by TJ Thomas
“Why?”
“Because, if you’re with me, you risk losing your grandchildren and ripping your family apart.”
Rhonda pressed her lips together, trying to gather her thoughts. “Julie is going to have to come to terms with that on her own. Before anything happened between us, we were friends. And even if all you’ll allow me to be is your friend, then I’m going to do that. You’re going to need someone with you when they let you out of here. Your head injury was severe enough that they won’t let you out of here without someone who can watch for changes. Both Amy and Randi have to work. I’m going to take you home with me and take care of you. Amy and I have already discussed it. You can’t fight me on this one.”
Jo laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. “I don’t want to fight you at all.” Then Jo said so softly Rhonda almost missed it, “And I don’t only want to be friends.” Within moments, Jo’s breathing deepened and she drifted off to sleep.
*
When Barbara and Amy walked in the next morning, Jo was still sleeping. “Hi,” Rhonda whispered, hoping to not wake Jo. “What are you doing here?”
Barbara said, “We came to check on you both, and I’m here to take you to breakfast. Don’t argue. We all know you haven’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday. Amy will stay with Jo.”
Rhonda hesitated. She didn’t want to leave Jo even though she was out of the woods.
Rhonda hadn’t noticed Jo had woken up until she spoke. “Go ahead, Rhonda. Amy can hold down the fort until you get back. We can’t have you getting sick.”
“Okay, okay. I’ve been outvoted.” She wanted to kiss Jo but settled on squeezing her hand. “I’ll be back soon.”
“Okay.”
Once Rhonda and Barbara left the room, Amy sat lightly on the edge of the bed, facing Jo. “Hi, friend.”
“Hey.”
“You look like crap.”
“Thanks, I noticed.”
“So, how do you feel? For real, don’t pull any macho crap on me.”
“Honestly, not great. You remember when I hit my head on the goal post diving for a ball sophomore year?”
“Of course I remember,” Amy said wincing at the memory.
“It’s like that, only this time it feels like six defenders trampled my body with their cleats on as I lay on the field unconscious.”
“Painful.”
“Yeah, pretty much. Don’t tell Rhonda, okay?”
Amy looked surprised. “Why on earth not?”
“She’ll worry.”
“I’m going to let that pass because you’re in legitimate pain. Otherwise I’d have to tell you that you’re an ass.”
“What?”
“Rhonda was terrified yesterday. She’s going to worry regardless. If she thinks you’re keeping something from her it won’t help her. She’ll just feel shut out and worry about whether you’re pulling away from her.”
“I wouldn’t do that.”
“Does she know that? You did move out.”
“I did that so she wouldn’t be torn away from her grandkids. Do you think any part of that was easy for me?”
“Don’t tell me. I watched your ass mope around missing her. Tell her.”
*
Dr. Robbins strode down the hallway as Rhonda and Barbara approached Jo’s room, meeting them at Jo’s door. “Good morning, ladies. Jo, it’s nice to see you awake.”
“Good morning, Doctor. You’re here to tell me I can go home, I hope.”
“As a matter of fact, I would like to look you over one more time, but if everything checks out, then that is exactly what I will tell you.”
Amy stood up. “Barbara and I will wait outside. We’ll drive you two home when you’re ready.”
Jo moved to the side of the bed Amy had just vacated and hung her legs over the side. “What do I need to do?”
Dr. Robbins ran through the exam quickly and efficiently. “Okay, looks like you are good to go. No strenuous activities until you see me for a follow-up in ten days. I don’t want to give you anything too strong for the pain because of the head injury. You can take ibuprofen or acetaminophen. If those don’t help, let me know and we’ll try something else. Also, if you experience any of the symptoms we talked about such as the dizziness, double vision, or your headache gets worse, I want to know about it right away.”
“You got it. Just one question, does the ban on strenuous activities include sex?”
Dr. Robbins looked between them. Rhonda blushed. “Gentle lovemaking should be fine in a day or two as long as you listen to your body and don’t overdo it.”
