Chapter 31 #2
“Oh, well, I’ll ask him to stop by then. Sorry about that! It’s been a busy day.” She hustled out of the door and almost collided with someone entering. Goodness, this was a busy room. Denise needn’t have worried about Maddox being forced to sit here in silence.
The nurse moved from the doorway to reveal Bobbette. “Hey, Maddox. Hey, Ms. Louise.”
She turned toward the side of the small room where Denise stood and gaped. “Ms. Farrington.”
Denise gave what she hoped was a friendly nod but was spared any further response when Maddox said, “Bobbette, you didn’t have to come by.”
She flapped her hand at them dismissively. “Who said had to? I wanted to see if y’all needed anything. Is she staying overnight?”
Maddox nodded, and Louise started grumbling under her breath again.
Bobbette chuckled. “I’m sorry, Ms. Louise. But guess what? I stopped by the home on the way up here and had Mama get together some of your stuff. This way you can have your own clothes at least.”
She held up a large tote bag Denise hadn’t noticed until now.
Louise smiled. “That’s so sweet of you, hon. Thanks.”
Maddox shook their head and gave Bobbette a warm hug. “You’re too much sometimes. Please thank your mama for us. Things haven’t been the same around there since she cut back her hours to part-time, but she deserves the extra time off.”
“What time off?” Bobbette asked with a laugh. “She’s just using it to keep up with Marcus, the babies, and Janelle.”
Denise stood up straighter. She’d felt a little bad about listening in on the whole interaction, but it was interesting to hear about Maddox’s community web that branched out to include a good friendship with their coworker and her mother, who apparently worked at Louise’s care facility.
But then Bobbette had dropped the name Denise had been turning over in her mind for days now.
Someone Maddox supposedly spent a lot of time with.
Before Denise could puzzle out anymore from the conversation, though, a man in his early thirties with a pasty complexion and smudged glasses marched into the room.
Judging from his scrubs and stethoscope, he was another nurse or doctor.
His eyes swept the room, and he frowned.
“Which one of you is the granddaughter? I’m here to give you an update. ”
Maddox raised their hand. They didn’t correct his use of the term granddaughter, but only said, “Louise is my grandmother.”
Bobbette patted Louise’s shoulder. “I’ve got to get home. Feel better now.”
“I’m going to see if I can find some coffee,” Denise said, following Bobbette’s lead. This was one conversation she really shouldn’t be eavesdropping on.
Once they were both out of the room and walking down the hall, Denise picked up her pace to match Bobbette’s. Truth be told, her brain was already worn out from the unusual interactions today, but her curiosity was plaguing her even more than her fatigue.
“So, you and Maddox are pretty tight, huh?” She said it as casually as possible, fully aware Bobbette was within her rights to tell Denise to mind her own business.
Bobbette slowed her walk and gave Denise a subtle once-over before nodding. “We’ve worked together for a while now. Then, my mama knows Ms. Louise from the nursing home. I guess you heard that.”
“Yes, I did. That’s nice,” Denise said. No point in denying that she’d been listening. “I imagine Maddox hangs out with your family in their downtime too, then.”
That made Bobbette come to a halt with a shrill squeak of her sneakers on the linoleum. “Ms. Farrington, I don’t know what this hot and cold deal is you have going on with Maddox, and I might get in trouble for saying this, but you’ve got no right to hurt them no matter who your daddy is.”
Denise stood rooted to the spot, and her pulse picked up at the unexpected confrontation. “I’m not going to hurt them…”
“Maddox is a good person,” Bobbette continued. Her dark eyes ignited with the same fierce protectiveness that vibrated through her tone. “They work hard. Literally all the time. They love their gran more than anything, and they care, like really care about the people around them. You understand?”
There was a hint of disdain in the way Bobbette phrased that last question, as if she wasn’t at all sure that Denise was capable of understanding it.
Denise nodded, but before she could say anything, Bobbette continued.
“Then they volunteer at the Prism Youth Collective and help kids like Lenny and my baby sister Janelle.”
Denise swallowed. “Your baby sister?”
“That’s right. We weren’t sure she’d make it through sophomore year of high school until Maddox started helping her down at the Collective because they said they understood how she learned. Now she’s a senior!” Bobbette declared, a mixture of pride mingling with her indignation.
Denise’s mind spun as she considered all the questions and assumptions she’d conjured up about Maddox in the past several days.
She’d been so wrong. Maddox hadn’t slept with her while secretly being in a committed relationship.
That’s not the kind of person they were.
Denise had known that even before Bobbette’s words, but she’d been so afraid to listen to her gut.
“That’s…remarkable,” Denise murmured. She really couldn’t think of another word.
Bobbette blew out a breath. “It is.”
The younger woman’s ire seemed to run out of steam, and Denise steadied herself enough to take advantage of the quiet. “There are things between Maddox and me that are complicated. Too difficult to explain. But I can assure you the absolute last thing I’ve ever wanted to do is hurt them.”
When Bobbette looked at her again, her gaze was direct, but Denise didn’t flinch. After a moment, Bobbette nodded and continued walking down the hall. When they reached the tiny coffee station, Denise stopped to pour a cup for herself and Maddox.
“Well, I’ve gotta get going,” Bobbette said. Then, in a quieter tone, she added, “I didn’t mean any harm.”
Denise lightly touched her arm. “I know that, and there’s no harm done.”
She gave Denise a small smile and headed toward the doors. Before she was out of sight, though, Denise called out, “Maddox is lucky to have such a good friend.”