by Cee, DW
My brother and sister gave me a lot to think about and everything they said made sense. The last look on Max’s face still haunted me, and it was wrong of me to leave Max to nurse my own pain, when his mother had purposely hurt him so viciously. It was late, but the call was overdue.
“Hi,” I cautiously said when Max picked up his phone.
“Hey.” He sounded cooler than I would’ve liked.
“Can we talk? I’d like to talk tonight if that’s all right with you.”
“I can’t tonight.”
What?
“Why not? You just left here saying you wanted to talk to me, and that you didn’t want me to go dark on you.”
“Yeah, but I’m busy right now.”
I had a sinking feeling I wasn’t going to like the answer to the question I was about to ask.
“What are you doing that makes you so busy at midnight?”
“I’m with Hannah right now.”
Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I calmed myself down before uttering another word.
“That’s where you went after you dropped me off?”
“Jane.” Now he had the gall to sound exasperated. “You didn’t want to talk to me.” He stated simply. “I tried to explain my side of the story, but you told me you needed to take care of yourself first.” The asshole was using my words against me. “I’m letting you take care of yourself, first. I’m here with someone who’s willing to share in my pain. As you said earlier to me, ‘I won’t go dark on you but, I probably won’t call you or answer your calls for a few days.’ I’ll be in touch later.” He hung up.
SHIT!
March 25, 2013 Aaargh‼!
Max, the jerk, did not call me or answer my calls for the last few days, as he threatened. Sometimes I hated myself for saying things that came back to haunt me. I was a ball of nervous energy since my last conversation with my boyfriend, if he was still that. I finished all the documents that needed to be finished before my psycho boss asked for them, I cleaned out my cubicle of an office, and I even went home and cleaned out my entire room. I also started looking in the papers for a place to live. I was twenty-seven and living at home. Enough was enough. It was time to fly the coop.
“Any word from Max?” Emily asked when I went over to her house after work.
“No,” I answered while helping her seat Ellie and James in their bath chairs.
The twins were seated in this contraption that looked like a low-seated chair that suctioned into the farmhouse sink in the kitchen.
“I have to do it this way because of my burgeoning belly,” Emily explained as she turned on the space heater, created a gigantic bubble bath in the oversized porcelain sink, then proceeded to strip each child and place them in their seats.
“Which seat belongs to which child?”
“James always likes to be on the left side, closer to the door and Ellie prefers the right seat.”
Weird!
“Dadadadada...” James called out calmly as he saw my brother’s car fill into the driveway. Ellie didn’t catch on till Jake actually walked through the door.
“DA!” She screamed.
“Does this girl have only one decibel?”
“Hello my precious babies!” Jake called out, kissing and blowing raspberries on each child. The twins were in heaven.
Ellie kept calling out “Mmmmm.”
“What’s she saying?” I wondered.
“I think that’s her way of asking for more.” Emily told the both of us.
“You want more?” The babies giggled and hollered with glee, as Jake kept kissing and blowing raspberries all over their bodies.
“Are you home for good tonight?” Emily asked her husband when he finally got around to kissing his wife.
“No. I only came home to put the kids to sleep since I didn’t see them this morning, and then I’ve got to go back out,” he answered Emily then turned his attention to me. “What are you doing here little sister?”
“I’m just trying to fill time; I came by to see my niece and nephew; and I came by to hang out with Emily.”
“Why don’t you go to the hospital with me after this is done? Max gets off in a couple of hours.”
“I think I’ll just wait till he calls me,” I answered sadly.
“Be ready to leave in 20 minutes. The twins go down pretty quickly after their bath,” Jake commanded.
Jake gave me lots of brotherly advice during the short ride from home to the hospital. I was more nervous than I thought I would be about facing Max.
“He’s up on the fifth floor in pediatrics. Go make up with him. Apologize and tell him that it was wrong of you to leave him the way you did. Trust me when I say this is the man for you, Jane.”
“All right,” I answered reluctantly.
I walked along the hallway of the fifth floor and headed towards the student lounge area. That was where I was told I could find Max.
“Jane, what a nice surprise!” Psycho greeted.
“Hello Joyce,” I answered politely.
“How are you?”
“Well, and you?”
“I’m super!” This woman was so mental! “I assume you’re here for Max?”
“Yes.” I’m definitely not here to have a conversation with you!
“He’s been in the lounge area with a friend from Michigan for the past half hour.”
Crap! She was here. What is she doing here? I didn’t have a very good feeling about what was going on between Max and Hannah.
“The lounge is over there,” she said as she pointed down the corridor.
“Thanks...”
