This Is Not the End

Jacky’s POV

“Hey there! Ready to go?” I said, walking into Elise’s room. She was standing at the foot of her bed, packing some clothes into a black duffel bag. I heard movement coming from the bathroom, indicating that Max was here. Elise smiled at me, and zipped up her bag.

“Just about,” she said. “Max is gathering up my toiletries.” At the mention of his name, Max popped his head out from behind the door. He looked at me and smiled.

“Hey Jacky, didn’t think you were coming.” He said.

“I figured I could help.” I shrugged. Max stepped out of the bathroom and handed me a small bag, then he walked over to Elise and grabbed her bag. The door opened and a nurse came in pushing an empty wheelchair. Elise looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s policy,” the nurse said. “All patients must leave in a wheelchair.”

“That’s kind of like saying I should leave on a gurney!” Elise protested.

“Elise, it’s only a short trip down. It really sucks, I understand that. But humor the nice lady?” I told her. Elise looked at me and smiled. I grinned back stupidly. Max shot me a look, and my smile faltered. It was really hard visiting Elise these past few weeks, because of him. Every time I tried to speak to her, I could always feel his eyes on me. I usually wound up sitting in the corner while Max and Craig played cards with her. Craig came by a few times, he wasn’t a bad guy, and I felt no animosity toward him, though it was slightly awkward being around him. Ronnie didn’t come by at all after the first night. He said that it was awkward visiting someone he didn’t know. I found that strange, seeing as she was related to Max, someone he had known since he was fifteen. He told me that he never brought Elise around, though he talked about her a little bit. I didn’t really understand why I came by as often as I did. I just liked being around Elise. She was smart and very pretty. She was funny and she loved to talk. She wasn’t as shy as I imagined her to me.

“Ready to go?” Max asked Elise.

“I’m ready to get as far away from here as possible. Where is that new apartment located again?” she replied.

“It’s really nice. Robert helped me decorate.” Max said, swinging her duffel over his shoulder.

“Oh, that’s just lovely. I wonder what you put in there…” Elise scoffed. The nurse wheeled the chair over to the bed, and Elise sat down. The nurse pushed her into the hall and towards the elevators. Max made it a point to walk in front of me in competition. Every time I walked towards Elise in anyway, he stepped in front of me. Eventually, I just fell behind, awkwardly hold her toiletry bag. Once we got outside, Max rushed off to get the car. Elise stood up and stumbled slightly; I rushed forward and caught her in my arms. She looked up at me, and smiled.

“Thanks… uh… well, this is embarrassing.” She said. I stared into her eyes and felt a smile toying at the corners of my lips. I quickly released her before Max got back; I didn’t want to give him an excuse to give me a dirty look.

“I’ll follow Max’s car to your place,” I said, taking a step away from her. I swiftly walk away once I saw Max’s car coming around the bend. Once I got to my car, I grabbed my phone and dialed Ronnie’s number.

“What up Brit boy?” he answered.

“Not much, just calling to let you know that I’m leaving the hospital, and that I was going to help Elise get settled into her apartment.” I told him.

“What’s your deal with this chick?” he asked. “Why do you care if she gets to her apartment? Max is with her.”

“I don’t know… She’s just really cool. I want to get to know her. But I haven’t really been able to do so because of Max.” I said.

“Has Max planted himself up her ass?” Ronnie asked with a laugh.

“Pretty much,” I said as I put the car in drive and backed out of my parking space. I pulled out of the parking lot, and quickly spotted Max’s car.

“So, do you like her?” Ronnie asked suddenly.

“I – no, I barely know the girl. I just think she’s nice.” I said hesitantly. I reached a stop light and pulled up next to Max’s car. Elise waved to me from the passenger’s seat. I smiled at her and waved back.

“Right,” Ronnie said, drawing out the word.

“It’s true!” I huffed, hanging up the phone irritably. I barely knew Elise, but Ronnie’s question got me thinking about my feelings for her. We barely had any contact, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did hone some feelings for her. I finally told myself that it was too early to decide what those feelings meant.

The light turned green and I followed closely behind Max, pushing Ronnie’s stupid question out of my head.