Mitch was quiet for a while, then he said, “Yeah. Wow. That’s tough to think about.” He rubbed Courtney’s thigh, and pulled her closer. She’d never had a male person in her life to be with her, to take care of her, to care for her. This was something new, something brand new, and it felt wonderful.
It felt safe.
“So,” he paused, “what do we have to do?”
Courtney looked up at Mitch, at his beautiful eyes and those lashes she still couldn’t believe covered the eyes of a boy who wanted to look at her.
“We?” she asked, feeling her throat close up again.
“Of course, ‘we.’ Court, I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a very long time.” He never let her go, continued touching her, letting her know he was serious. “I didn’t get into this just to fool around. I told you what I thought the first time I saw you. I want to be with you. So, I’m going to ask you again, what do we have to do?”
Courtney relaxed enough to explain everything about hemochromatosis and what she had learned from Dr. Rhetler, and she told Mitch that they would have to start the blood removal procedure beginning on Monday. She told him that Jenna was scheduling their appointments.
“So it’s as easy as that – we just need to make sure your iron counts are lowered each week by having blood removed?” Mitch asked.
“Gosh, you make it sound so simple,” Courtney exhaled.
“We’ll make it simple,” he said. “I promise you, we’ll make it simple and I’ll be with you the whole way through. You want to know why?”
“Why?” she asked.
“Because I’m really, really falling in love with you.”
Chapter 38
By the time Jenna finished her third Blue Moon, she had a lead on a new apartment that Clay promised would not look like a hotel scene out of The Hangover. She also had an interview with Clay’s boss, the owner of Klippy’s, for a part-time job waitressing.
“But I’ve never served anything but a tennis ball!” Her words were a bit slurred, but she didn’t care if she had a buzz-on; she was finally relaxed and enjoying herself.
“You’ll be fine,” Clay said, “You’re smarter than three-fourths of the girls serving burgers here.”
“You’re not giving me much credit. Only three-fourths of them?”
“I just met you,” Clay said.
Jenna laughed. It was a pure good laugh. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much. She needed a night like this – a night to go out and forget the crap she had been dealing with. She hadn’t thought about Darren or her mother or the disease that could be eating up her insides, or the fact that her sister was at her dorm fooling around with that goon of hers.
She was just out drinking beers, listening to great music and talking to a very nice guy. A guy who looked very good in his form-fitting Klippy's work shirt. A guy with great hair, sparkling hazel eyes, and just the right amount of stubble on a perfect chin. A guy who happened to be off work now, sitting next to Jenna, telling her she could serve burgers and beers to college students.
“Well, if you think I’m qualified.”
“You’re more than qualified, but if you’re just looking for a part-time job to get you through for a little while, Doug will absolutely talk to you. Give me your number, and I’ll set it up for you to come in early next week.”
“You’ve been so kind to me. You have no idea the crap I’ve been dealing with,” Jenna said.
“Uh, yeah I have. Remember when I was on the other side of the bar playing your therapist for the last two hours?” Clay nudged Jenna playfully and her bar seat swiveled. “You told me everything.”
“Oh yeah, I guess I did,” Jenna laughed.
And she had, but she didn’t care. She told him about her breakup with Darren, and how uncertain she was and how out of character it had been of her. She told him of her mother’s unexpected death. His father had recently passed away, and in honor of them losing parents they both did tequila shots, him saying, ‘Our parents would have wanted it this way,’ as he slugged his shot. She mentioned she was in town to have some medical tests done with her sister. She knew he was a good listener because he didn’t ask things he shouldn’t and he nodded intently.
“Are you up for one more?” he asked, eyeing her empty glass.
“I don’t know, that might put me over the edge. This is my first night in town.”
“Ah, come on. If you're going to be hanging around, you need to get back to fighting weight.”
“Does this arm look like it needs much twisting?” She lifted her arm and Clay grabbed it playfully, twisted it back behind her. The bar stool swiveled all the way around and when it came back, Clay placed his hands on her knees.
“So yeah? One more?” The music switched and Your Body is a Wonderland by John Mayer flowed through the speakers. Clay moved one hand slowly on her knee in mindless circles as he talked to her, and Jenna felt an electric jolt shoot through her body. His eyes were on hers.
"One more?" he asked again, his hands still on her knees.
“Yeah, I can do one more.”
“Did you know he wrote this song about Jennifer Love Hewitt? When they were dating? At least I think he did.”
“No way! I can't even imagine!”
Clay lifted one hand from her knee but left one hand on her other knee, and Jenna felt the heat follow up her thigh, something she was not prepared for. It felt good, yes, but also confusing to her. Clay motioned for the other bartender to bring them two more beers and then the music turned to something less take-me-to-bed and he moved his hands from her knees.
With his hands off her body, Jenna wasn’t sure if she felt relief or not.
“So,” Jenna asked, “You’re not still a student are you?”
“What are you saying? That I look old?”
“Not old, just mature.”
“Nice way to save your ass on that one, Miss Jenna. Actually, I’m in grad school, getting my MBA in Business. I took a few years off to find myself.”
“And did you?”