“That’s excellent, thank you, Doctor.” Jo stood and shook her hand. “I’ll see you in ten days.”
The doctor left and Jo turned to Rhonda. But before she could say anything Rhonda beat her to the punch. “What was that?”
Jo didn’t pretend to not know what she was talking about. “I just wanted to cover my bases. If you’re going to insist on taking me home, I just want to know where I would stand, medically, if I can’t keep my hands off you. It seems like forever since I touched you.”
“That was the decision you made.”
“Rhonda…” Jo looked hurt and Rhonda softened.
“Is this really where you want to have this conversation?”
“Good point. Let’s go home.”
“Uh, you might want to change first.”
Jo looked at herself. She still wore the hospital gown. “Good idea.”
Rhonda produced the bag of clothes Randi had put together for Jo while Jo took off the gown. Rhonda gasped when she saw the bruises on Jo’s shoulder and chest that the gown had been concealing. “Oh my God, Jo, that must hurt so badly.”
Jo shrugged with her good shoulder. “It looks worse than it feels.” When she saw tears threatening to spill, she stepped to Rhonda and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around her. “I’m okay. I promise.”
Rhonda lay her head on Jo’s uninjured shoulder and let her world right itself in Jo’s warm embrace. She sighed deeply. “I’ve missed you, Jo.”
Jo pulled back only far enough so she could see Rhonda. “I missed you too.” Before Rhonda could say anything more, Jo continued. “Now let’s get out of here. I want a real shower and some of your pancakes, if it’s not too much trouble.”
“As many as you want.”
*
Jo eventually got her pancakes and a bath, but most of Tuesday was a blur. Her energy zapped quickly regardless of what she tried to do. By Wednesday morning though, she started to regain some of her stamina, although the body aches were worse. She never said a word to Rhonda about the pain.
She called her boss and he told her to take her time getting back to work. If she felt up to it, she could work from home but he understood she needed to get her strength back and take care of things like finding a new vehicle. He didn’t expect her back to the office until next week at the earliest.
Rhonda could see Jo was in pain by how gingerly she moved, but Jo said nothing. Whenever she asked if Jo wanted anything, meds, an ice pack, or anything, Jo just waved her off saying she was fine. Her frustration grew and finally she couldn’t contain it any longer. “Jo, why the hell won’t you let me help you?”
“Whoa, what are you talking about?” Jo seemed genuinely confused.
“I can see you’re in pain. Why are you trying to hide it? Why won’t you let me get you the things that will help take some of the pain away? Why won’t you let me take care of you? Damn it, I need you to let me take care of you.”
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“That might be the dumbest thing you’ve ever said to me. Of course I’m going to worry. You’re hurt and in pain. I worry more when you try to hide that from me because I don’t know how bad it really is. I can tell it’s worse than you let on. Why are you trying to keep the truth from me?”
Jo looked at Rhonda and then away. Rhonda wasn’t sure Jo was going to answer. Then she looked back and met her gaze
. “I’m sorry, Rhonda. I’m not used to having to depend on anyone else. I’m not used to having anyone take care of me. It’s not something I’m very comfortable with. I never had that luxury except when I stayed with your family as a kid. I didn’t want you to ever feel like you had to take care of me again. I need to be strong for you. Forgive me, please.”
Rhonda went to her and sat on the couch next to her. “Jo, you are the strongest person I know. Letting me help you, especially when you’re hurt or sick, doesn’t make you weak. Do you remember the day I talked to Julie about us? You came home and took care of me. I didn’t even realize I needed you to. Did that make me weak to you?”
“No, of course not.”
“I want and need to know what is happening with you, always. But especially now when there are so many little ways I might be able to help, I need you to tell me what you need. You keep talking about a future together. I don’t know if that will happen or not, but what I do know is there won’t be a future for us if we’re not in this together, equally.”
