by Julian Bloom
“Elaine?” Juanita looked at the woman and then glanced over at Allison. “Wh-what are you doing here?”
The woman pulled back and looked at Juanita’s bandaged face.
“I’ve been so worried! I came as soon as I heard!”
“How did you know I was here?” Juanita asked, her voice full of concern.
“Why, your mother called me, honey,” the woman replied. She leaned down and kissed Juanita softly, affectionately on the mouth.
Allison looked away quickly and stood up to leave.
“I’m gonna…go, now,” Allison said softly.
“No, you don’t have to go,” Juanita told her.
“No, really, I’m—I’m just really glad you’re okay,” she said, looking into Juanita’s beautiful eyes and forcing a smile as she spoke. “I have to go start my shift, anyway.”
She nodded at Juanita, and then glanced over at Elaine before turning to leave the hospital room.
Chapter 3: Visiting Juanita
Actually, Allison still had nearly half an hour before her shift started, but she had felt out of place and uneasy when that “Elaine” woman had suddenly shown up. She had sensed that she and Juanita were “having a moment” before that woman had arrived out of the blue and ruined it.
Who was this Elaine character? At least now, though, it was pretty evident to Allison that Juanita was definitely either lesbian or bisexual. That much, Allison knew for sure. She could tell by the way that Elaine had interacted with her—the emotional embrace, the amorous kiss on the lips. Was Elaine her girlfriend? An ex-girlfriend? The show of affection was a bit too personal for her to have simply been a family member or platonic friend. Allison didn’t know why, but it bothered her. She knew she had a crush on Juanita, but she was no longer sure whether or not she should act on it. It was obvious that Juanita and Elaine had some kind of closeness if Juanita’s mother had called Elaine and told her about Juanita’s accident.
All throughout her shift, Allison found it hard to concentrate. She wanted to go back and see Juanita again, but she really didn’t want that Elaine character to be there when she did. Being that she was an emergency room nurse, there was no way that she could be scheduled to work on the fourth floor, the floor where Juanita was recovering. But, she knew that she just had to see Juanita again. She hadn’t felt a strong connection like that with anyone since Sara.
During her lunchbreak, Allison called up to Juanita’s room. She smiled when Juanita answered in a sweet voice.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Juanita. It’s Allison. I was just calling to check in on you and see if you, uh…needed anything. Are they taking good care of you up there?”
“Allison, hi!” Juanita sounded happy to hear from her. “You left so abruptly earlier. I was really happy to see you again. I never got the chance to thank you properly.”
“Um, yeah. Sorry—I…uh, it got a little crowded in there and I…uh, didn’t want to impose…”
“Hey listen, they’re about to take me downstairs for some kind of test. But it would be great if you could come visit me again tomorrow,” Juanita said.
“Oh? Yeah, sure. I’m actually off tomorrow, so…”
“Great! I’ll see you then.”
**
Allison woke up Wednesday morning feeling excited. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Juanita since the night she witnessed her accident. But something wasn’t sitting right with her. She truly believed that whomever had hit Juanita with that car had done so on purpose. She wondered if Juanita felt the same way.
This time, when she approached Juanita’s hospital room door, it was open. She walked in slowly, peeking around and listening to see if she heard Elaine’s voice at all.
“Knock, knock,” Allison said cheerily, as she entered the small room.
“Allison!” Juanita’s voice greeted her from over near the bed.
“Hey!” Allison said, excitedly. She was both pleased and relieved to see that Juanita was alone. She was also surprised to see that she was standing up on her own, and instead of the hospital gown, she was wearing a shiny pink robe. Her bandage was gone and had been replaced by a small butterfly adhesive. Even her scratches and bruises seemed less noticeable than they had the day before. Juanita looked as if she was glowing.
“I’m glad you came,” Juanita said with a warm smile. She held out her arms, inviting Allison in for a hug.
Allison approached her cautiously, not wanting to hug her too hard, but she was glad for the opportunity to embrace the pretty hazel-eyed beauty. She held Juanita’s slender body gently, and intimately inhaled the sweet aroma of her coconut-scented hair and her fruity-smelling perfume spray.
“Wow! You look great!” Allison commented as she stood back to admire Juanita’s appearance.
“Thanks, so do you, by the way,” Juanita replied, sitting down on the edge of the hospital bed. “You did your hair differently. It looks really nice down around your face like that.” Allison looked down at the floor, shyly, feeling her cheeks becoming warm.
“Thanks,” she said softly, smiling bashfully. She wondered what it was about this woman that made her feel like a young schoolgirl with a huge crush.
“Sooo, I’ve got some good news! They’re letting me go home tomorrow,” Juanita stated happily.
“Oh, really? That—is wonderful!” Allison replied, though deep down, she was feeling somewhat disappointed. She and Juanita hadn’t even so much as exchanged numbers or anything, so Allison wouldn’t know how or where to find her after she was discharged.
