altogether. The pain
medicine made it all easy to take, easy to forget. She left a note
and his class ring on the table the last night she was there. He
never read it.
A different Gavin stood before her now,
confronted with the feelings of athlete Gavin for the first time in
years.
“Well, it’s good to see you. I need to go
turn this in-” She started to go around him, down the main hall,
and he sidestepped to stop her. The action was involuntary, and her
look of surprise mirrored his.
“Kelly, listen. I…I feel terrible about what
happened.”
Her eyes went to the gift, then behind him,
then to the floor. Everywhere but him.
“I don’t know what happened to us.” He didn’t
know where that came from, but it made his eyes burn. A knot formed
in his throat.
“You don’t know what happened? You happened Gavin. You and your inability to deal with your knee!” She
looked at him then, her stare reddening and her face stern. “Three
years and now you want to talk about what happened? Now you want to
apologize?”
She tried to go around him again. He stuck
his arm out, held her shoulder. He could feel her choppy
breathing.
“You don’t understand Kelly. That wasn’t me.
I don’t know who that was, but I know it wasn’t me.” He dropped the
hand from her shoulder slowly. She wiped a tear from her left eye
before it could fall. He saw she wasn’t wearing a ring and felt
immense relief. Her face reddened, her lip twitched.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Gavin, don’t. Don’t do this. I’m dropping
this off and I’m heading back to my desk. I’m not going through
this with you again, one time was enough.” She took a step back
then, her glare communicating more than her words, and went around
him.
He stood, looking at the floor, thinking
about what she said. He had no idea these feelings could be so
strong, that he even still had them. Now he couldn’t get away from
them, everything he had said to run her down and make her come
back. Make her understand. He turned, but she was just out of
reach. Ten, fifteen steps away.
“I never dated anyone else. I never wanted
to.” He had to say it loud for her to hear, turning a few passing
heads. She stopped for a moment, but didn’t look. He waited,
counted every second, but she kept going. She turned the corner on
the 560 hall and was gone.
He hung his head, the knot in his throat
trying to move up. He wouldn’t let it, choked it down by gritting
his teeth and trying his best to push the thoughts away. He’d done
it before, he could do it again. He looked at the bag and tried to
remember where to take it.
When he looked up, she was standing in the
middle of the hall with a tear streaking down her cheek. He was
there in an instant, wrapping his arms around her as she shook. He
lowered his head and took a breath of her, the same smell she
always had, and let his own tears finally fall.
A faint clapping sound hit them, and when he
turned he saw the plump woman at the nurses’ station and the woman
that tried to flag him down giving them twp thumbs up. He smiled,
turning back to her and pulling her in tight.
When they finally pulled apart, he looked at
her and gave her a sly grin. It looked like something athlete Gavin
might have used, but it wasn’t quite his.
“How’d you like to have dinner with me
tonight?”
Her eyes, still puffy, only wavered for a
moment.
“I’d love to, but I’m not sure I can take
another break.”
“That’s ok, I know this great place on the
first floor. Cold burgers under a lamp, dry chicken and gummy
vegetables. The patients say it’s fantastic.”
“Your patients must be ordering out then.”
She smiled and found his hand with hers, lacing her fingers in
slowly.
They walked down the 560 hall, hand-in-hand,
like athlete Gavin and Junior Prom Queen Kelly. He felt as new as a
peeled apple, as happy as he could ever remember. She still sniffed
a few times, wiped at her eyes, but he was sure she felt the
medicine made it all easy to take, easy to forget. She left a note
and his class ring on the table the last night she was there. He
never read it.
A different Gavin stood before her now,
confronted with the feelings of athlete Gavin for the first time in
years.
“Well, it’s good to see you. I need to go
turn this in-” She started to go around him, down the main hall,
and he sidestepped to stop her. The action was involuntary, and her
look of surprise mirrored his.
“Kelly, listen. I…I feel terrible about what
happened.”
Her eyes went to the gift, then behind him,
then to the floor. Everywhere but him.
“I don’t know what happened to us.” He didn’t
know where that came from, but it made his eyes burn. A knot formed
in his throat.
“You don’t know what happened? You happened Gavin. You and your inability to deal with your knee!” She
looked at him then, her stare reddening and her face stern. “Three
years and now you want to talk about what happened? Now you want to
apologize?”
She tried to go around him again. He stuck
his arm out, held her shoulder. He could feel her choppy
breathing.
“You don’t understand Kelly. That wasn’t me.
I don’t know who that was, but I know it wasn’t me.” He dropped the
hand from her shoulder slowly. She wiped a tear from her left eye
before it could fall. He saw she wasn’t wearing a ring and felt
immense relief. Her face reddened, her lip twitched.
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
“Gavin, don’t. Don’t do this. I’m dropping
this off and I’m heading back to my desk. I’m not going through
this with you again, one time was enough.” She took a step back
then, her glare communicating more than her words, and went around
him.
He stood, looking at the floor, thinking
about what she said. He had no idea these feelings could be so
strong, that he even still had them. Now he couldn’t get away from
them, everything he had said to run her down and make her come
back. Make her understand. He turned, but she was just out of
reach. Ten, fifteen steps away.
“I never dated anyone else. I never wanted
to.” He had to say it loud for her to hear, turning a few passing
heads. She stopped for a moment, but didn’t look. He waited,
counted every second, but she kept going. She turned the corner on
the 560 hall and was gone.
He hung his head, the knot in his throat
trying to move up. He wouldn’t let it, choked it down by gritting
his teeth and trying his best to push the thoughts away. He’d done
it before, he could do it again. He looked at the bag and tried to
remember where to take it.
When he looked up, she was standing in the
middle of the hall with a tear streaking down her cheek. He was
there in an instant, wrapping his arms around her as she shook. He
lowered his head and took a breath of her, the same smell she
always had, and let his own tears finally fall.
A faint clapping sound hit them, and when he
turned he saw the plump woman at the nurses’ station and the woman
that tried to flag him down giving them twp thumbs up. He smiled,
turning back to her and pulling her in tight.
When they finally pulled apart, he looked at
her and gave her a sly grin. It looked like something athlete Gavin
might have used, but it wasn’t quite his.
“How’d you like to have dinner with me
tonight?”
Her eyes, still puffy, only wavered for a
moment.
“I’d love to, but I’m not sure I can take
another break.”
“That’s ok, I know this great place on the
first floor. Cold burgers under a lamp, dry chicken and gummy
vegetables. The patients say it’s fantastic.”
“Your patients must be ordering out then.”
She smiled and found his hand with hers, lacing her fingers in
slowly.
They walked down the 560 hall, hand-in-hand,
like athlete Gavin and Junior Prom Queen Kelly. He felt as new as a
peeled apple, as happy as he could ever remember. She still sniffed
a few times, wiped at her eyes, but he was sure she felt the
Similar Books
