chapter FIFTY-FIVE
Curtis reclined in the chair in Lorrie’s room, the television on above him, but he wasn’t paying any attention to what was on. The night nurse had come in to check Lorrie’s vitals, chatting with him for a few minutes before leaving them alone. He could see the woman standing outside the window at the station by the door, doing something on the computer. Since they were in the ICU, there was a nurse assigned to Lorrie all day and night, which made him feel a little better.
The only thing that would make him feel a lot better was if she would get well. He wasn’t sure he’d ever been this scared in his entire life, and things between them hadn’t always been easy. Until now, until this very instance, Curtis didn’t think he’d ever been so afraid. Considering the doctors still didn’t know what was causing the problem and Lorrie didn’t seem to be getting any better, the only thing they could do was sit and wait. And pray.
He reached for Lorrie’s diary that was sitting on the window ledge beside him. Just seeing the book made him smile. He remembered when she’d first told him how she had kept a diary since that first day they’d met. It had affected him profoundly to know that she’d somehow known that them meeting would be life changing for both of them.
And boy, had it been.
Opening the book, he scanned the first couple of entries, and he found himself reading her entry from his seventeenth birthday.
Sunday, October 21, 1962
Curtis Walker is the best kisser in the world. Not that I have much to compare it to since he’s the only boy I have ever kissed. He’s also the only boy I ever want to kiss.
For his birthday, he said the only thing he wanted was to kiss me. I was hesitant at first, but then I let him. And as soon as he did, I didn’t want him to stop. I can still feel how smooth his lips were against mine. I can still hear the rumble of his chest as he kissed me. That soft growling sound was so sexy. It was like I’ve seen in movies, only better. A lot better.
Oh, I almost forgot! After he kissed me, the best thing happened. Curtis asked me to go steady!! I still can’t believe it, but I’m Curtis’s girlfriend now. My tummy feels all fluttery just thinking about it. I don’t know if I should tell anyone, though. I’m not sure what Momma and Daddy will say. I don’t want them to tell me I can’t see him, so for now, I think I’ll keep the news to myself.
I can’t wait to see him tomorrow.
That day would forever be imprinted on his brain. He skimmed a few more pages, then his eyes caught on the first sentence of the entry from Sunday, October 28, 1962. That would’ve been a week later.
Have I mentioned how great a kisser Curtis is? He’s amazing. I never thought I’d ever say that about a boy, and certainly not him. While I’m sitting here in my bedroom, the only thing I can think about is him. I wish he would come over to see me. I’d even be willing to sneak out the window just to spend some time with him. When I think about lying with him in the grass, kissing him for hours, I hate that I’m not with him. The way he makes me feel is so incredible. Have I mentioned I love him?
When he stopped reading, he realized he was smiling. Closing his eyes, he thought back to that day, but he didn’t get far into the memory before he heard Lorrie’s voice.
“What’re you thinking about over there?”
He looked over to find her peering back at him, her head turned, a small smile on her face. She was still pale, with dark circles beneath her eyes, but even then, she was the most beautiful woman in the world. The mother of his children. The woman who had tolerated him all these years, forgiven him even when he wasn’t sure he deserved it.
Rather than get up, he simply watched her. “All those days I spent kissin’ you for hours and hours,” he told her. “That’s what I’m thinkin’ about.”
Her smile widened, and as with every smile she offered him, he fell in love a little more.
Lorrie watched her husband as she had for the past few minutes. When she’d first opened her eyes, she had sought him out. It was a natural instinct after having been together for so long. She knew without a doubt that Curtis would be by her side during the times when she needed him most, and now was one of those times.
At first, when she’d seen him with his eyes closed, she’d thought he was asleep in the recliner. He’d looked so peaceful. Then she’d noticed he was holding her diary in his hand, and she’d known he was probably reliving one of their days together.
It didn’t surprise her that he was thinking of their first kiss. She thought about that day often. It felt like so long ago, but at the same time, it was like it was yesterday.
“I remember that day,” she said quietly, allowing the memories to come back. “I was so nervous.”
“Sexy nervous,” he noted.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure there wasn’t anything sexy about me back then.”
“On the contrary.” His grin was slow and warm. “Every single thing about you was sexy. Still is.”
The man always knew the right things to say.
Lorrie peered over at the window to the hall, noticing the nurse was standing there. The same sweet girl who’d been with her at night since they’d moved her to ICU. She turned her attention back to Curtis.
“Did they say anything more?”
Curtis shook his head, then put the recliner stool down and got to his feet. He came to stand beside the bed, placing his big, warm hand on top of hers.
“Not yet. They’re doing more blood tests. They’ll be by to draw more blood in a few hours, like usual.”
Lorrie sighed. “I just want to feel better.”
“I know, darlin’. We all want that.”
“Are the boys still camped out in the waiting room?” Although she spent most of her time in a medicated fog, she recalled the voices of her boys as they would come to visit throughout the day. Since they couldn’t seem to pinpoint what was wrong with her and she was still battling the vomiting more often than not, the doctor had mentioned the possibility of a viral infection. The last thing Lorrie wanted was for one of them to get it, so they were keeping their distance but apparently not leaving the hospital.
“They are.”
“Did you spend any time with them today?”
Curtis smiled. “A little. Kaleb brought Mason by since he was going crazy wanting to see his Meemaw. He had to settle for seein’ me.”
Lorrie chuckled lightly. She seriously doubted that was a disappointment. Mason loved his Pawpaw.
As her eyes grew heavy again, she held on to Curtis’s hand, watching him as she once again drifted off, escaping the pain for a little while longer.