Our Journey

by Tey Holden

  Jo tried to smile, “I would have rather had my appendix and one kidney out than see you go through this!”

  Kate chuckled and brought Jo’s hand to her lips and kissed it. “I know, baby, I know.”

  Jo leaned to kiss her, and then met her loving gaze. “I love you. I don’t know what I’d do without you. I was so scared.”

  Kate squeezed her hand. “I know. I wanted to put you at ease, but I knew nothing I could say would. I’m sorry that you had to go through this alone.”

  Jo took Kate’s hand and kissed it. “I can’t bear to see you in pain.”

  “I’m fine now and will be out of here and back in the RV tomorrow.”

  “We’re not going back to the RV. I checked, and there’s an Airbnb near here, and I took it. We’re going to be staying there until you see the doctor again, and he gives you the final okay.”

  “Jo, that could be a week, it’s going to cost too much.”

  “It doesn’t matter. You have to be comfortable while recovering.”

  “Jo—.”

  “You’re not going to win this one, baby, sorry. We’re not leaving here until you’re completely well, and you need to be comfortable while recovering.”

  “The RV is very comfortable.”

  “Yes, it is, but it will not do now.”

  As expected, Kate was released the following day, and they went to the Airbnb, which was only a few blocks away from the hospital. “This is entirely unnecessary. You’ll see that I’ll be up and around tomorrow and as good as ever.” Kate insisted as Jo walked her to the bed in the room.

  “And that will be fantastic, but since some of us are not medical people and don’t know what to do if something comes up, we’re staying put for a while and that, missy, is not negotiable. So, to bed you go!” Jo helped her get on the bed and propped her pillows. “Now, do you need anything?”

  “I need for you to stop worrying.”

  “I will when you’re back to normal again.”

  Kate pursed her lips. “No, I don’t need anything.”

  “Good because we have nothing here. I need to go to the grocery store to get supplies. Here’s your phone. Call me if you need anything. I’ll be quick because I saw a grocery store on the way here.”

  “Okay. Be careful and call me if you take longer because I’ll worry.”

  “Okay.”

  When Jo came back, Kate was asleep. She was still taking pain medication, and it had knocked her out. Jo finished putting away the groceries and made a soup just like Grams taught her. Then she sat on a chair next to the bed and watched Kate sleep peacefully. After the hectic last few days, she now finally felt some degree of peace. She thought of how Kate had changed her life, and feelings of love overwhelmed her. In her peaceful contentment, she gradually fell asleep.

  When Kate woke up hours later, she smiled seeing Jo asleep stretched out on the chair. She thanked God for having brought Jo into her life, and for how wonderful it felt to love and be loved. Kate’s musings were interrupted when she saw the exotic brown eyes flutter.

  Jo immediately smiled when she saw the gorgeous brunette smiling with her eyes fixed on her. She joined her on the bed, took her hand, and kissed her on the lips. “It’s so good to have you here. I almost went crazy thinking I’d lose you.” Her voice was soft, and at a certain point, it trembled.

  Kate ruffled Jo’s short hair, and her hand cupped the face with the loving brown eyes looking at her. “You’re the silliest person on earth. I told you this operation would be nothing. Do you know what comes to mind about your silliness?”

  Jo smiled playfully. She loved how Kate always found a way to deviate and make light of difficult situations. “What?”

  “That time, when you went to the bathroom to take care of your daily business, and then you wanted me to wait to use the bathroom because it smelled bad.”

  “That was not silly! It was a preventive measure. It stunk in there, and I was doing you a favor. Plus, it was embarrassing.”

  “As if everyone else’s smelled like gardenias!” Kate chuckled.

  “Well, maybe that was a bit silly. But it was our first night out in the RV, and I didn’t want to give you the wrong impression.”

  “Baby, there’s only one impression about that business, and everyone’s the same.” Kate laughed.

  “Okay, I’ll admit it. Maybe it was silly.” Jo combed a strand of Kate’s hair back. “It’s good to hear you laugh.” She pecked Kate’s smiley face with a small kiss.

