“Babe, do you want me to come with you on Tuesday? I have a couple of things I need to do, but I can shift some stuff around and drive you there. If you want company, I mean.”
The weight of the whole day seemed to lift off my shoulders at once.
“Are you sure? I know things are really busy with the truck right now, and it’ll be a long day. It’s almost two hours to Rochester.” I paused, thinking of something, but I made myself say it. “Also, I’m not sure you would be welcome, at least in my sister’s room. I’m pretty sure she still won’t be okay with ‘my homosexuality.’”
His face hardened, but he nodded and even managed a smile.
“That’s fine. I can bring my laptop and work while you’re visiting with her. I’m sure they’ll have a cafeteria with shitty coffee I can sit in for a couple of hours, and I have bookkeeping stuff I need to get done anyway.”
I moved closer so our foreheads were touching, and whispered, “Thank you.”
“Of course, anything you need.”
He put his hands on my face and lifted my mouth up to his for a kiss, then stood grabbing my hand.
“Come on, baby, let’s go to bed. We’ve had a long weekend.”
I let him pull me up, feeling a bit dazed, and said, “But you don’t have clothes.”
He smirked, his eyebrows dipping, giving him the mischievous look that made my knees weak.
“I have a bag in the car. I stopped at home for some clothes before I came over. I was hoping you’d take pity on me and let me in.”
I shook my head. “You know I can’t resist you.”
He let out a long breath. “I am so sorry about this entire day. Can we start over? Go back to your bedroom where everything made sense?” It was a relief to hear him say that. To know thatwe could go back to exploring this thing between us. It’s what I wanted most.
“Yes,” I answered, already walking there, holding his hand tight.
chapter twenty-two
jude
Nesto’s hand squeezed mine as we walked into the Rochester Cancer Center.
I was clutching a small container of Mary’s favorite cookies, which I’d baked the night before, and trying to breathe through the jumble of emotions crawling up my throat. I told myself over and over this was just a visit, that my life was my own, and nothing would change after seeing my sister.
Nesto stopped when we got close to the elevators. He stood in front of me, with his gaze focused on my face. The lines of his mouth tight with worry, as he pulled me to him and kissed my forehead.
“You’ll be fine. If you need me, just text okay? I don’t care what anyone says, if you want me, I’ll be up there in a hot minute.”
I nodded, trying to calm myself before going up to Mary’s room. “I’ll let you know when I’m leaving her room.” He looked over my shoulder and pointed toward the end of the hall.
“There’s a cafeteria that claims to have Starbucks; I’ll be waiting there.” He patted the messenger bag slung over his shoulder. “I’ve got all my stuff for work, so I can wait as long as you need.”
I hugged him again. “Thanks for coming with me.”
“Of course. No big.” I held on to him for a few more seconds and walked toward the elevators.
When I glanced over my shoulder, Nesto was looking at me with concern on his face, but he held up his hand and smiled. He was still there as I got into the elevator and pushed the button to the third floor. I felt so grateful for his presence. I knew he was still reeling from missing his shot with Sheridan, but he still made the time to come with me today.
As I went up, I was so anxious I felt like I was in a fog. I tried not to dwell on the last time I’d seen my sister, or the blank look on her face when she asked me not to contact the family again. Thankfully the elevator stopped before I could work myself up into a complete panic.
The doors opened, and I walked into a generic hospital wing with lots of white and bad lighting. The nurse’s station was off to the right and there was a young man at the desk who looked a little too peppy given the location. As I reached the counter, I breathed again and smiled at him.
“Hi, I’m here to visit my sister, Mary Connor.”
He flashed me a smile and nodded. “Hi, there.” He pointed at a whiteboard on the wall behind the desk and I saw M. Connor written next to her room number. He pointed to the left. “Third room on the right.”
