Chapter 4
***JACKSON***
Jackson took the steps up to the backdoor of the fraternity house two at a time, pulled open the screen door, and stepped into the kitchen.
His mood was greatly improved thanks to an unexpected afternoon off.
It would give him a chance to finish getting unpacked and settled into his room, and then he could enjoy the rest of the night catching up with the rest of the guys.
Coming back the day before classes started had been a mistake, but he’d wanted to be as much help on the farm as he could since it was the last summer he’d be able to go home during the break.
“What is that smell?” Hattie demanded from the counter where she was making sandwiches. “Is that you, Jackson?”
“I’m afraid so,” he said, smiling at the housekeeper. “We had to clean the dissection lab this morning.”
“Well, go take a shower,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disapproval. “You’re not sitting down at my table smelling like that.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, trying not to smile. “I’m starving. I don’t suppose I could get a little something to hold me over?”
“Don’t you dare touch these sandwiches,” she warned, but he was already reaching for one. “Jackson Howe, get out of my kitchen and clean yourself up.”
He snagged the sandwich and ate it in three bites as he climbed the stairs to his room, deciding that it felt good to be back. “Is lunch ready?” Walker asked when he passed him in the hallway. “I’m starving. Coach had us running all through practice this morning.”
“Not yet, I just got a preview,” he said, heading for the bathroom. “I’ve been ordered to shower before I can eat, I guess I stink.”
“Now that you mention it, you are a bit smelly,” Taylor said, backing away from him. “I’ll see you at lunch.”
When he got out of the shower, he dressed quickly and then ran downstairs, his hair still wet, afraid that he was going to miss lunch and be stuck with leftovers.
Everyone was just sitting down when he skidded into the kitchen, earning him a frown from Hattie, but he just grinned at her and took his place at the table.
Looking around at his friends, he thought about how different they all were, and marveled that the one little thing that connected them could have resulted in such deep friendship.
None of them had gotten there the easy way; they’d all had to fight to get where they were, and he was proud of them all for making it as far as they had.
Each had their own story, their own heartbreak and loss, but he realized that also united them, and it hit him then how much he would miss them all when they graduated and went their separate ways.
“Now, boys, don’t eat too fast. There’s plenty more where that came from,” Hattie said, setting two huge platters of sandwiches on the table. “And don’t forget to eat your vegetables, they’re good for you.”
There were groans around the table, but piles of raw vegetables made their way onto every plate under Hattie’s watchful eye. “You’re all going to starve when you leave here,” she said, shaking her head. “I think it’s time I started teaching you to cook.”
Since they’d moved into the fraternity house their freshman year, Hattie had been threatening to drag them all into the kitchen but, so far, hadn’t gone through with the threat.
Looking at her face now, he had a feeling it was no longer a threat and knew that by the end of the school year, they’d all be able to do more than heat a frozen dinner in the microwave.
“My mom taught me to cook,” he said. “But I wouldn’t mind learning a few tricks from the best cook I know.”
“Suck-up,” Aaron said, elbowing him in the ribs. “Stop making the rest of us look bad.”
“We’ll talk,” Hattie said, smiling at him. “I’ve got to go get dinner started. You are all on clean-up duty until I can put together a chore chart.”
That earned her another groan. “Now, you listen, I won’t send you boys out into the world unprepared to take care of yourselves.”
“I’m going to be so rich I won’t have to take care of myself,” Malcom said, then sighed when he saw the look on Hattie’s face. “But I’ll do my share until then.”
“It makes financial sense to be able to cook, you know,” Gabe said from the other end of the table. “Takeout is expensive, and we won’t even talk about how much it costs to hire help these days.”
“I’ll never be able to afford either one on a teacher’s salary,” Ryan said. “I’m in, Hattie, just tell me when to be there.”
“We should make a schedule. That way, everyone gets an equal chance to learn,” Taylor said. “I could even draw up a contract if you want.”
“I don’t think we need a contract. You’re not a lawyer yet,” Cooper said. “Give us a break with the contracts.”
“I need to practice,” Taylor defended himself. “Besides, weren’t you just out in the backyard playing with blocks?”
“I wasn’t playing with blocks, I was testing out a design I’ve been working on,” Cooper said. “If I’m going to get into that program at the architectural institute, I’ve got to have something that will blow them away.”
“I’ll draw up a schedule, you boys eat your lunch,” Hattie said, shaking her head. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need me.”
They devoured the food in only a few minutes, cleaned up the mess, and then went their own separate ways for the rest of the day.
After finishing his unpacking, Jackson decided to treat himself to a nap and lay down on his bed, but the instant he closed his eyes, Abby’s face popped into his mind.
A little thrill rushed through him when he thought about her, but he quickly shut it down, a bit shocked by the feeling and the wave of warmth that came with it.