When I got to the door, I was afraid to open it. What if they were in some compromising position? What if he had been leaning upon her the past few days rather than calling me? Aargh!!!!
I opened the door to find Max and Hannah seated next to each other, but in a perfectly acceptable situation.
“Jane.” Max looked surprised to see me. “What are you doing here?”
What the hell do you think I’m doing here? No, I did not say that. I was good and I just gave them a nice smile.
“I was hoping to talk to you?”
“I’ll leave you two alone,” Hannah said, and got up very quickly. “I’m very sorry about the other night Jane. It shouldn’t have come out the way it did. I hope you’re not too angry with me or Max.”
I didn’t answer her, but I gave her a nice smile as well.
“I’ll see you later?” Hannah gave Max an affectionate touch on the arm.
“Sure. I’ll see you soon. Don’t worry, Hannah. Josh, Garret and I will help you bring back all of your stuff.”
“All right...” she looked at him one more time before heading out the door.
Max stared at me expectantly and waited for me to start.
“Hi.” I said softly.
“Hi.” He answered back, with very little enthusiasm.
“Are you done with rounds? Can you talk?” He nodded his head, but didn’t speak. “Do you want to talk?” I actually stood in fear of his answer.
“I don’t know Jane. I don’t know if I’m done taking care of myself first.”
Fine, Jerk! Go ahead and hold a grudge. I felt my freakin’ nose tingle, my stomach did a little unhappy flip and the tears were forming behind my eyeballs. I quickly turned around. I wasn’t going to let him see me cry over him. I ran to the door and pulled it open as quickly as humanly possible.
“Get back here!” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into him.
I struggled and pushed him away. If he didn’t want me, I didn’t want him either. I was no crying missy waiting for her man to come back to her. I’d walk away first before I let him walk away from me.
“Do I actually see tears in your eyes?” Max started with a small chuckle, but soon grew into a guffaw. “Are you crying over me?” He severely exaggerated the me part, while putting his hands over his heart. That gesture gave
me the chance I needed to get the hell out of here. “I told you to get back over here, Jane! You leave this room, I’m not coming after you. Our relationship, as we know it, will be over!” Was that a freakin’ threat? Unbelievable...but, kinda hot! (What was wrong with me? In this uber piss-me-off situation, I still got hot and bothered by Max barking out threats. Loser—that’s what I was!) Back to being mad—who the hell did this guy think he was, ordering me around? So what if he held the title, “Boyfriend.” No boyfriend treats his girlfriend the way he treated me just now.
I pulled the door open but wavered. Do I go...? Or do I stay...?
March 28, 2013 Dem Bones
“Are you staying?” Max taunted.
“No, Asshole. I’m not!” I yelled and opened the door, only to be bounced back into the room by my brother Nick.
“Sister! I can hear your damn voice all through the hallway. The kiddie patients are ringing in their complaints to the nurses’ station as we speak.”
“Shut up Nick, and get out of my way.”
I tried to push him away, but Nick grabbed me, turned me around and pushed me over to Max. Max then turned me around and pushed me back to Nick. They might as well have been singing, red rover, red rover, send Janey on over.
At this point, not only was I seeing RED, but I was also incredibly hurt that Max shooed me away. “Stop! I get it. You don’t want to have anything to do with me. You didn’t have to push me away like that...” The tears fell and I ran to the door.
“Come back here,” Max grabbed me and hugged me before I could get out. “God only knows why I love you so much when you drive me nuts 95% of the time. I love you sweet Jane and I’m sorry I made you cry. Your brother and I were having a little fun. I wasn’t pushing you away.”
“Ah Janey, did we hurt your girly feelings?” Nick walked over and sandwiched me from behind. “We’re sowry,” he said in a three-year-old voice.
“Shut up Nick, and get off me. I don’t want your hug.” I tried to shrug him off. He only held on tighter and laughed.
“Enough drama. Let’s go eat.” Nick pulled away, but Max kept his arms tightly around me. “Geez, Max! What do you keep doing wrong? My sister’s been royally pissed with you twice in one month. Tread lightly or you may get the ax.” Nick whispered the word “ax” while motioning his right hand across his neck.
Max and I cracked up.
“Have you had dinner?” Max asked, while kissing me by the ear.
I shook my head no. “I was going to have dinner at Emily’s, but Jake brought me over here before I could eat anything. We should probably see if Jake wants to come as well. He hasn’t eaten either.”
“Nick, can you make yourself disappear for ten minutes? Go find Jake and ask him to have dinner with us.”
“That’s all you need? ten minutes? You’re giving us men a bad name, Davis,” he said jokingly as he walked out.
