Chapter 36 (Jasper)
It took Mandy two weeks to be discharged from the hospital. As soon as they gave her the okay to go home, I was there with my car, ready to get her some decent food.
“Are you sure you want to go back to the cottage?” I asked her as I pushed her wheelchair.
“Yes.”
“ if something happens, we’re too far from the hospital.”
“Nothing’s going to happen.” She answered, voice confident. “As long as you’re by my side, I know nothing can hurt me.”
I smiled, kissing the top of her head. “That’s right.”
She nuzzled against me. “ let’s go home. Of course, if you don’t want me in your cottage anymore…”
“Don’t be silly.” I laughed. “I always want you there. It makes me happy to have you by my side.”
There was a hint of doubt on her face.
“Mandy, is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine.”
“Okay, everyone knows that when a girl says she’s ‘fine’ that means she’s not fine.”
“Seriously. I’m fine.”
“Mandy.”
She sighed. “I’m sure scared that you’ll get bored of me and ask me to leave. I know when I first met you, I kept trying to push you away. I was so fixated on being independent that it frightened me to have someone to depend on.”
“There’s nothing for you to be afraid of, Mandy. I love you.” I kissed her lips ever so gently. “ stop worrying, okay?”
“I’ll try.”
“How about this? We get some really nice Chinese food, bring it back to the cottage, and then eat it on the porch together. I’m sure Wolf would appreciate some General Tsao’s chicken.”
She laughed. “He appreciates anything that is even mildly edible.”
“You’re right about that.”
“Anyway, how does that sound?”
“Perfect.” She smiled up at me. The sight of her perfect smile sent my heart rocketing through my chest. It was one of the reasons why I had fallen in love with her.
“Do you know what Chinese place you’d want to order from?” I asked, absentmindedly navigating my way through the maze of corridors. Of course, most hospitals are set up to make it extremely easy to get lost.
Despite having a great sense of direction, I still managed to lose my way.
“How about New China? They have really good Crab Ragoons.”
“Do you ever wonder about Chinese Restaurants?”
“What do you mean?” She asked, tilting her head to the side.
“I mean, why New China? What happened to the old China?”
Mandy shook her head at my attempt at humor.
“You’re such a goofball sometimes. For someone who is an ex-SEAL and owns his own multi-billion-dollar company, you aren’t afraid to act silly every once in a while, and I love that about you.”
“We all have to laugh sometimes,” I said, messing up her hair.
“Hey!”
I laughed. “See? Like that expression on your face? It was priceless.”
“That wasn’t very nice. I just got shot.”
I frowned. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
“How would messing up my hair hurt me?” She shook her head. “You worry too much.”
“Well, you mean a lot to me. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
She smiled, patting my hand. “I’m okay. Really. The doctor said remember?”
“Right.” I nodded my head in agreement. “Sorry, I guess you could say that I’m a little overprotective.”
“A little? That’s an understatement.”
“Alright. Alright. I worry about you a lot, okay? it’s only because I care.”
“I know you do.” She pulled on my shirt.
I stopped in the middle of the hallway to look down at her.
She smiled that heartwarming smile before leaning forward ever so slightly, letting our lips collide. “Mmm, I can’t wait to get home and have you all to myself again.”
“Have you missed me?”
“Mhm.” She answered with this mischievous look on her face.
Already, I was thinking of all the things I wanted to do to her once she was back home. Recently, I had craved her like never before. I had to remember to be gentle with her. She might be okay to leave the hospital but she wasn’t ready for any strenuous activities just yet.
“Jasper, where are we going?”
During the course of our conversation, I had gotten us lost. Unwilling to admit I had done this, I had pushed her around in circles for the last fifteen minutes, hoping she wouldn’t notice.
“Yeah, about that…”
“We’re lost, aren’t we?”
“Maybe.”
“Why haven’t you asked anyone for directions.”
“Do you remember what elevator we are supposed to take? I think we need to take an elevator to get out of here.”
“How am I supposed to know? I’ve been lying on a hospital bed for the past two weeks. I barely know what color the sky is anymore.”
“That’s dramatic.”
“You try being cooped up on the same old bed for two weeks.”
“Have you forgotten that I was in here not too long ago?”
“Oh right…” She looked down, a bit ashamed of her response. “I didn’t mean…”
“Don’t worry about it. I know you’re probably a little crabby. The beds are uncomfortable and the food sucks.”
“Tell me about it.”
“ how do we get out of here?” I looked around for a sign that might help but every time I walked up to a directory, the arrows pointed in a million and one directions. “This is ridiculous. I toured through the Middle East without a problem but I can’t seem to find my way around a hospital.”
“It’s almost like they are designed to make you feel lost and confused.”
“Exactly.” I agreed. “It’s a fucking maze in here.”
Just then, Andy appeared. “Hey, I thought I had missed you guys. I went to Mandy’s room but it was empty.”
“Yeah, they discharged her today.”
“Then why are you guys headed toward the maternity ward?” Andy asked, tilting his head in question.
“Uh…” I looked around, trying to come up with a suitable excuse. “We were just…”
“If you are looking for the cafeteria, it’s just down the hall, take a left.”
“Wait, there’s a cafeteria?”
“Of course there’s a cafeteria.” Andy chuckled. “Is that why you always sent me to get the food? You had no idea where it was, did you?” He shook his head. “He was always horrible with directions. Let me guess, you two have been wandering around the hospital for the last thirty minutes.”
“Pretty much.” Mandy chimed in.
“Hey! You weren’t supposed to tell him that.” I protested.
“Come on, the exit is this way.”
I hesitated. My pride was wounded.
“Jasper. Come on. I want to get out of here already.”
With a sigh, I followed my friend, secretly grateful that he had come to our rescue.