"Well? What about him?" Josephine Parker asked for the tenth time, this time pointing towards a tall lean man with wavy black hair who had just entered Eclectic Soul, the new hot spot in the city.
"What about him? He looks like he just left a spa" Jessie Ryan told her cousin after she barely looked at the guy.
"Really Jess you know why you're still single? You're too picky. Either he's too tall, too short, too thin, too lean, too dark haired, too muscular, too everything! Why not head for the convent now? I'm sure the nuns already waiting for you!" Josephine groaned before taking a bit from her pizza slice, which was heavily topped with pineapple and extra cheese.
"Don't be angry at me for not wanting another guy like Peter who was so self absorbed you'd swear he was the only man capable of procreation alive".
"Not every great looking guy is going to be narcissist like Peter, J .You got to give them a chance to show you that". Danielle Masters said looking at Jessie with her huge brown eyes.
"Danny don't look now, but Kyle just walked in and he's not alone," said Josie. Jessie could see the warning signals going off in Danny's head.
"Play nice you guys. I'm going to the washroom," grinned Jessie as she stood up and straightened her jeans and yellow t-shirt. As she headed for the washroom she could hear Danny exclaim in a voice that had raised several octaves, "Kyle! Is that you?"
Jessie knew exactly what was going to happen. Danny would remind Kyle what a lousy husband he had been to her in their marriage that lasted seven years and what an awful father he was to their six year old daughter Natalie. Then Kyle's date would look at him in disgust and walk away. Ten points for single moms everywhere, zero for deadbeat dads. Why is it men never seem to understand the words forever and cherish?
Accidentally bumping into a couple making out on the dimly lit dance floor, and getting a nasty look from a waiter whose foot she stepped on, she focus on finding her way along the well stocked bar towards the washrooms. Eclectic Soul had been opened for just two weeks and the two nights Jess had been there, it had been packed. Pablo, the owner and a close friend to Jessie, would be pleased.
The bathroom like everywhere else was packed. Squeezing her way to one of the mirrors, she pulled out her lip-gloss and quickly reapplied it. Just then two teenaged girls entered talking excitedly and loudly. They were dressed outrageously. One of the girls' hair was dyed green.
"I'm telling you Sharon when she hit that guy it was priceless. Heard someone say he's her ex-husband. Total creep." the darker of the two with the green hair began.
Sharon continued where her friend left off. Everyone in the washroom was looking at them now.
"That is like totally awful. It's too bad the bouncer decided to throw them out though."
Jessie forgot about her makeup and headed out the door stumbling into the guy who her cousin Josie was checking out earlier. His thick eyelashes blinked rapidly before his dark eyes focused on her. He smiled sheepishly exposing two dimples on either side of his cheeks. His thousand watt dimpled smile made Jessie sudden feel like smiling herself, but she didn't. Instead she scowled as her arm began to throb.
"You hit me pretty hard, miss. Are you okay?" he asked her in an accent she could not place.
"No I'm not okay my arm hurts but I'll live. Excuse me," she said trying to go around his towering frame.
She turned and headed in the opposite direction towards the sound of the music on the dance floor Just as she passed the bar she could see a small crowd gathering ahead of her. Two drunks were punching at each other while everyone cheered on. The bouncer was headed towards them looking angry. Just then someone give a shout. Everyone started running for the exits. Jess found herself being pushed. Before se knew what was happening she was falling. Her head bounced off one of the metal bar stools. As she fell to the floor she could hear screams, shouting and the pounding of feet, then darkness...
Jessica Ryan's parents were to her the best married couple she had ever met. Throughout her entire childhood she had never seen them angry with each other. She could still remember the perfume her mother wore, lilacs. It tore her heart to pieces when she died from breast cancer. The look in her father's eyes was like watching a star go out. He looked like a tired and lost eight year old. That was what is like in the hospital room 14 years ago. Ten months later Brandon Ryan died in a car accident when a drunk driver slammed into him. It was then Jessie went to live with her Aunt and Uncle Flo and Hector Anderson.
