Page 114 of The Choices I've Made
“So that’s your nurse, huh? She’s cute.” I said the moment she left, shutting the door behind her.
“I know,” he sighed. “But I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know I exist past that damn chart she brings in each day.”
“Well, it would be pretty unprofessional of her to fall for a patient, no matter how cute and adorable you might think you are.”
“I won’t be a patient forever.”
“No, you won’t, my friend. You get better and then bang your nurse. Solid plan.”
He shook his head, laughing. “It’s not like that. Well, not entirely.” He grinned. “I want her to meet my mom, and I want to take her out on one of the boats. I’d love to see how her fiery red hair blows in the breeze along the water. God, I really do have it bad. Is that what you feel like with Molly?”
I nodded. “That, and a healthy dose of trepidation, fear, and doubt.”
“Why?” he asked.
I sighed. “Molly and I have done this before, and look where it left us. Broken and alone. What if our second chance expired long ago? What if we’re trying too hard at something that is just doomed to fail? We’ve had twelve years apart. That’s a long time, Dean. We’ve established totally different lives in that time. Can we create one together?”
“Do you love her?” he asked.
“What? Of course I do. I never stopped.”
“Then, nothing else matters. You’ll figure it out. You always do. It might not be easy. In fact, it could be the hardest fucking thing you’ve ever done. But, if you truly love each other, you’ll work through it. You’ll find a way.”
“Like you and your Florence Nightingale?”
He chuckled under his breath. “Maybe. If you two can finally make it work, then I sure as hell can.”
I met his gaze. “I don’t know, Dean. Do you see me making a life in Ocracoke? Because Molly won’t leave. I know that much. I mentioned the idea of taking a vacation this morning, and she nearly had a panic attack right there in front of her guests.”
He nodded. “Aside from small trips up the ‘banks, she never leaves the island.”
“Why? I don’t understand.”
“I don’t think she does either.”
I let out a long sigh. “The hardest thing I’ve ever done, huh?”
He nodded, smiling.
“When did you become so damn wise?” I asked.
“Happens when you lose an appendage,” he replied with a shit-eating grin. “Like those people who lose their sense of smell, and their taste buds heighten. I lost an arm, so now, I’m wise like Buddha.”
I shook my head, laughing. “You’re an idiot.”
“A wise idiot.”
“Thanks for not dying out there on that ferry.”
“Anytime,” he said. “Thanks for saving my life.”
“Anytime, buddy. Anytime.”
I left Dean’s room in high spirits, like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. There was a reason Dean and I had always been friends. We had an uncanny ability to connect with each other, no matter the distance or time that separated us.
The fact that he shared my unique sense of humor didn’t hurt either.
Before leaving, I’d promised I’d check in on his mother. He’d said she was having a hard time with him being so far away. She visited whenever she could, but it was not nearly as much as she liked. She felt like she’d somehow abandoned him up there in that lonely hospital even though Dean assured her nightly that he was well taken care of. Hopefully it would get better when he moved down to Nags Head for in-patient therapy. Two hours was better than four and at least he’d be in the right state again.
