give the nurse’s station a call. I’d love to see my nieces.”
“In a minute,” Quinn said. “I just wan t to make sure you’re okay. Mom and Dad, do they know?”
Carly nodded. “Mom knows. I’m sure by now, Dad does too. To be honest, she took it better than I expected.” Carly didn’t bother to tell her sister that Margo’s first concern seemed to be about the money spent and the overall inconvenience. She knew that would only make her sister livid.
“I wish I could’ve been there with you,” Quinn said. “I’m sure you could’ve used the support.”
Carly finally laughed. “Well, I’ll forgive you just this once. I mean, you are in the hospital, you know.”
Quinn smiled but Carly could tell she didn’t mean it. “What are you going to do now?”
Carly knew that Quinn was asking about the long-term. Since she didn’t have an answer to that, she didn’t try to give one.
“Now? Now I’m going to hang out with my big sister and nieces until the nursing staff kicks me out of here.” She glanced at her watch, checking to see how much longer visiting hours would last. “I’m guessing that will be in less than two hours and then, I think I’m going to give Jemma a call.”
7
“I don’t know if I can handle you being in town much longer,” Jemma admitted. “I’m not as young as I used to be. I don’t remember the last time I went out drinking two nights in a row.”
Carly tilted her beer toward Jemma in a half-salute. “Neither can I. But, you know, desperate times and all. Besides, I’m working through the four stages of being dumped. It’s easier to do with a beer in hand.”
Jemma cocked an eyebrow at her. “Do I even want to know what that means? The four stages?”
“First, I was shocked. Then crushed. Next comes pissed. The. Hell. Off. That’s where I am right now,” she conspiratorially admitted as she leaned in. She gave a little shrug. “Next? I’m over it.”
Jemma nodded slowly as if not sure she agreed. “So you’ve already pretty much worked your way through this break-up? Even though it only happened yesterday ?”
Carly gave her a solemn nod before taking a sip of her beer. “I have. And do you know why? Because he was such a douche about it. It makes it a whole lot easier to get over him.” Her eyes glittered with anger.
“I doubt you’re almost over it. You were engaged to the man,” Jemma pointed out. She was positive Carly was nowhere near ‘over it’. But if it helped her friend to pretend that she was, she wasn’t going to argue. Then Jemma smiled. “However, you do have the good and pissed down to a science.”
This brought a smirk to Carly’ s face but it quickly fell away. “I know I should probably be glad he wasn’t cheating on me.” Carly noted the surprise that flitted across Jemma’s face. “But I think in some ways, that would be easier.”
“Why in the hell would you say that?” Jemma demanded. She had her head cocked to the side, her drink poised in mid-air.
Carly tried to organize her thoughts from the other morning into something that would make sense. “I don’t know. Maybe because at least I’d feel like there was a reason? Right now, I feel like there isn’t a reason. I mean, other than the fact he simply doesn’t want me. And I don’t know why. I don’t know what I did wrong. At least if there was someone else, I’d know why.”
Jemma was quiet for a moment and Carly was sure she was processing that. And probably trying to come up with a way to refute it. “You might think that now,” Jemma finally said, “but I’m sure if there had been someone else, you’d be feeling a whole lot differently.”
Carly shrugged, looking completely unconvinced. She took a sip of her beer instead of arguing her point. Jemma was probably right. When it came right down to it, break-ups sucked no matter what. And broken engagements?
“In a minute,” Quinn said. “I just wan t to make sure you’re okay. Mom and Dad, do they know?”
Carly nodded. “Mom knows. I’m sure by now, Dad does too. To be honest, she took it better than I expected.” Carly didn’t bother to tell her sister that Margo’s first concern seemed to be about the money spent and the overall inconvenience. She knew that would only make her sister livid.
“I wish I could’ve been there with you,” Quinn said. “I’m sure you could’ve used the support.”
Carly finally laughed. “Well, I’ll forgive you just this once. I mean, you are in the hospital, you know.”
Quinn smiled but Carly could tell she didn’t mean it. “What are you going to do now?”
Carly knew that Quinn was asking about the long-term. Since she didn’t have an answer to that, she didn’t try to give one.
“Now? Now I’m going to hang out with my big sister and nieces until the nursing staff kicks me out of here.” She glanced at her watch, checking to see how much longer visiting hours would last. “I’m guessing that will be in less than two hours and then, I think I’m going to give Jemma a call.”
7
“I don’t know if I can handle you being in town much longer,” Jemma admitted. “I’m not as young as I used to be. I don’t remember the last time I went out drinking two nights in a row.”
Carly tilted her beer toward Jemma in a half-salute. “Neither can I. But, you know, desperate times and all. Besides, I’m working through the four stages of being dumped. It’s easier to do with a beer in hand.”
Jemma cocked an eyebrow at her. “Do I even want to know what that means? The four stages?”
“First, I was shocked. Then crushed. Next comes pissed. The. Hell. Off. That’s where I am right now,” she conspiratorially admitted as she leaned in. She gave a little shrug. “Next? I’m over it.”
Jemma nodded slowly as if not sure she agreed. “So you’ve already pretty much worked your way through this break-up? Even though it only happened yesterday ?”
Carly gave her a solemn nod before taking a sip of her beer. “I have. And do you know why? Because he was such a douche about it. It makes it a whole lot easier to get over him.” Her eyes glittered with anger.
“I doubt you’re almost over it. You were engaged to the man,” Jemma pointed out. She was positive Carly was nowhere near ‘over it’. But if it helped her friend to pretend that she was, she wasn’t going to argue. Then Jemma smiled. “However, you do have the good and pissed down to a science.”
This brought a smirk to Carly’ s face but it quickly fell away. “I know I should probably be glad he wasn’t cheating on me.” Carly noted the surprise that flitted across Jemma’s face. “But I think in some ways, that would be easier.”
“Why in the hell would you say that?” Jemma demanded. She had her head cocked to the side, her drink poised in mid-air.
Carly tried to organize her thoughts from the other morning into something that would make sense. “I don’t know. Maybe because at least I’d feel like there was a reason? Right now, I feel like there isn’t a reason. I mean, other than the fact he simply doesn’t want me. And I don’t know why. I don’t know what I did wrong. At least if there was someone else, I’d know why.”
Jemma was quiet for a moment and Carly was sure she was processing that. And probably trying to come up with a way to refute it. “You might think that now,” Jemma finally said, “but I’m sure if there had been someone else, you’d be feeling a whole lot differently.”
Carly shrugged, looking completely unconvinced. She took a sip of her beer instead of arguing her point. Jemma was probably right. When it came right down to it, break-ups sucked no matter what. And broken engagements?
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