21. Making Some Damn Progress
21
MAKING SOME DAMN PROGRESS
“W hat are you doing texting me at five in the morning?” Garrett asked the next morning when he saw the text from his sister. He’d just gotten out of the shower and rushed to get his phone thinking it was a patient emergency.
“I’m on the island and was going to call you last night, but got to the house and started to eat and then got a call and next thing I know it’s eleven. I figured you were sleeping,”
“I was,” he said. “Everything okay? Does your bedroom color meet with your approval?”
His sister laughed. “Mom bagged me on that and used me as the excuse to find out what was going on with you. I know it.”
“She did,” he said. “And you didn’t say why you’re texting this early.”
“I’m up and have to go do rounds at the hospital. I needed to confess my sins before I left. Since you don’t know what I’m talking about, I guess I feel better about things.”
He paused for a minute. “What did you do?”
“I stopped to see Justine last night before I arrived home. It was impulsive. I didn’t even know if she was working.”
“She was,” he said. “And I’m going to assume you talked to her since you said you were going to confess. Did you upset her?”
He didn’t get mad at his sister often, but he was going to be pissed if Gabriela set him back when he felt as if he was making some damn progress.
Four months left before Justine returned to Boston, and to him that wasn’t enough time for them to get to where he wanted to be.
“I didn’t upset her. I guess I expected her to be meeker and she wasn’t. She was honest and upfront. I told her that I didn’t want to see you hurt. That you’d had a rough year.”
He groaned and went to the kitchen to make coffee. He was going to need it while he figured out how to do damage control with his girlfriend.
Not that he’d said the word girlfriend, but he was thinking it.
“She’s had a rough year too,” he said. “I told you that.”
“I know,” his sister said. “I acknowledged that too. You don’t have to know our entire conversation. Just know that we are fine. She said her sister would do the same thing to you that I did to her. I like her. I really do. She spoke her mind.”
“She’s good at speaking her mind,” he said.
Which contradicted the fact that she always said she ran or avoided conflict. It didn’t appear that way to him.
“I just don’t want you to get hurt, Garrett. Aside from the patients you lost, there was the whole shit with Taylor.”
“It’s over,” he said.
“She was a bitch and you know it. I’m not sure how you stayed with her as long as you had. She wasn’t there for you when Carol died and when you were dealing with Linda. We all know how much you got along with Linda.”
“That is my fault for getting attached to a patient,” he said. The one he’d lost that reminded him of his mother.
“You can’t help being who you are,” Gabriela said. “I do it with my patients too. It’s hard not to. I’m watching them grow. Some will be in my care for eighteen years.”
Much longer than what he dealt with on average with his patients.
But his sister wouldn’t see as much heartache as he would.
She’d get to see the good milestones. The happy ones.
At least more than the sad ones.
“I know,” he said.
“Taylor leaving when you were struggling with the loss of Linda was wrong. She should have been supportive and all she did was add grief to what was going on.”
“She never understood,” he said.
“She wanted your name more than she wanted you.”
He snorted. “Thanks for that.”
“It’s the truth,” Gabriela said. “I even told Justine I have a bullshit meter that pings before people open their mouths.”
“Great. Just more I’m going to have to defuse.”
His sister laughed. “Stop. Justine was good about it. She asked how much noise it was making around her.”
“Well,” he said. “How much?”
Not that he cared because he made his own decisions in life.
“None,” Gabriela said. “So maybe that will help ease my guilt. I like her. I think she’s beautiful and totally not your type. She looks like an angel and is even soft-spoken, but when she speaks you listen to what she says.”
“That’s it exactly,” he said.
He was glad his sister saw that.
“Then hold onto it. I hope Justine is okay with me talking to her. She seemed like she was, but I’m sure you’ll find out.”
“I’m positive she will be fine,” he said.
And if Justine wasn’t, then he’d have to rethink things too.
His sister was loud and outspoken at times. Loyal to family to a fault, but never mean with it.
He’d have to hear what Justine’s thoughts were on this.
The last thing he wanted was to be with a woman that butted heads with his family like Taylor had.
He hung up with his sister after that, then finished getting ready, but sent a text to Justine to see if she could call him when she got out of work.
He started to make breakfast and sat there thinking of what to say when his phone rang.
Thirty minutes had gone by without him realizing it and it was almost twenty after six at this point.
“Good morning,” he said. “Getting out a little late?”
“Morning,” she said, her voice cheerful. “I just had to finish something. Can’t wait to go home and put my head on the pillow next.”
“Wish we were putting our heads on the pillow together,” he said.
“I’m off on Friday,” she said. “Not too far away.”
“No,” he said. “And I plan on us being together if you’d like. But you’ve got to go in Saturday night, right?”
“I do,” she said. “Then I’m back on days for two weeks.”
“And we’ve got our weekend in Boston,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.
She didn’t sound like she was upset over Gabriela’s visit.
“I heard you spoke to my sister last night,” he said.
“I figured that was why you were calling,” she said. He could hear the humor in her voice.
“She called me this morning. Said she wanted to do it last night but ended up on the phone for work dealing with something and then figured I’d be sleeping.”
“She told me she was going to call you,” she said. “It’s fine. Jordan will do the same thing to you if you meet.”
He laughed. “She told me you’d said that. I just didn’t want her to upset you.”
Justine sighed. “That will not upset me,” she said. “I’m sorry you felt that way. Or think it.”
Which made him wonder if he was having a misstep here.
“I didn’t think or feel one way or another. It’s more like checking in and making sure it was all good. I only heard my sister’s side of it. Maybe she left something out and I want to make sure I know what I need to do.”
“It’s all good,” Justine said. “Gabriela loves you as Jordan loves me. I think those closest to us in life are looking out for us. I can appreciate it and hope I was able to reassure her I don’t have any ill intentions.”
He snorted. “Maybe I wish you did.”
She laughed. “Do I want to know what you mean by that? Am I not wild enough for you in the bedroom or is it something else?”
“You’re everything I want you to be,” he said seriously.
There was a pause on the other end. He was probably pushing it.
“I might feel the same way,” she whispered.
“Might?” he asked. “Why do you sound sad about it?”
“Not sad,” she said. “Maybe confused.”
He sighed. “Going too fast, huh?”
“I’m not sure the speed we need to go. I’m trying to get through one day at a time. I appreciate you allow me to do that, but I do understand it’s not always what you want.”
“It shouldn’t be always what one person wants over the other but rather what works for us. It’s working now and it’s early yet. Don’t stress over it.”
“I’m not,” she said. “But sometimes I think you are.”
“If I’m giving that impression then I’m sorry,” he said.
No reason to deny that he was feeling it.
He just had to remind himself to lock it back up.