Page 60 of Amadeo
Nodding, she replied, “I am, Dr. Ribisi.”
I gazed into her eyes and I could see she was intent on doing this, but at what cost? I looked over at Max to ask him, “Will this be permanent?”
He slowly nodded his head.
“I know it will be,” Jocelyn said.
“Why?” I asked her. “Why would you give up the life you have here?”
“What life?” she asked. “I’m single and since my parents died, I have no family. I’m trapped in the job because there is nothing in my personal life. I take all the double shifts because I never want to go back to my empty apartment…My empty life. I mean look at you. Addicted to your work. Never giving any guy a chance then even you found love!” Tears filled her eyes.
I reached out and took her hands in mine. I know it might seem cruel but I had to ask her, “What makes you think you will find love in…” I paused. “...wherever it is that Max is taking you?”
Jocelyn slowly raised her head and looked over at Deacon lying in the bed.
I followed her gaze and then I gasped when it hit me. She was in love with Deacon?
Her gaze shot back over to me. “Yes, now you get it.”
I stared at her and tears filled my eyes. Oh, I understood alright. I just got my new lease on life with Amadeo. I needed all the things that came with it. To never be alone again. To have him to share my highs and lows. Having someone there that cared about how you felt and tried to be what you needed. I reallydidget it. “I-I hope you find it. I really hope that you do.” I grabbed her up into a tight hug.
Finally, after a minute or more, we all heard a whisper, “J-Jocelyn?”
Deacon had called to her from the bed across the room.
Stepping back, she let go of me and rushed over to him.
I stared at her and Deacon. We all watched them for a long silent minute.
Deacon seemed to calm down as soon as she came near. The confused look in his eyes changed to warmth. He actually smiled a little as she spoke to him.
I looked back over at Max. “Will she be safe?”
Max shrugged. “As safe as she is here. I do have to say that I did not ask her to do this. I had planned to have him in the hospital back there. A very dedicated one that I know of. I have friends there as well. I will introduce Jocelyn to them as Deacon’s nurse. I have made sure that she will have plenty of funds to get them a place and to start a new life. I already made a couple of trips to arrange all of this.”
“Already? It hasn’t even been a day,” Amadeo exclaimed.
“Don’t go there, cuz,” Tito advised. “You might fry your brain.” He chuckled.
“You're right and I do have so many questions,” Amadeo said. “But I would rather not ask them. I’m good with a lot of things, but this is…” He shook his head and whined in an overly dramatic voice, “I just wanted to find a Moon Pie.”
Max actually chuckled at this.
We all turned to stare at the usual stiff, stoic butler.
Only just now, he looked animated and very human as he showed his amusement over Amadeo’s Moon Pie whining. “They are down toward the back end of the pantry, next to the saltines.” He paused to ask, “However, I am puzzled by your explanation. I thought you hated marshmallows?”
“I do. I really do,” Amadeo replied with a firm nodding of his head. “But Gia doesn’t know what they are. So stupidly, I asked Zia and she told me they were in the pantry. When we entered, Tito was standing there. And as we all know, he was never good at lying or at any deception, so he just gave in and here we are.”
“That is correct,” Max agreed. “In fact, he is so unencumbered by the usual human complexes that he still remembers all of this…” Max spanned his large hand over the room. “Everyday.”
I held onto Amadeo’s hand as I looked over at Tito to ask, “You remember?”
Tito shrugged and explained the odd statement. “Max has told us that he can make us forget all of it. But it didn't seem to work on me or Valen. I think that’s because we don’t want to forget.”
Amadeo looked back over at Max to ask, “So if we want to forget this, we can?”
He nodded. “And you might want to. I mean despite your differences, you are loyal to your father. So it would be easier for you to not know what happened.”