A household filled with six rowdy children, three teenagers and three pre teenagers proved to be the best thing for a ten year old girl dealing with the loss of both her parents. Sometimes she spent her days in the Anderson's large backyard and the lake that lay beyond the fifteen acre cattle farm. That lake that seemed to spread on for miles somehow soothed her aching heart. It had reminded her of the days she had spent with her parents at her grandmother's in Arkansas one August vacation. They had laughed and laughed and made plans for the future. Her mother and father were professors at the local high school and were planning to open their own private school. Jessie wanted to be a teacher as well. It was that lake where Jessie learned to swim. She later got a scholarship to study in New York but decided to go to the local university and help her cousin Laura with her son Chad. His father, Laura's first and only love had left when he realized the honeymoon was over and parenthood sometimes had had more downs than ups. Chad had been born seven months premature and was sick most of his early life.
On her final year at university, her uncle Hector died from an accident on the farm. He had been trampled by a herd of stampeding cattle. It was like her parents dying all over again. Jessie remembered after the service aunt Flo told her "their gone and we're not. We got to live for them honey." So that's what she did. She lived.
"Come on Danny it's a great idea .It's time for Jess to stop acting like she's ancient or something. Hell she's younger than both of us. Twenty five is not over the hill. She still has a lot of life left in her," a voice said in a stage whisper.
Jessie awoke groggily. Her mouth felt like cotton and her brain ceased to remember what opening her eyes meant. From the smell of ethanol in the air, she knew she was at the hospital.
"I don't know Josie. Remember what happened the last time we tried to fix her. She turned two shades away from red, all not to mention was angry as hell, like the hulk." Danny said sounding somewhat uncertain.
"It's different this time. She's really down. I mean, just look at her, hell she can't even dress right, that yellow top is so last year. She really needs this and the perfect opportunity has presented itself," Josie pointed out.
There was a long pause, and then a shuffling of feet as someone approached her bed. The bed springs creaked as the person sat.
"She could use some new clothes too and a hair cut maybe. Alright let's do it!" Danny exclaimed at last.
"Whenever you two both agree to do something I get nervous. I start thinking about little mazes with cheese at the end and wire cages," Jessie muttered. Danny jumped from the bed in surprise then sat back down.
You're up. How do you feel?" she asked in an odd voice."
"You know that guy who is always trying to shoot that wabbit? I think he accidentally shot me in the head instead. I can't even open my eyes," Jessie described. "Can I get some water? My mouth is really dry."
"Don't take this the wrong way, workaholic but Dr. Connors said you need to get plenty of rest. You had a concussion, when you hit that barstool."
"Oh. That's why I feel like I've just had brain surgery without anesthesia," Jessie moaned as Danny brought a glass of water to her lips. She took some sips then pulled away.
"What happened at Soul anyway?
"Some fool yelled fire and everyone stampeded. After everyone calmed down and Pablo found out there was no fire he was relived and then pissed off someone would pull a prank like that."
Jessie tried to stifle a yawn.
"I saw that. Get some rest," Danny said sliding off the bed again.
"You don't need to tell me twice. Where did Josie go?" Jessie asked as she rolled over.
"She went outside for a walk," Danny told her. Her voice sounded strange again to Jess as she slipped off to sleep again.
The second time Jessie awoke she opened her eyes to find her god daughter Natalie on her bed. Apparently hospital beds were the perfect place to build forts.
"Hello Natalie where is everyone?" she smiled crawling to the foot of the bed and tickling the child. Natalie laughed herself breathless before answering.
"Mummy went to the cafeteria and Aunt Josie went to visit a friend. Mummy put you're shoes under the bed," the child said climbing off the bed. The blue jumper she was wearing was adorned with bright tropical birds.
Jessie leaned over the side of the bed. Natalie blinked at her from the other end.
"Over there, "she told her pointing. Jessie spotted the blue sneakers just as the hospital door swung open. Two legs clad in faded blue jeans entered. Okay that is definitely not Josie or Danny, she thought as she pulled at her shoes. And the last time she had a check up which was just over two months, Dr. Connors was a little on the pudgy side. She looked up from under the bed. A hand was lazily holding the door knob. The other held her handbag. Wearing that outrageously handsome smile was Spa Guy.
"What are you doing here," she asked foolishly. Obviously he came to return her bag.
I saw when you went down at the restaurant and got to you before the crowd did any serious damage to you. Your friends were already outside. Said the bouncer threw them out." he explained walking into the room.
He smiled again and handed her the bag. Jessie stopped gawking at him and took it.
"Thanks." She said hiding her blush by pretending to rummage through her bag.
"Don't worry. I didn't take anything. I would have left it with your friends but they said you would have liked to thank me personally so here I am."