“Yes, I’m so relieved,” Juanita said merrily.
“Are you feeling well enough to go home? I mean, do you—will you be okay at home? Do you have someone to help you?” Allison asked, tripping over her words as she spoke. She wondered if Juanita lived alone, but was too nervous to ask.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. My mom is going to stay with me until I’m fully recovered,” Juanita replied.
“Oh ok, that’s good,” Allison said meekly.
“Anyway, I never got the chance to thank you properly for saving my life,” Juanita told her.
“Oh, no! I was just doing my job,” Allison said, looking down at the floor again.
“Yeah right, just doing your job? So you stay with every injured person you see and ride with them to the hospital in the back of the ambulance?” Juanita was smirking playfully at Allison, who was finding it hard to look her in the face.
“I—I don’t know what to say,” Allison replied, glancing up at Juanita’s piercing hazel eyes.
“Just say you’ll let me thank you properly by taking you out to dinner as soon as I’m able to get up and around,” Juanita said, reaching out for Allison’s hand. She was holding something small and trying to give it to Allison.
“Oh, no—you don’t have to do th—“
“I want to,” Juanita replied, interrupting her before she could complete her statement. She placed a small card into Allison’s hand as she looked her in the eyes and held her gaze firmly. Allison felt like she could melt right where she stood. Juanita’s lips looked so soft, plump, and perfect that Allison felt an urge to just lean in and kiss her right there.
Just then, a woman’s voice interrupted their moment.
“Hello-o!” A thin, pretty, brown-skinned, middle-aged woman entered the room with a huge smile on her face. She looked like an older version of Juanita. Allison knew right away that she had to be Juanita’s mother.
“Hey, mom!” Juanita looked up and smiled at her mother as she approached the bed.
“How’s my baby girl?” the woman asked as she planted a kiss on Juanita’s cheek.
“I’m fine, ma,” Juanita replied. She nodded toward Allison. “Mom, this is Allison, the wonderful woman who saved my life.” Allison looked down at her hands, feeling bashful again. She waved at the woman and forced a nervous smile.
“Oh my! It was you!” The woman hurried over and grabbed Allison, wrapping her arms around her in a bi
g emotional hug. “Thank you so much for saving my baby girl! Bless your pretty little heart!” Allison hugged her back, feeling speechless.
“It’s very nice to meet you, Ms..?” Allison asked, respectfully.
“Oh, call me Janet,” Juanita’s mother insisted.
“Well, it’s very nice to meet you, Ms. Janet,” Allison replied. She looked over at Juanita, who looked as if she was feeling a little bit uneasy. “I, uh…was actually just about to leave, though. I just wanted to check in on Juanita, to make sure she was okay.”
“Oh, how sweet of you, young lady,” Janet replied with a smile.
“So, I’ll see you both later, then,” Allison said timidly, turning to head out of the door.
Juanita waved at her as she left and flashed her a bright, vivid smile.
Once out in the hallway, Allison looked down at the small card that Juanita had slipped into her hand. It read:
Juanita Crawford
Owner/Manager: Crawford’s Clothing Emporium
“The Premier Choice in Upscale Attire”
[email protected]
Store: (505) 555-6343
She turned the card over and saw that Juanita had written her cell phone number on the back of it. Allison grinned smugly as she stuck the card into her pocket.
Chapter 4: Home From The Hospital
The next day, Allison was listening to some of her favorite music while folding some laundry, when her cell phone rang. She recognized the number from the hospital. She was hoping that they weren’t calling her in to cover a shift. She sighed hopefully as she answered.
“Hello?” she said solemnly.
“Hello, Allison, it’s Sherry from the Fourth Wing.”
“Hi Sherry, what’s up? Did someone call off?” Allison inquired.
“No, actually, um…there’s a patient here who wants to speak with you. I wasn’t at liberty to give out your number, but I told her I’d call you myself so that she could speak to you.”
Allison’s eyes lit up. She knew that it could only be one person.
“No problem. Thanks, Sherry. Go ahead and put her on,” Allison said vibrantly.
“Hello, Allison?” It was Juanita’s voice and she sounded concerned.
“Hey, Juanita! What’s up? Is everything okay?” Allison asked inquisitively.
“Yes, everything’s fine. Listen, I really hate to ask this because you’ve already done so much, but…uh…My mom got called in to work mandatory overtime today and she can’t pick me up. I was just wondering if it wouldn’t be too much trouble…if you could…”
“No, no, it’s no problem at all,” Allison replied enthusiastically, cutting her off in mid-sentence. “I’ll be right there.”
“Oh, thank you, Allison. Thank you so much!” Juanita replied thankfully.
