Page 35 of Tangled with the Tight End

The front door closes behind my visitors, leaving me and Winona alone.

“Do you need anything?” she asks softly.

“Maybe a nap,” I say.

“Let’s get you comfortable, then. Or would you rather nap in bed?”

“Out here is fine,” I tell her, even though the bed might be more comfortable.

I’m not quite ready to have her in my bedroom. I know she’s only here as a healthcare worker. But she’s best friends with my sister-in-law. The lines around us are blurry.

She walks over and gently lifts my leg while I carefully rearrange myself so I’m flat on my back with my leg up on the pillows she fluffs and rearranges.

I close my eyes. I am drowsy, but my mind races a little.

The sound of Winona moving around the room settles something inside me. Maybe I’m not ready to be alone. I don’t question myself.

The jury in my head is still out as to her competence at nursing. She’s not bad at her job. I just can’t tell if she’s actually good at it yet. She feels scattered at times, but so far she’s given me good care.

What she is definitely a master at is handling chaos in an unexpected way.

Everyone else around here seems to want something from me—expectations fill the air, making it thick enough to choke on. My coaches and teammates want me back in the game. My dad wants me to be a superhero—as always. Mom wants me to be a good patient.

But Winona doesn’t seem to want anything from me.

She rolls with all of it—not even bending to my father.

I’ve met very few people in my life who aren’t intimidated by him. I’m tempted to say Winona’s too naive to notice Dad’s dominance, but there’s a spark in her eye that tells me she sees exactly what’s what. She simply doesn’t seem to care about status or his demands.

I sink into the pillow under my head, opening my eyes the smallest amount to watch her move around the room. She’s seemingly oblivious to my observation—except when she looks up and our eyes meet. The smile that spreads across her lips is sweet and courteous. It's a nurse-to-patient smile.

A niggling sensation like an itch that needs scratching tugs at me.

I want to make her smile a different smile.

And I don't know why.

Chapter 7

Winona

I don’t always say something stupid,

but when I do, I keep talking to make it worse.

~ Unknown

One thing I love about my life is that no two days are ever the same.

That’s also the thing that concerns me most about my life.

All that inconsistency isn’t normal, is it?

Most of my friends work nine-to-five jobs, or they own their own businesses.

Me? I’m a twenty-eight-year-old nursing student who now spends her days doing the oddest of jobs. Which is why I find myself here at Sycamore Assisted Living at eleven in the morning on a weekday teaching a group of seniors how to access features on their cell phones.

We’re gathered at a round table in the activity room. Everyone has their cell out in front of them. I’m fielding questions.