Page 89 of You Spin Me

“I know you have to get going. Just a few more minutes of snuggling and I’ll make you breakfast while you shower.”

“You don’t have to get up.”

“I’m awake. I’ll even take you out to breakfast if you want.”

“I really have to go home and shower so I can deal with my hair. But I have another ten minutes.” After dutifully downing a good eight ounces of water, I curl up next to him. I’m going over the long list of things I need to get done today and wondering if Cal has fallen back asleep when he speaks.

“The Shriners called the station yesterday and left a message for me.”

“You mean the guys in the red hats and little cars?”

“Well, someone from that organization. They want me to help them with a fundraiser.”

“Why did they call you?”

“It’s for the Shriners’ Burn Institute. For kids. Here in Boston.”

“Is that where you…?” All my plans for the day suddenly feel unimportant. I get the feeling Cal has told me more about his burn experience than most people. He let me see the rest of his scars this morning. Maybe he’s ready to bare a little bit more of his heart, too.

“It’s where I was treated. Sort of. The first two years of treatment were at Mass General, but they didn’t have a burn unit specifically for kids. When I went in for surgery a couple years later, the Shriners had created a mini-hospital for children inside MGH. Then they built a whole separate building. All my treatments were there from then on—surgeries, therapies, everything. And it was free. We didn’t pay a cent. They do that for all the kids who go there. It’s the best treatment, too, the most cutting-edge. So I guess they need the money. And I guess you could say I owe them.”

Turning over to face him, I wish I could smooth his pain away. “What do they want from you exactly?”

He rolls onto his back and talks to the ceiling. “I don’t know. I’m afraid to call them.”

I nod, not wanting to push.

“I can’t go back in there.”

“To the hospital?”

“They saved my life, but the pain—the anticipation of the pain—was… indescribable.” He takes my hand. “That’s why my back is so hideous. I couldn’t take it anymore. I refused to go back.”

His face has lost all its color. I want him to know that I feel for him. I don’t pity him; I never have. I’m in awe of what he’s survived. All I can do is show him, so I snake my arms around his torso. Before squeezing him tight, I ask. “This okay?”

“It’s very much okay,” he says, his voice thick.

I open my mouth to tell Cal about the reason why I understand his fear of hospitals, but my experience seems to pale in comparison to his. They may have strapped me in a chair and force-fed me, they may have messed with my head, but they didn’t torture me. So I simply whisper, “I don’t think you have to call them back if you don’t want to. You don’t owe them anything.”

He sucks in a breath and hugs me back.

Chapter25

This week’s episode ofFamily Tiesis entitled “Til’ Her Family Takes the T-bird Away.” Last week’s was called “My Best Friend’s Girl.” Did Alex start a band or something?

JESS

Cal and I have found a weeknight rhythm, even if it means less than four hours of uninterrupted sleep for either of us, but the weekend continues to elude us. He has commitments that mean he can’t see my show, let alone come up for the whole weekend. When I get an idea for a way to sneak in some extra time together, I worry that it might be rushing things, but it’s the only one I’ve got.

Friday morning—well, what counts for morning for Cal—after I do my barre workout and shower, I wake Cal with a kiss and float my idea.

“Since we’re both working every night this weekend, what would you think of meeting me at my parents’ for brunch Sunday? I promised my mom I’d come down because I haven’t seen them in a while. They’re in Bedford, so halfway between Boston and Chichester.”

“You want me to meet your family?”

His frown seems concerned rather than horrified, so I plunge on. “Yeah, why not?”

“We’ve only been together for like a couple weeks.”

---