. He then tilted his head.

“And you?”

“Well, Maverick likes to chase after cats.” That got a laugh from him, and she was happy to see Vincent’s jovial side in that hospital room. It gave her an idea, but only if she could get everything worked out. She didn’t want to promise him anything that would never come to be, but she kept it close in the back of her mind. “I have to get back to work. You take care, buddy.” She ruffled his hair, and he continued to grin. “Wanna watch TV?”

“Yeah, I think so.” He grabbed the remote from her and turned it on, but the smile didn’t leave his face as she went to leave his room. When she opened up the door, she bumped straight into Ali, who was passing the room.

“Hey,” she said. Her heart raced a bit because they hadn’t spoken, and she wasn’t sure how their interaction would go.

“How’s he doing?” Ali put her hands in her pocket and kept her eyes zoned in on her, so the eye contact was at least a good sign.

“Pretty well. He’s missing his friends and house, but overall, he knows that this isn’t forever. But I do have an idea. He’s missing his dog, mostly. I was thinking it’d be really cool if I could bring Maverick here. I mean, it will require some out-of-the-box thinking as I can’t get him on the train, but if I could bring him here and he could come to the courtyard or something…” Jo shrugged as Ali seemed to be processing the news. “It’d be a great pick-me-up, I imagine.”

Ali frowned. “I don’t know. Not sure the hospital would go for that. It’d have to be approved, and they might think there’s health risks.” Ali scrunched up her face. “Could cause a whole lot of repercussions.”

Jo frowned, disappointed. “I understand. Guess I didn’t think of that.” She sighed. “It was just a thought.” She started to turn when Ali reached out and touched her arm. Jo looked at her, and Ali’s face softened.

“It was really a nice thought. And because you have a huge heart, I’m not surprised you made it.” She bit her lip. “I could inquire on it.”

“Well, I don’t want you to do anything that will hinder you.”

Ali looked away from her. “Truth is, it might already be past the point.” Jo frowned but didn’t shift her gaze. Ali shook her head. “Don’t really want to think on that.” She hesitated. “I have missed you.”

“I’ve missed you,” Jo replied. She opened her mouth to ask why, if she missed her, was she ignoring her calls and texts. But, instead, she snapped her mouth shut and decided to ignore it. “I should get back to work.” She turned and hurried to the nurse’s station. There really wasn’t a lot to do, though. It was a quiet evening, and she could only stare at the call lights for so long before she went crazy. She tried to busy herself with filing, but that, too, was an utter failure.

Thirty minutes of non-movement on her part, and she spotted Ali heading back to the nurse’s station. “Are you busy?” she asked.

Jo snickered. “Not in the least. Need help with something.”

“You could say that,” Ali mumbled. “Follow me. ”

Jo frowned but didn’t hesitate to follow Ali to wherever she was headed. Ali opened the door of the on-call room, and Jo frowned but proceeded. Once inside, Ali locked the door behind them and turned to face Jo.

“What’s going on?” Jo asked, perhaps even a little breathless.

“Don’t ask questions,” Ali stated. She swooped in and kissed Jo, knocking the air from her. Her tongue slid in, and they were frantically kissing until Jo couldn’t take another breath.

“Ali,” she breathlessly stated.

“Jo, I need you so much. I’m not backing away from this, so please…you don’t either.”

Jo reached out and grabbed Ali’s hands, pulling her towards the bed, then sat down and grabbed onto Ali’s pants and slid them down. All while Ali kicked out of her shoes. She moved in and latched her teeth onto Ali’s panties, slowly sliding them down Ali’s legs until Ali just had to step out of them. She stood up and grabbed hold of Ali’s shirt, drawing it up and over her breasts and then tossing it to the side.

She brought Ali back into a kiss, and they hungrily kissed one another while, with one hand, she flicked the clasp of Ali’s bra until it was removed.

“Allow me,” Ali breathlessly replied, pulling back from the kiss. Jo watched as Ali undressed her. Their eyes were connected in this deep and unwavering stare. Jo only had to shift a few times before her clothes were lying in a heap, and they were both naked.

Jo moved in and pressed Ali against the wall, snaking her hand around Ali’s neck and pulling her into a heated embrace. As they kissed, she felt Ali pressing her hand between her legs and slipping her fingers one by one into her opening. Damn. She felt like it had been an eternity since they’d been connected, but her body was aching for Ali’s every touch .

Jo spread her legs to her, and Ali went in deeper, pumping in and out with expert attention. Jo reached out and groped both of Ali’s breasts in her palms, squeezing them, and hearing Ali’s groans excitedly coursing through the on-call room.

They broke from the kiss, and Jo pulled her back to the bed and laid down, with Ali tenderly joining her, straddling her as she moved her fingers back into Jo’s opening. Jo arched her back and closed her eyes, bracing herself, her abdomen tightening with every time that Ali slid in deeper.

“Oh God, I can’t help myself,” she cried. She held onto the bed, her body wanting desperately to wiggle beneath Ali but wishing it was Ali’s tongue that made her ready to orgasm. As if on cue, Ali removed her fingers and situated her body until she had her face right up against her opening. Jo released a pent-up sigh and bore down, and Ali continued the pumping with her tongue. Jo thrashed wildly against Ali’s face, the orgasm not far off.

“You always taste so good,” Ali moaned against her clit, before dipping in again. This time, the orgasm washed in waves over Jo, and she was bouncing hard against Ali. She let out several cries, hoping the room was soundproof. At that point, she didn’t even care. Ali eagerly licked up her juices, then shimmied up Jo’s body, kissing her stomach and moving up to her chest.

Jo pushed herself up when their lips connected, and they rested in a seated position, with Ali sitting on her lap, her legs hanging over both her sides. They kissed, Jo taking her own juices from Ali’s lips. Their tongues collided as one. Jo held onto Ali’s waist as they rekindled their intimacy. She felt how wet Ali was and needed desperately to relieve her of that, but for the moment she just needed this. Who cared what had kept them from one another before. They hadn’t missed a beat, and Jo couldn’t wait for them to ignite once more.