He laughed. “I'm working on it.”
The beers arrived and they clinked their glasses in a toast. “Tell me about it. Here’s to finding ourselves.”
“I’ll drink to that,” Clay said. “To finding ourselves.”
“And new friends,” Jenna added.
“Definitely,” Clay winked at her. “To finding new friends.”
Chapter 39
“We’re going to call it a session, from now on, it’s simply a ‘session,’ like a visit to the spa.” Courtney announced that morning. It was Monday, their first time going to get their blood removed and it was hard to tell who was more nervous.
“That works for me,” Jenna said.
They were at breakfast, and Mitch was with them, even though Jenna didn’t want him along, but she needed to realize she was infringing on her sister’s life now, and Mitch was obviously a big part of it, and he was going to be around. Jenna suggested they go off campus for breakfast though; she was not going to succumb to dorm food while she was there, so they were at the Village Place, and were waiting for their omelets.
“I think calling it a session is a great idea, Court,” Mitch reached over and held onto her hand, and Courtney smiled at him. Jenna rolled her eyes. Courtney frowned at her sister. She was tired of her sister being such an obvious bitch to Mitch. She knew how much he cared for her and Jenna was being just plain rude.
When Jenna rolled in at two a.m. Friday, she found Courtney’s room empty. So the next morning when Courtney went back to her room, Jenna had some things to say to Courtney about her not being there. Jenna’s first night, and the girls were already fighting.
“Why didn’t you come to your room last night?” Jenna asked.
“What do you care? You’re not in charge of me. Besides, I was being considerate of you so you could have the room to yourself!” Courtney countered.
“Is this even allowed? You’re the RA!” Jenna said.
“Look, Jenna, let’s get some things straight here. This is my life. You’re here and I truly do appreciate it. I’m so thankful that we’re going to do this together. But I want to spend time with Mitch and I’m going to do what I want to do.
“I was being considerate to you by staying in his room. If you don’t like it, you’re welcome to find another place,” Courtney finished and stared down her sister, hands on her hips.
That’s when Jenna told Courtney about meeting Clay at Klippy's, and the possible apartment she was going to see over the weekend, and the interview Clay was setting up for her. She didn’t mention the knee touches or the flirting, or Clay's hazel eyes and his great build. She didn't mention his sexy stubble or the dimple in his chin, or how she felt when he had walked her to her car at two in the morning. How she almost wanted him to kiss her. And the feelings of disappointment when he’d only hugged her goodbye.
“I didn’t mean for you to find a place so soon,” Courtney said, feeling sad and guilty for suggesting she should find an apartment immediately.
“No, come on. I don’t want to live in a dorm. Those kids are so freaking loud. The music they play is obnoxious. They’re already driving me crazy,” Jenna said.
“Remy and JT think you’re hot,” Courtney teased.
So that had been Saturday morning, and now it was breakfast on Monday, and later, they would be going for their first ‘session.’
Their omelets arrived and they dug in. The girls had been instructed to eat a hearty meal before having their blood drawn and they were also supposed to make sure they were very hydrated prior. Other than a big meal and plenty of liquids, there wasn’t much else to do. At this stage, Dr. Rhetler said there was no additional medications necessary, and they wouldn’t need to go in for an evaluation until the first of the year. Dr. Rhetler added that their case was the most basic she had seen and she had been pleased with the initial results. She was expecting the girls would need two to four months of treatment and then a follow-up appointment should show their iron counts will have regulated. There was no worse-case scenario when it came to the Haddonfield girls.
“Mitch, Courtney tells me you transferred from State this year? How come?” Jenna asked.
Mitch finished chewing and then took a long swallow of his orange juice. “Well, it was a combination of things. I wanted to focus more on music, and there was some family stuff too.”
Courtney looked up from her plate. “Family stuff?”
“Yeah, nothing major, but it just made sense for everyone.”
“Really?” Jenna’s eyebrows rose. She knew there was something ‘iffy’ about this guy. “What kind of family stuff?”
“Jenna! That’s none of your business!” Courtney scowled. “God, you’re so annoying.”
Mitch remained quiet. Courtney figured he would tell her later. Instead, he said, “Should we get the check and head over to the hospital?”
**
Jenna and Courtney sat side by side at the hospital, on separate lounge-like chairs, waiting for their first session. Courtney really wanted Mitch to come in with them, but the nurses wouldn’t allow it, so he kissed her and sat in the waiting room with the latest Sports Illustrated.
“Good luck girls,” he smiled at both of them when they left to go into the room.
Jenna had the good sense to smile back and say thanks.
Now, Jenna and Courtney had their sleeves rolled up and their veins checked. Their arms were cleaned with iodine and the nurses chatted between themselves as if Jenna and Courtney weren’t even there.
“What’s your name?” Jenna asked the one rubbing vigorously at her arm.
“Oh darlin’ I’m sorry, I’m Tish.”
“Thanks Tish, I like to know who’s going to be stabbing me.”
“Oh honey, it’s not going to be that bad! I promise you. And this here is Sadie. She’ll be taking care of your sister.”
“Hi Sadie,” Courtney smiled.