Jo stared at Rhonda. The anger that washed across her face moments before had been replaced by a touch of sadness and calm certainty.
She took Rhonda’s hand in hers. “You are absolutely right. What do you want to know?”
“How are you feeling, really?”
“My head is pounding. The body aches aren’t too bad.” Jo grinned crookedly and continued, “As long as I don’t move.”
“How about I run you a hot bath with Epsom salts, get you some meds for your headache, and give you a gentle massage after the bath?”
Jo squeezed Rhonda’s hand. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all day.”
Rhonda settled Jo into the bath. Then she ran downstairs and put the butternut squash lasagna she had prepared that morning in the oven to cook. By the time she got back to Jo, Jo was struggling to wash her hair. Obviously, her shoulder was still giving her trouble. Rhonda took the shampoo out of Jo’s hands. “Let me do that for you.”
Jo didn’t protest. Rhonda used a large cup she had near the sink to wet Jo’s hair. She didn’t want Jo to have to submerge her bandage. She squirted a small amount of the shampoo into her palm and very gently massaged it into Jo’s scalp.
“That feels great.”
“Good.”
Rhonda covered Jo’s bandage with a dry washcloth before rinsing her hair to keep it as dry as possible. Then she wet the washcloth and poured soap into it and washed Jo’s neck, back, and shoulders, massaging tenderly as she went. Once Jo was rinsed off, Rhonda helped her out of the tub and toweled her off. As Rhonda knelt in front of Jo, drying her legs, she looked into Jo’s eyes. The hunger there was unmistakable. Rhonda was instantly wet. She couldn’t deny she was just as famished for Jo’s touch, but…“Jo, don’t look at me like that. You know what it does to me and it’s too soon.”
“No, it’s not. The doctor said a day or two. It is day two. Tell me you don’t want to touch me.”
“You know I can’t. But remember the rest of what Dr. Robbins said. It needs to be very gentle.”
“Works for me.”
*
“Wow, I’ve missed that.”
“Hmm, I could tell, me too.”
“Are you okay?” Rhonda asked.
Jo’s breathing was ragged as she recovered. “I’m great.”
“Really?” Rhonda wasn’t convinced. Their lovemaking had been as easy, slow, and gentle as prescribed, but Jo’s orgasm had been so intense, Rhonda worried the pain in her head would be worse.
“Truly, this is the best I’ve felt in days.”
“Okay.” Rhonda tried hard to take Jo at her word. “I’ve missed you, Jo.”
“I can’t begin to tell you how much I’ve missed you. Please tell me you know I only left to protect you.”
“I do know that, but it should have been a conversation. You took away my choice in the matter.”
Jo studied Rhonda. “I never looked at it that way, I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what was best for you.”
“Next time, you should ask what that is.”
“I’ll remember. So, are we okay?”
“Yes, we’re okay, but we should talk more when you’re fully recovered.” Rhonda kissed Jo tenderly. “Are you ready for dinner?”
“Sure.”
After pulling on robes, they started downstairs. Rhonda was several steps down when she noticed Jo wasn’t following her. She looked back and Jo was still at the top of the stairs with her hand braced against the wall. In the space of a heartbeat, Rhonda was at her side. “Jo, what’s wrong?”
“Dizzy, need a minute.”
“Okay.” Rhonda put her arm around Jo’s waist to steady her. “Would you like me to help you downstairs or would you rather have a picnic up here?”
Jo seemed to consider the stairs intently. “Actually, a picnic sounds great. Could you help me back to bed?”
“Yes, of course.”
Once Rhonda got Jo situated, she went down to put plates together. So consumed by her concern for Jo, Rhonda almost missed the fact that Jo had asked for help. She would keep a close eye on Jo and if she had any more dizziness or additional symptoms, she would call the doctor in the morning. But for the moment, she concentrated on giving Jo what she needed, what they both needed.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Saturday afternoon, Rhonda was busy in the kitchen working on a meatloaf for dinner. Jo had been napping for a little more than two hours. She was surprised when she heard the front door open. She quickly wiped her hands and went to investigate. Julie stood just inside the front door looking uncertain. When she saw Rhonda, she said, “Hi. I didn’t want to ring the bell in case Jo was resting.”
