“WHOA!”

Marcy has never been good at hiding how she feels, and seeing her brother plant one on my sobbing face in the hallway of the ER makes her shriek.

When I pull back to look, I see it’s not just Marce’s wide eyes looking at us, a few doors down, Maddie is peering out of her room.

“Oh!”

Rob hasn’t stopped looking at me despite the commotion, and I have to get his attention to turn to the right by moving his head with my hand. When he sees Maddison, he lets me go fast.

I wipe my eyes quickly so she doesn’t think I’m upset. Rob, makes his best attempt at damage control as he heads for her room, “Oh, hey, um, Aim is here! I was really happy to see her.”

Maddison’s face has an expression on it I haven’t seen before, I’ve seen her angry, confused, happy, but this was a totally new face that I couldn’t read. It suddenly dawns on me I should have checked with her before falling so hard for her Dad. I don’t want to do anything she doesn’t want.

I try to follow Rob, but Marcy grabs my wrist and slows me down. I watch father and daughter disappear in the room as my best friend hisses in my ear.

“What was that?”

“We, we’re.. sort of…”

“Shut the fuck up!”

As mean as it sounded, Marce was elated. I don’t know why Rob always thought she’d feel like he was taking her friend. She knew how great it felt to be wanted, and she wanted it for me our whole lives. Now I think she’s as thrilled as I am...or as thrilled as I used to be. I try not to burst her bubble too hard.

“But we haven’t said anything to Maddie yet. Do you think she’s upset about it?” I turn my worried eyes back to the empty open doorway.

Marce’s laugh is way too loud for the hall of a hospital, “PLEASE! All she’s done is ask where you are for the last thirty minutes.”

“Really?”

“Go.”

Marce is pointing to Maddie’s room like an overly strict teacher, I half expect her toe to start tapping. I obey and slink into the doorway. Maddison is back in bed, her Dad’s orders, no doubt. I give her a little wave, “Hey princess, how’s your arm feel?”

“Better.”

There’s that expression I can’t read again. It makes my stomach sink.

“Oh, good. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to, you know that right?”

“I know.”

A nurse bustles into the room and saves me, she has papers in her hand, “Okay, you folks are free to go.”

Rob steps up and fires off his signature on each page. Maddison jumps off the metal bed, obviously more than ready to go, “Where are my headphones?”

I look around until I spot them on a back counter and hand them over, her next question stumps me for a bit, “I can’t raise this arm, will you put them in for me?”

I stare at the tiny earbuds and then back at her. I practice holding them with the tips of my fingers – trying to figure out how this was going to work.

Then I remember what’s in my purse.

“Oh! Hold on!”

I dig in my bag until I finally find the fuzzy pink prize I’m looking for. When I saw them in the store the week before I bought them on a whim. I had no idea if it would work, but I figured it was worth a try.

I show her the big soft sparkly winter gloves, “Can I do it with these? Would that work?”

She thinks hard and finally decides they’re acceptable, “Okay.”

I pull them on and grab the little earbuds. I move slowly, still not sure if she would have a negative reaction even with my hands covered in the thick pink fabric. But she doesn’t react at all, she remains stoic and calm as I fit them into her ears.

I don’t think I was breathing during the entire process, because I let out a big sigh when I’m done, “There!”

“Thank you. Can we go?” Before I can say ‘yes’ she reaches out and takes my hand. I freeze, looking down at her tiny hand inside the fuzzy pink monstrosity on my right one. It feels so strange – and so great.

“S- sure. I think so.” That’s when I look over to see if Rob is done with the nurse. He is, and he’s staring at me with his mouth hanging open. I know that look in his eyes and I start to silently beg him not to try to kiss me right now.

I can’t look at him anymore, so I turn to Marce who also has her mouth hanging open, but at least I know she doesn’t want to make out, “Um, can we go?”

Rob answers for her though, “Yeah, yeah, sure.”

Maddison doesn’t hesitate at all, pulling my hand, guiding me through the door and down the hall. Rob has picked up his jaw and is now grinning at me like an idiot. I can’t help but love it. When we get to the Charger she finally released my hand to climb into her car seat, and then she sits there giving me a look like she’s expecting something. I don’t know what it is so I just start my goodbyes, “Okay princess, I’ll see you soon.”

“Will you buckle me?”

“Oh, sure.” My instinct is to hesitate before I remember I have on the magic gloves. I still make sure my arms don’t brush her, but I maneuver her belt on without any issues. Once again, I breath and smile, I’m actually super proud this little idea has worked so well, “Okay! Bye, princess! I’ll see- “

“You aren’t going home?” I recognize this expression, disappointment.

“Oh, yeah, I am.”

“With us?”

I’m a little confused, but I try to clarify, “To my house.”

“Why?”

“Because… I live there.”

“Why?”

I’m totally at a loss now. I look over to Rob, but all he has to offer me is a shrug. Thanks.

“I don’t know what you mean, princess.”

“Why do you live there? Why don’t you live with us?”

“Oh… I… I have an apartment…” I start to try and remember if she banged her head when she fell. But the expression I couldn’t place comes across her features and her next question puts everything together in a way that tears out my heart.

“But you’re my mom now.”

“I...”

Robs voice comes from behind me, “Give us a minute hon, okay? Play your music?”

She shrugs and starts to gab at her phone, “Okay.”

He closes her door and I start to spew, “I’m sorry about that, I guess she saw you kiss me and,”

“It’s not just that. She loves you. I know how she feels.” I blink. Did he just say what I think he did? He continues, “Maybe you could come over for a while, just for her?”

All of a sudden, Marcy’s laugh cuts through the parking lot, “HA!” Nothing is funny, it’s the laugh of a sister’s sarcasm. It makes Rob crack a smile and fess up, “Okay fine, for me too.”

“Oh sure. Yeah.”

When he walks me over to my car and we are well out of earshot and eyesight of his little sister and Maddie, he finally gets to let out that kiss that had been building in him since the emergence of my pink gloves. In fact, I forget I still have them on when I reach up and hold his face with the fuzzy palms. I expect him to say something romantic when he pulls away. Not, “What the fuck?!”

I open my eyes and see he’s not looking at me anymore.