  “I’m fine, baby. All is good.”

  Somehow Kate’s words resonated in Jo’s brain, bringing her the peace only Kate could give her. Looking and listening to Kate now, Jo knew that somehow everything would work out between them. All doubts about the future seemed to have vanished. Life was good, and they would have one together.

  While Kate recuperated, Jo pampered her to extremes. She cooked and baked everything Kate liked, got her ice cream, and took care of anything she needed.

  When Kate went for her follow up appointment, the doctor found everything well. Still, Jo thought that it was better to stay in the area a while longer just in case anything else might happen.

  “Jo, it’s not like I’m going to grow another appendix! They don’t grow back, you know?”

  “Ha, ha, very funny. Of course I know that! Still, what if you get some pain? What if the incision opens up, or if it becomes infected? I’d feel much better being close to the hospital, and the doctor who did the surgery.”

  “None of that will happen.” Seeing Jo shake her head, Kate rolled her eyes. “Can’t we at least go back to the RV?”

  “That, we can do. We can camp out here somewhere for the next week.”

  “A whole week?”

  “Yes, I won’t be comfortable leaving this area until I know that you’re back to normal.”

  Over Kate’s objections and being tagged as silly, Jo remained firm, and they spent a second week at the closest campground to the hospital. “I’m glad to be back in the RV. We could have stayed here all along. It’s cozy, and I like our bed. This is home. Our love nest.” Jo was delighted to see Kate so happy.

  Back on the RV, Jo began to sleep on the side of the bed opposite to Kate’s incision. She thought it was safer for Kate because she didn’t want to, accidentally, hurt her while sleeping. Kate thought that was also silly. “I don’t care. You can call me silly, overbearing, and whatever else you want to call me. I feel it’s better this way.”

  “Okay, silly. I love you.” Kate’s kisses became a bit too much, and Jo quickly backed away.

  “Don’t even think about it, Kate Nolan. No touching! You’re in no condition for any action.”

  “But—.”

  “I know I’m too sexy, and you can’t keep your hands off me,” Jo smiled, “but it’s hands-off until I’m sure that incision won’t open up.”

  “And when does Dr. Jo think that might be?”

  “Maybe in four weeks,” Jo responded very seriously.

  “Four weeks!” Kate exclaimed in such a way that it made Jo laugh. “No way!” Kate pulled her down and kissed her wildly.

  “Okay, okay! Maybe not four weeks, but we need to wait a little longer for my peace of mind.” Jo grinned, feeling great knowing that Kate wanted her so badly.

  “McCallister, when I get done with you, you may be the one needing medical care!”

  Jo laughed, and they ended up in each other’s arms.

  Chapter 4

  After a week at the campground, and when Kate was fully recovered, they left Phoenix and headed towards southern California. The idea was to get to the coast and then drive north, all the way to Alaska, making stops along the way.

  While at a campground on the Arizona/California border, Kate received an email from Vanderbilt’s medical school. “Shit!” Kate exclaimed. “I can’t believe this! This kind of thing doesn’t happen like this! Oh, my God, I can’t believe this!”

  “What is it?” Jo asked, wondering what had
Kate so riled up.

  “I have an email from Vanderbilt.” She looked at Jo with a shocked face.

  “What about? What are they saying? Do they need anything else from you for your application?”

  “No, they’ve accepted me.” Kate was shocked.

  “What!” Jo exclaimed overjoyed, and practically jumping out of bed. “Wow, baby! That is fantastic!” She came back to bed and hugged Kate’s legs, which were bent in front of her to hold her laptop. “This is great news! Why don’t you look happy?”

  Kate, who was still looking at her laptop, looked up. “Because it’s for this year, not next.”

  “What? I thought you said all the spots were already filled for this year!” Jo exclaimed grinning. She couldn’t be happier but was trying to tone down her excitement because Kate didn’t seem to be sharing it.

  “They were, but apparently someone rejected the offer, and since I had already been accepted last year, they’re offering me the spot. I have to decide by tomorrow because they need to fill it.”

