Page 42 of A Cancer's Embrace
I never would’ve thought Patrick would invite me to happy hour, especially for bonding.
“I would love to, but I have a family dinner. Raincheck?”
He smiled. “Sure. Have a great rest of your shift.”
He walked out of the break room, leaving me there stunned by the conversation. I still didn’t trust Patrick. I would take the invite as an olive branch, but I wasn’t ready to accept it yet. I grabbed my stethoscope and headed out to my patients.
I could hear Gloria’s laughter from down the hall. I couldn’t contain my smile because hearing her laugh meant she was in good spirits. I walked into the room, looking down at the paperwork in my hand.
“I’m glad to hear you’re in good spirits,” I expressed, looking up at her.
She had a bright pink scarf wrapped around her head. She wore a beautiful, mauve-colored jumpsuit with white buttons. She had on her usual makeup beat, and she looked just as beautiful as any other day.
“Even better now that I see you,” she replied.
“I can say the same.”
Hearing Jabari’s voice made me jump. I didn’t even see him standing there.
“Ja-Jabari, hey. I didn’t know you would be here today.”
“I bet. You’ve been barely checking my text messages.”
“I’m sorry. This week has been crazy, and I’ve just been trying to get back in the rhythm of things.”
He nodded. The room became awkward. Gloria’s eyes bounced back and forth between us. I could tell he was feeling some type of way, and I couldn’t help but feel bad.
“Mama, I’mma step out and let Amina do her thing.”
“Okay, son.”
Jabari walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. I didn’t realize how much I was holding my breath until I exhaled. Gloria shook her head as I prepped for her triage.
“What is it, Gloria?”
“Now, baby, you know I’m one to speak my mind, but I just wanted to let you know that Jabari really likes you, baby. I haven’t seen him this invested in anything since his career.”
“I can’t believe I’m talking to you about this, but it’s hard, you know? I have a lot going on and I don’t want him to take on all my problems when he has sh—stuff of his own.”
“Baby, Jabari is my son. He can handle anything, but he won’t know if you continue to crawl in this space of not wanting the support you finally deserve. Let my son love you.”
I felt myself tearing up, so instead of responding, I continued with the triaging procedures.
“Alright, the doctor will be in soon.”
“Okay. Don’t forget what I said, baby. Be open.” I smiled softly and walked out of the room.
Jabari stood in the hallway scrolling on his phone. He looked up once he saw me walk out of the room.
“Can we talk?” he asked.
“Yeah. I’ve got five minutes before my next patient, so we can chat.”
We walked to the other side of the unit, avoiding the nurses’ station. I opened the door to the stairwell where I knew no one would be. I nervously stood there waiting for him to speak.
“Is everything okay with us?”
I nodded.
