Chapter 14
“Oh my god,” Mandy squeals. “You guys need to see him. He is so hot,” she informs Tlali and Izel who are both huddled around my bed.
As soon as evening visiting hours started and everyone got off work, my room filled up. Chema is still at my apartment, but my new girlfriends keep me company. Sara even lingers after she checks on me to catch some of the girl-talk. When I first came to Kansas City, I never imagined I’d end up with a hospital room full of friends. I was prepared for lonesome and restless long stints in the hospital, but that has been the furthest from the truth.
“Is he coming back?” Izel asks and grabs a potato chip from a bag inside her purse.
“God, I hope so,” Mandy says dreamily.
“Stop it,” I warn. “You are taken. He’s taken.”
“You sound a little possessive there,” she says and isn’t even a little discreet when she glances at Rory, who is sitting in the corner of the room.
Rory’s jaw ticks, and he stands up, probably not wishing to continue to let Mandy target him with her directness. “I’ll leave you ladies to it, then. Valentina, I’ll swing by tomorrow. I’m guessing you’ll have your plate full tonight.”
He tries to jab at the girls, who all giggle, but I already told him my parents would be showing up soon. “Yeah. See you later.”
He steps past Mandy, and lands a peck on my cheek, then smiles at me. As he walks away, I don’t miss Tlali looking between us as she presses her hand to her heart.
“He is so sweet,” says Tlali.
“I couldn’t believe Mandy when she told me you were dating a doctor here,” says Izel.
“In my defense, I didn’t know he was a doctor here when I met him at the bar.”
“He looked a bit jealous,” Mandy says with a mocking smile.
I smile back.
“I knew it. You are trying to make him jealous,” Mandy accuses.
“No. I’m nottryingto make him jealous,” I say. “But I’ll admit I’m not mad about it. He’s kind of cute when he’s angry, isn’t he?”
“Guys, you’re all missing the bigger picture here. Not that Dr. Dennis isn’t super cute and everything, but Chema! We need to get back to Chema. Is his relationship serious?” Mandy asks. “Because I’d love to move to Mexico.”
I roll my eyes.
“What does he look like?” Izel asks. “Like, compare him to a celebrity so we can have an idea.”
Mandy’s index finger taps her chin, and she chews the inside of her lip for a second. “I got it,” she says. “He is ripped. And I meanRipped. Think of the body of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger. His face, it’s a cross between the manly features of Antonio Banderas, and the sculpted jaw of Henry Cavill.” Mandy nods, pleased with herself.
I think about that description and picture, Chema. She kind of nailed it.
Sara laughs. “That’s pretty accurate,” she says, then excuses herself to check on other patients.
“Okay,thatI have to see,” Tlali says.
Mandy proceeds to fill us in with updates about Chris and her upcoming art show. I’m hoping I get to go. Izel and Tlali don’t have much to report, though they continue to motivate each other with their artistic projects even after their long shifts at work. I’m glad they squeeze time to come chat with me here in there, as busy as they all are.
The conversation is upbeat, and I’m so grateful that my body’s ailments are forgotten, if even for a moment. I don’t see the sick Valentina reflected in these women’s eyes. The hospital walls melt away from my periphery, and I can almost see myself having this conversation at a bar over dirty martinis. In my mind’s eye, I’m healthy, pink at the cheeks, and my hair is still long. The distraction of this conversation is so welcome, I’m even glad Chema hasn’t returned.
The happy mood doesn’t last because late that afternoon before Chema has a chance to come back and be my reinforcement, I have two new visitors show up.
The last two people I wanted to see me sick.
My parents.
We are laughing and in the heat of our conversation when a booming voice fills the room, silencing us all.