  “That’s amazing. What are you waiting for? Reply immediately and accept! I think we should take this as a sign that it was meant to be,” Jo said euphorically, jumping out of bed to do a happy dance in her underwear, which made Kate shake her head and smile. “What is it? Why aren’t you as excited about this as I am? This is what we wanted and decided to do.” Anyone hearing Jo speak would have thought that she was the one who had been accepted to medical school.

  Kate pursed her lips. “Jo, what about our trip? I was going to start a daily journal of our trip and was thinking of setting up a blog online to document the trip. If I accept, we won’t be able to make it to Alaska now. They want me in Nashville in July. Oh, my God! I still can’t believe this!”

  “Honey, Alaska is not going anywhere.” Jo chuckled. “It will still be there when you’re done with school. Your journal will have to wait. This trip is taking a detour! We’re going to Nashville, Tennessee, for the next four years, woohoo!” Jo made her happy dance again, and it had the same effect on Kate.

  “This is a unique opportunity. If you don’t take it, you will have to compete for a spot next year, and depending on the pool of applicants, you may not get in. You said that yourself. You cannot turn this down.” Jo was thrilled with the news. She came back to the bed and held Kate’s hands. “I told you they would take you. I told you! You’re a great avocado!” Still doing a happy dance, Jo kissed her like a madwoman.

  Kate laughed, still dumbfounded. “Jo, as great as this is, it raises so many issues that I don’t even know where to begin!” Kate got up from the bed and went into the kitchen area.

  Jo followed her. “What issues? I thought we had already discussed everything.”

  “How are we going to pay for this?” Jo smiled when Kate said ‘we’ instead of ‘I.’ She was beginning to think of them as a couple, at last.

  “Why are you smiling? You shouldn’t be! This is not possible! It was stupid of me to send that application.” Kate continued to pace. “We don’t have the money to pay for this or a place to live there, and you don’t have a job. So, I don’t see how this is going to happen! And even if by some miracle it all works out, our trip is ruined!”

  “You’re nervous,” Jo smiled lovingly, “I know because you pace when you are.”

  “You know damn well I’m nervous! I’m terrified!” Kate continued to pace.

  Jo held her still and hugged her. Then held her at arms’ length and said, “you applied for financial aid, didn’t you?”

  “Yes, but I haven’t heard from them yet.”

  “Well, maybe that will come next. They know you need the money to pay for tuition, so they’ll work it out. And don’t you worry about a job for me. I’m placing a few calls tonight, and I’ll find a job in Nashville. We’ll tour California and then head East to Nashville. Alaska will have to wait for us. This is what matters now,” Jo replied in a very conclusive tone.

  “Jo, how can you be so sure about finding a job in Nashville? It takes time to find a job these days. You’re beyond silly with these expectations. It’s just not going to happen, and I will not have you working for ten dollars an hour anywhere so that I can go to school! You’re an engineer and a former Army officer! You are a career woman and should not settle for just anything, not for me, or for anyone!” Kate was definitely nervous, and her tone was in a high pitch.

  “Don’t worry about that. You’ve done your part. I’ll do mine now. I’ll get that job you want for me. Leave that to me.”

  Kate didn’t seem too convinced. “Something else is troubling you. What is it?” Jo asked.

  “Yes, I thought we would have one more year for us. We’ve just started our relationship, and starting school earlier takes time away from us. A time that I thought we would at least have to cement our relationship further before my crazy schedule begins.”

  Jo smiled. “I know, Katie, and I already told you that I’m committed to whatever hardship the next four years bring. We’re a team!” Jo took Kate’s hands and kissed them. “I love you, and nothing is going to change that. I want you to do this, it’s important to you and to me as well. I know that it will take a lot of you, and of us, but I know we can make it.”

  Kate looked her in the eyes. “Okay, but let’s get one thing clear now, if my going to school strains our relationship, I’m quitting. My priorities are clear. I can live with not being a doctor, but I don’t want a life without you. You matter more than any career goal. Are we clear on that?”