**
Juanita was waiting at the hospital exit in a wheelchair when Allison arrived for her. She still had her casts on her right leg and on lower left arm, but her face was now bandage-free. She looked radiant as she smiled at Allison, and Allison happily smiled back at her. One of the nurse’s aides was standing behind her and she waved when she saw Allison.
Allison pulled her car up to the exit and went over to help Juanita inside.
“Thank you so much for coming, Allison. I really hope it wasn’t too much trouble,” Juanita said, as Allison helped her into the passenger side of her sedan.
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. It just gave me another chance to be able to see you again,” Allison replied, flashing a flirtatious wink at Juanita as she climbed into the driver’s seat. Juanita raised her eyebrows at Allison’s newfound boldness and a sly grin played at the corner of her pretty mouth. Allison waved back at the nurse’s aide as they pulled away to head toward Juanita’s house.
“I’m really glad you came, Alli. Is it okay if I call you Alli?” Juanita asked suddenly.
“Sure, a lot of people call me Alli,” Allison said gaily.
“Well, I’m very glad you came. I really didn’t want to have to call Elaine,” Juanita said, frowning slightly as she mentioned her name.
Allison glanced over at her.
“Really? Why’s that? She seemed really happy to see you, yesterday.”
“Well, I wasn’t all that happy to see her,” Juanita replied and then sighed. “She’s my ex-girlfriend. She and I dated for about two years, but I broke things off with her because she became much too controlling. But, truthfully, I don’t think she’s really getting the point. She suggested that we try ‘being friends.’ But, her idea of being ‘friends’ involves her still trying to Bo guard her way into my life and into my affairs.”
Allison was quiet for a moment, not really sure what to say.
“A part of me feels sort of guilty, though, like I owe her something, you know? Because she helped me with my store. I mean, I probably wouldn’t even have it if it wasn’t for her. And, it’s been doing very well, actually. She was the one who found the location downtown, she took out the business loan and she was even the one who connected me with my main merchandise suppliers.”
Allison was listening intently, feeling somewhat flabbergasted. She wished that she could comfort Juanita, and somehow take away all of her stress and worries. She could tell by the strained look on Juanita’s lovely brown face that she was pretty stressed out over the Elaine situation. She decided to change the subject for a moment. Besides, she had been wanting to ask Juanita something for a while, now.
“Hey, I was wondering,” she began, looking over at Juanita, “do you think there’s any chance that whomever hit you that night did so purposely?”
Juanita looked back over at Allison with a perturbed expression on her face.
“Purposely?” she repeated.
“I mean, I just—I’ve never seen someone hit a pedestrian and then speed off like that, like nothing even happened, you know?” Allison asserted.
“Hmm, I guess I never really thought about it. I figured that maybe they were just too scared to stop or something,” Juanita replied, but Allison could sense uncertainty in her mellow voice.
Allison turned onto a busy main road and ran into some unexpected traffic. Juanita lived in a suburban area on the east side of Hartsville. It was about a 20-minute drive from the hospital, and nearly half an hour from where Allison’s apartment was located.
“Well, this is just great,” Juanita commented apologetically. “I feel bad now, having you come all the way out here just to get stuck in traffic.”
“It’s no problem, really. I wasn’t doing anything fun, anyway. Unless you refer to doing laundry as a ‘fun’ activity,” she replied with a grin.
Juanita grinned back at her.
“You’re really sweet, Alli, you know that?” she stated pleasantly. Allison felt herself blushing. “You’re really cute when you blush, too,” Juanita noted. Allison glanced over at her as she felt Juanita eyeing her flirtatiously from the passenger seat.
“So, did Officer Holt ever come by to talk to you?” Allison asked, curiously.
“Yes, he did, actually. He says they’re investigating it as a criminal offense. He told me that the traffic camera got a photo of the vehicle’s license plate, but it came out dark and blurry. They had to send the photo to a specialist. Hopefully they’ll be able to decipher the plate number and find out who the car was registered to.”
“Do you know anyone who would have a vendetta against you or who would be out to get you?” Allison asked.
“No, not really. I mean, well, there is Walt Fanning,” Juanita replied as a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. “He owns Fanning’s Fashion Boutique on the next block. He wasn’t too happy when I opened my store a block away from his, but he’s never been threatening or anything like that. He’s really the only person I could even think of who would have any kind of vendetta against me, but I couldn’t see him putting a hit out on me.”
They finally passed the accident that had caused the traffic jam. A large 18-wheeler h
ad rear-ended a black minivan. They turned off the main road and onto Juanita’s street. She lived in a cozy little neighborhood about a mile from the main highway. Allison pulled into her driveway and parked. She helped Juanita out of the car and walked her up to her door.
“Thank you so much, Alli. Seriously. I cannot thank you enough,” Juanita said with appreciation and sincerity in her voice. As they stood at her front door, Juanita looked deep into Allison’s eyes and placed her free hand on Allison’s face.