“Hi sweetie,” Sadie said as she continued to rub at Courtney’s arm. “You girls plan on donating this blood?”
“Sure, yes,” Courtney answered.
“That’s wonderful. You know one pint can save up to three lives, so you’ll be doing a wonderful thing here. Taking care of yourselves and also helping save others in the process!” Tish said.
“Are we almost ready?” Jenna asked. “I’m not a big fan of needles.”
“Yep, and once it’s in, it only takes about ten minutes,” Sadie said.
“That’s all?” Courtney asked.
“That’s all,” Tish said, and gave each girl a small squishy ball. “Both ya’ll, hold these and squeeze your fist for a minute.” Tish and Sadie continued to prep the girls by tying tourniquets around their forearms and finding their veins. Needles slid into veins, and Jenna said, “Ouch” while Courtney closed her eyes and mentally recited, relax, relax, relax.
“There!” Tish said. “That’s it. Loosen up your fist, and relax your breathing.”
“That’s it?” Jenna asked. “That’s all we have to do?”
“Lie back and look pretty, and we’ll take care of the rest. You’ll be done in about seven minutes or so, by the looks on how fast your blood is flowing.”
“Where?” Jenna sat up and attempted to look.
“No!” Tish said. “You don’t want to look. It might make you woozy. Try to relax.”
“Okay.”
“Courtney,” Sadie asked, “How are you feeling?”
“I’m good.” Courtney lay back, her eyes closed, and she thought about Mitch and his music, and imagined him playing the guitar for her, imagined she was lying in bed with him, his body next to hers, warm and strong. She felt nothing but relaxed.
“Okay girls, we are almost done. A couple minutes more.” Tish said in a hushed tone. Then, she noticed Jenna shivering. “Jenna, you cold?”
“A little.”
“Let me get you a warm blanket.”
Tish covered Jenna with a blanket, and then Jenna began crying. It was just a smattering of tears but she couldn’t stop them. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to, it’s just… I can’t stop thinking about my mom. If only she… if we knew about this for her… she might be alive right now.”
Courtney wanted to reach out to Jenna, but her arm was strapped down and it had a needle in it. She wished this was over with so she could go to her sister, and tears sprung to her eyes too. “Are we almost done?”
Courtney knew they had thrown Tish and Sadie for a loop with their tears but it had been something so spur of the moment, something uncontrollable. Neither had thought that this would bring up such emotions.
The blood bags must have filled because just as quickly as their tears started, Tish and Sadie unhooked the needles and bags, lifted their arms, and put bandages on their vein sites. Jenna and Courtney reached for one another and hugged and cried. No one would understand the emotion of what they were going through. The fact that what they had just experienced would help keep them alive, and the fact that had their mother known about it, it could have very well saved her life too was an emotional drain they couldn't comprehend.
They spent a few moments gathering themselves, thanked Tish and Sadie, and walked out to the waiting room, where Mitch sat, a look of love and concern on his face.
Courtney’s heart flipped.
Chapter 40
Courtney and Mitch met up after classes and were walking in the quad when Mitch stopped her and said, “So, you know I’m not very close with my family, right?”
“You don’t really mention them all that much.”
“It’s just, that’s part of the reason I transferred. Your sister was asking at breakfast the other day. I wanted you to know.”
“You don’t have to tell me, or her, anything.”
“I want to. I’ve told you what it was like being the oldest of five, and the only boy in the family. When my younger sister wanted to go to an expensive art school, I told my parents I’d move clo
ser to home, finish up school here, so my sister could go where she wanted.”
“Wow, that’s pretty incredible.”
“Yeah, but, I also wanted to focus more on music, so while I was saving them money, this school has a better music department. Plus, look what I got out of the transfer.” He pulled her into a hug.
“I get bitter sometimes, that it was always me making the sacrifices for all my sisters growing up. Like, when was it going to be my turn, you know? But whatever. It is what it is.”
“Families are difficult, but they all love you, right?”
“Sometimes I wonder. They’re a crazy bunch. My mom is so involved in everything the girls do – dance, art, gymnastics, volleyball. Sometimes I think it’s really easy for her to forget she even has a son. Especially now that I’m away. And Dad, he’s always been a workaholic. I was never the sports guy, so yeah, it was easy to be forgotten growing up.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It is what it is. But I wanted you to know. That’s kind of why I ended up here, and that’s why my family’s a little whacked.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Courtney said.
“You’re welcome. Hey, I’m going to go practice with the guys from Music Theory. You want to come?”
“Nah, I’ve got to study for a sociology test. Boring.”
“See you later?” he asked.
“Yes.”
He leaned down to kiss her and then tapped her on the hip. “I’ll stop by your room when I get back to the dorm.”
**
Courtney was studying when there was a knock on her door. She wondered who was fighting with whom, or who was burning what because if it was Mitch, he would have just walked in. Besides, she knew he was still jamming with the guys from his Music Theory class. It wasn’t Jenna because she was working. Courtney was thrilled her sister managed to find a job and a cool apartment so quickly. This Clay guy sounded great – he’d already done so much for her sister.
What She Left Us Page 11