  “I don’t know what to say to that! Shit, you leave me speechless sometimes.”

  “You say, ‘yes, Kate, we come first.’”

  “Okay. Yes, Kate, we come first.” Jo repeated. “But we’re not going to drop out just for anything. We’re going to put our best effort going into this, and we’re going to make it happen,” Jo said in her serious, unequivocal commanding tone, which Kate always found to be incredibly hot.

  Kate’s eyes filled with tears. “I hope you’re for real, Jo McCallister, and that I didn’t just dream you. You’re so fucking hot!”

  Jo could never understand that type of reaction from Kate but loved it, and by now knew that whenever Kate made any statement of that sort, they would inevitably end up in bed. Because of that behavior, Jo began to call her ‘mad rabbit.’ The term was in reference to Kate’s statement, when they started their trip, that they would be making love like mad rabbits in the RV on the roads of America.

  ***

  The next day, Jo made a few phone calls to people she knew from her Army days. “Okay, I started the ball rolling. I should be hearing from people any time now.”

  Kate looked at her. “Good luck, baby. The job market is tough. I think that you’re being too optimistic.”

  “And you too pessimistic. I’d like you to know that I’m a very good avocado!”

  Kate shook her head and laughed. “You’re an excellent avocado, but a dreamer like Grams.”

  As they headed to California, Jo received a couple of emails. She saw them when they stopped over for lunch. “Honey—.”

  Kate smiled. “Yesss?”

  “I have good news.”

  “What is it?”

  Jo grinned as she spoke. “I have two job referrals in Nashville, one with the Tennessee Valley Authority, the other with the Army Corp of Engineers. I need to call to set up phone interviews.”

  “You’re kidding, right?” Kate asked in disbelief.

  “I told you, I’d be able to get a job. I have friends in high places,” Jo said, still grinning.

  “What kind of contacts do you have? Do you know any generals or politicians?”

  “Maybe both,” Jo said in jest, and Kate laughed.

  When Jo just smiled and said nothing more, Kate thought she was kidding. The truth was that she knew very little of Jo’s Army days except for those details that she had shared with her and Grams and the occasional mention of one or two things.

  Jo, however, knew that her crede
ntials and Army record would get her a job anywhere. Not only had she graduated at the top of her class in West Point as an engineer, she had also served two tours in Afghanistan with such an exemplary service record that she had been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in less than normal time, that alone was an incredible achievement.

  Jo was also likable. Her superiors and equals liked her, and her subordinates and younger officers admired and respected her. On top of her outstanding career record, Jo had been the recipient of innumerable medals for her service. The truth was that few people had an Army record like hers.

  Jo had never talked about her achievements while in the Army because those events were linked to the awful memories she had tried so hard to put behind. When Kate found her medals in a box tucked in the bottom of a drawer, she was shocked to see how many there were. She took the opportunity, one more time, to ask about the medals in an attempt to open the door to the memories that haunted her.

  “You can keep them if you want them. They mean nothing to me.”

  Kate said nothing and put the medals away, knowing that it would take time for the hurt to go away before Jo could appreciate the value of her achievement. Through the course of their trip, Kate continued to take notes and record every one of Jo’s nightmares, or moments when the topic of her military time had come up, even when Jo had tried to brush off the matter.

  ***

  Jo scheduled her two phone interviews and was offered both positions. True to her calling, Jo preferred the one with the Army Corps of Engineers. The only difference this time was that she would serve in a civilian capacity.

  “I can’t believe that you were offered both jobs!” Kate said amazed.

  “Yes, but I’m going with the engineering one. It’s what I like to do.”

  “But they didn’t even meet with you. How could they’ve hired you just like that?”

  “Let’s just say it’s my natural charm,” Jo grinned.

  “Seriously, Jo, tell me. How is this possible?”

  “Katie. I served under very important people, and they liked the way I did things. If you make me say more, I’ll blush until I turn purple, and I don’t look good in purple.”