He finally fell asleep reciting the muscles in the hand silently in his head, but soon began to dream about the petite blonde and her flashing blue eyes.
***Abby***
Abby sat nervously waiting for Jackson outside the dissection lab, her stomach a jumble of knots, a notebook with all the lab procedures open on her lap.
It was silly to be so anxious, but she knew that there was a lot riding on the next few hours, and there was a little part of her that was afraid she wouldn’t be able to handle what they were about to do.
As much as she didn’t care for Jackson, it would be nice to have someone standing by her side as they made their first foray into the workings of the human body.
They’d managed to avoid each other for the most part over the last week, sitting on opposite sides of the classroom and putting as much space between their chairs in biology as possible.
They seldom spoke unless it was necessary, keeping their conversations short, and she was glad.
Those few interactions always left her slightly off balance with a vague sense of longing that she couldn’t explain.
Realizing that her thoughts were headed in a direction she didn’t want them to go, she looked down at the notebook in her lap and began to read through everything again, hoping it would distract her.
A few minutes later, the rest of the class began to show up, crowding the little hallway in front of the double doors that led into the lab, and she put the notebook away.
Jackson was the last one to arrive, slightly out of breath, his hair slightly out of place where it looked like he’d been running his fingers through it.
A burst of attraction rushed through her and she groaned, inwardly cursing her body’s reaction to her handsome lab partner.
Pushing it away, she looked a little closer at him, relieved to see he looked just as nervous as she was.
“Well, this is it, the big test,” Jackson said, sitting down next to her. “Are you as nervous as I am?”
“I’ve never seen a dead body,” she whispered. “Have you?”
Jackson shook his head. “No, I haven’t,” he said. “I hope I don’t do something stupid like pass out. That would be humiliating.”
“Well, there won’t be any blood. That’s a trigger sometimes,” she said, shrugging her shoulders. “I bet you’ll be just fine. We both will be, we kind of have to be.”
“Don’t remind me,” he said but smiled at her, making her stomach do strange things.
Before she could recover, Dr. Simmons pushed his way through the double doors. “Hello everyone,” he called, instantly quieting the chatter in the hallway. “We’re ready, if you all would like to come inside.”
One by one, they filed into the lab and gathered in the front of the room, the sheet-draped tables looming largely now that they weren’t empty.
She couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran through her when she looked over at the shrouded bodies and prayed that she wouldn’t embarrass herself when the time came.
When Jackson stepped up next to her, she felt his body heat immediately and realized that it was cold in the lab, the temperature just warm enough to keep her breath from fogging in the air.
“Before you put on your protective equipment, which I hope I don’t have to remind you is required anytime you’re in this room, I have a few things to say,” Dr. Simmons said.
“This is a turning point for all of you. Today, you’ll know if you’re cut out to be a doctor or not.
We’re going to take it slowly today, and work on exploring the musculature of your subjects to give you a chance to get a feel for the scalpel in your hands before we start making more demanding incisions. ”
He paused, looking around the room, then focused on her.
“Some of you may feel a little faint, some of you may become nauseous, especially if you’re a little squeamish,” he said.
“If you think that you’re going to pass out or embarrass yourself in any other manner, leave the room.
I don’t want one of our subjects contaminated by your bodily fluids. ”
“I think he’s talking to you, Abby,” Tom called from the back of the group. “He doesn’t want you to puke on one of our dead guys.”
“That’s enough,” Dr. Simmons said. But he’s right, Ms. Stewart. Are you sure that you’re up to this? Women tend to be…sensitive, and no one will blame you if you leave right now.”
Barely containing her anger, she gritted her teeth for a second until she got control. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “I’m not the least bit sensitive or squeamish, but thank you for your concern, Dr. Simmons.”
“We’ll see,” he said, turning away from her. Get your protective gear on, and then I’ll introduce you to your subjects. They all have very different histories, and I expect you to learn their details by heart before you start cutting.”
Covered head to toe in their protective gear, she and Jackson studied the card next to their subject, neither looking at the cloth-draped body, both so nervous their hands were shaking.
“I just want to get this over with,” Jackson whispered.
“All this waiting is just making it worse. I think Dr. Simmons is doing it on purpose to see who will crack.”
“Well, it’s not going to be me, I can promise you that,” she said. “If I even look like I’m going to pass out or worse, do something, I don’t care what. I won’t give that man the satisfaction.”
Jackson laughed. “I have a feeling you’re going to be just fine,” he said, his voice muffled by the plastic hood he was wearing. “But the same goes for me.”
When Dr. Simmons finally made his way over to them, they rattled off the man’s statistics without missing anything.
With a flourish, he pulled the sheet off the body and then stood watching them both.
She could see his disappointment when she just stood there, waiting for instructions, and he finally walked off with a grunt.