Even though Max started the apology, I decided to get this guilty conscience off my mind, first. “I am truly sorry about Sunday night. I was in such shock. I feel really bad that I left you to deal with your mom by yourself. I should’ve been there for you.” There. It was done.
“Really bad?” He mimicked my words while kissing my lips, Max-style, with both hands on my face. “How badly do you feel?” This tone was doing things for me now. We’d stepped beyond what was proper in a public staff lounge.
“Very bad,” I joined in the banter. “I’ve been a really bad girl...” Oh, let the fun begin!
He backed up against the door for assured privacy, or at least a chance to stop what we were doing before anyone could completely open the door.
“You’re going to have to be punished.” Damn! Did he seriously say that? “Come here and kneel.” Hot damn‼ He did seriously say that.
“Yes Sir,” I answered submissively, but smiled wickedly.
Less than ten minutes later, “Jane...what the hell?” Max barked, as I left the room for him to deal with his not so happy ending. You didn’t think after all those days of making me wonder what the hell was going on between him and Hannah, that I’d simply kneel back into his life, do his bidding, and all would be hunky-dory, did you? We’re on the right track, but there needed to be a little pay back, Jane Sydney Reid-style!
“What are you cackling about?” Nick asked, trying to open the door to the lounge.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you,” I warned. “Let’s go to the restaurant.” I curved my arms around both Nick and Jake’s arms and pulled them toward the cars.
“What about Max?”
“Don’t worry, Nick. I’ll text him the location of where we’re going.”
With a strawberry margarita in hand, I laughed with my brothers as I told them how James was trying to feed himself a pea tonight, but ended up shoving it up his nose instead.
“We should have invited Emily, tonight. Shall I call her and see if she can come out?”
“I doubt it, Nick. She’s been dog tired these days since James started walking. Now she’s chasing after a baby, while carrying one in her arms, and another in her stomach. It’s been tough on her. In fact, I feel guilty being out with you guys, tonight.” My brother so loved his wife. “There’s Davis over there,” Jake pointed.
“Hey,” everyone called out to one another.
“Hello, Jane.” Max said coolly, with a hint of a threat.
“Hello, Max.” I answered back with laughter in my voice. “Everything, okay?”
“No!” he whispered, curtly.
I whispered back, “You seem grumpy. Couldn’t you finish on your own?”
“Why should I when I have a girlfriend who’ll finish me off?” He added suggestively but resolutely.
“Am I still your girlfriend? Last I checked, there was another girl sitting by your side.” I questioned his beliefs.
“You two gonna whisper to one another the whole night?” Nick pretended to be annoyed with us. He could be such a pain in my ass at times.
“Later.” The sound of his voice and the look on his face was definitely contrite and penitent.
After an enjoyable dinner, the four of us headed back to my house. Jake came in briefly to say hello to Gram and our new Gramps, who were back from their mini-honeymoon in Carmel. But he soon went off to his own family. Max, Nick and I sat with the elderly folks and enjoyed talking to them.
“Where will you set up house, Gram?” Nick asked.
“I think we’ll stay here till Roland and I decide where we will live.”
“What do you mean? You’re not living in LA?” I asked, shocked that they’d even consider living away from us.
“Roland still has to show his presence in London since his home office is there. I don’t know. We shall see, Janey.” She then turned to Max, “Will you be spending the night, Monsieur Le Duc?”
“No, Gram. Jane and I need to discuss a few things, and then I’ll be gone. I’ll see you again, soon?”
We said our goodnights to everyone and Max and I went into my room.
“Shall we talk?” We sat on the chairs because we knew the bed wouldn’t be the best place for a talk.
“Sure.”
“Let me go first?”
I nodded yes.
“I’ve told you about my parents and how I felt that they never loved me enough. Hannah came from the opposite where she grew up in an overprotective home. Her parents hovered, helicoptered, and got in her nose about everything. We were both ripe for rebellion.”
Max pulled me onto his lap and continued his story.
“We were young, we thought we were in love and we were definitely stupid. We started having sex on my seventeenth birthday, but didn’t protect ourselves every time. We thought it wouldn’t happen to us, and a few months into being sexually active, Hannah got pregnant. I was scared shitless. We tried to hide it from her parents, but she got so sick every morning, her parents figured out what was wrong and demanded we get married immediate
ly.”
“Oh Max...” I felt so scared and sorry for him.
“My parents refused to allow me to get married at seventeen, Hannah’s parents practically forced us to the altar, and somewhere during that time, Hannah miscarried. What my mom said was true. She, my dad, and Hannah’s parents overwhelmed us—especially Hannah—and she lost the baby.”
Max stayed silent for a long while. I just sat and held him.
