Page 66 of Always Been You

"We don't live together," he snapped.

"Yet." Ethan heard a familiar female voice.

He looked up and saw Jess standing in the doorway. It was barely nine a.m. He'd made sure to get discharged right after morning rounds so that no one, especially not Jess, would be here. He was going to Uber home and then hole up in his house. He knew that he'd be facing Nana, since she had a key, but everyone else he'd planned on ignoring completely.

“But you never know what the future holds.” She smiled, and to anyone that didn’t know her, they’d think it was a happy, genuine smile. He knew it was a challenge.

"What are you doing here?" his gruff voice did nothing to hide his irritation.

"Good morning to you, too, Mr. Sunshine." Her voice dripping with sweet saccharin sarcasm. "I'm coming to take you home."

Jess was trying to keep a positive attitude and not take Ethan's attitude personally but he was really testing her patience.

He'd spent six days in the hospital and in that time she’d tried everything to lighten the mood, from her usual dry sarcasm to just all-out jokes. It hadn't worked to put a dent in his shitty demeanor but it at least amused her and the nurses. She'd hoped that his overwhelming negativity would improve when he was released. So far, not looking good.

She glanced over at him and saw he was rocking his perma-scowl as he stared out the window. They were close to an hour into his freedom ride and he'd barely spoken three words. And those words were, "I've got it" when Jess tried to help him with his seat belt.

"So, I'll drop you off, get you settled, and then go and get your prescriptions."

"I don't need you to get them."

"It's not a problem," she chirped in as cheery a voice as she could manage.

He survived a traumatic event.

He lost his partner.

He was in pain, even though he wouldn't admit it.

He was shot.

Twice.

He had broken bones.

He had a swollen brain.

These were all things she'd been repeating to herself the entire week. Her mantras of patience, if you will. This caretaker thing was still new for her, but she was doing the best she could. He certainly wasn't making things any easier for her.

"I didn't need you to pick me up, either."

"Well, you couldn't drive yourself home so you needed someone to pick you up." The happy was slipping and she could feel herself about to get real if he didn't change his tune.

"I could’ve gotten another ride."

"Or you could just say thank you and appreciate all the nice things I'm doing for you."

She kept reminding herself not to take his mood personally. She wasn't the only one he was being cranky with. He'd been short with the doctors, nurses, and most of his visitors, with a few exceptions.

He inhaled deeply before he said, "Or you could also just leave me alone when I ask you to."

Her fingers gripped tightly around the steering wheel and she jerked the car to the right, pulling off to the side of the highway. Ethan reached out and braced his hand on the dashboard, looking over at her like she was crazy. And she was...crazy done with his bad mood.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I'm facilitating your come to Jesus moment." She put her car in park and turned toward him, looked him directly in the eye, and said, "Listen, I get that you're going through a lot right now. And I understand your instinct to push people away. I did the same thing...when I was five.” It was more like up until her mid-twenties but five sounded better. “If I was the only one you were pulling this shit on, fine, I would take it. I have thick skin. But you've been snapping at the hospital staff and barely congenial to the people that have visited you this week. The only people you've been even close to civil with is Daisy, your captain, Lori and my parents." Which she appreciated.

Ethan was staring at Jess with his jaw tensed and his nostrils flaring. He was seething. It was obvious that nothing she was saying was getting through to him.

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