“Thank you for that, especially since she is. But why are you here?”
“I was hoping we could talk.”
“Okay. Let’s go into the kitchen so I can finish dinner.”
Once they were in the kitchen, Julie launched right in. “Mom, I want to apologize. I’m so sorry for the way I treated you and for the way I behaved.”
Rhonda looked at Julie.
“I got this crazy idea in my head when you told me about Jo. It made me angry, and I couldn’t let it go. None of this was ever really about Jo and I’m sorry that I made trouble for the two of you.”
“What idea?”
“I know this sounds silly, especially since so much time has passed, but I always held out hope that you and Dad would get back together.”
“Oh, honey.” Rhonda hurt for her little girl.
“I just never understood why you two divorced. I never saw you argue, never saw anything that explained it. All you two ever said was, ‘you grew apart.’”
“Julie, let me ask you something.”
“Okay.”
“Do you and Ben argue, fight, and have heated debates or disagreements?”
“Of course we do. Everyone heard that last month.”
“But you know you love each other, and sometimes those fights make you stronger as a couple. Being on opposite sides of an issue is just one more way to figure things out when you’re each passionate about your opinion.”
“Sure.”
“Now given all that, remember what you just said about how you never saw your father and I even argue.”
Julie looked at her, comprehension dawning.
“Saying we grew apart made the most sense. How do you explain to three teenagers there has been no passion in your relationship for a very long time? That you’re just going through the motions?”
“But you still loved each other.”
“Part of me will always love your father, not only because he’s a great guy but because he gave me you three kids. But staying in our marriage wasn’t fair for either one of us. We each deserved the chance to find someone with whom we were passionate. Your dad found that with Sharon. Don’t roll your eyes. You know it’s true. I’m happy for him and you should be too.”
“I know, Mom. I do like Sharon. But there has
always been that teenage part of me that hoped my parents would get back together. Rationally, I know it’s a crazy idea, but it’s what a tiny part of me always hoped.”
“And I pretty much shot that hope to smithereens, didn’t I?”
Julie nodded, but she was smiling. “Yes, you did. I want you to be happy, Mom. Really, I do. It will take a little time for me to adjust to this idea of you and Jo but I will try if being with her is what you want. It’s not right for me to keep you two apart. I never should have threatened that I wouldn’t let you see the kids. I can’t believe how mean I was. I am so sorry.”
“Thank you for that. I’m sorry this is hard for you, but I care about Jo a lot and I have to see where this goes.”
Julie stepped to Rhonda and hugged her. “I know, and she makes you happy. It’s already getting easier. I’m glad we talked. I’d like to talk with Jo too. I want to make things right with her also. Do you think she’ll be awake soon?”
Rhonda looked at her watch. “I was going to go check on her five minutes ago. Why don’t you do that for me?” Julie turned to leave and something occurred to Rhonda. “Wait, Julie.”
Julie turned back. “Maybe I should go. It might be too uncomfortable for you.”
“What do you mean?”
“Jo’s napping in my bed.”
“It’s okay, Mom. We’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure.”
“I am.”
*
Jo wasn’t fully awake, but she smiled when she felt the other side of the bed sink down. “Is it that time already?”
“Way past time, I’d wager.”
Jo’s eyes popped open in surprise at hearing Julie’s voice instead of Rhonda’s. “What are you doing here? Where’s Rhonda?”
“Relax. She’s downstairs fixing your dinner. She sent me up to check on you because I wanted to talk with you.”
“Clearly I’ve missed a lot. How long was I asleep?”
“Very funny. Seriously, though. I’ve already apologized to Mom, and I owe you an apology too.”
“I should sit up for this.”
“Obviously, the accident didn’t affect your sense of humor.”