JORGEN
I'm still off my leg, but I figure that'll be for longer than I thought it would be, considering my blisters split and I can't do much without the whole thing stinging. It's not awful, it's happened to me before, it just means that I have to do things at home for a while. I have to do everything on crutches, which I hate. Or hopping, which makes Connor lose his mind laughing and his reaction takes the edge off how degrading it is in my view of myself. This afternoon he even got up and tried to do it with me, stopping to compliment me on my balance before falling flat on his back.
Which leaves me here, Jessie beside me, hands hovering over her phone.
"What can I even say?" She looks up at me, big doe eyes making me feel like everything's just fine. "Hi, Mom, sorry it's been five whole months, but I found Connor's Dad, moved in with his parents, am absolutely not financially stable at all and would like some closure on the situation?"
"I figure that might do some of it," I mumble. "Do you want to plan for this or just do it?"
"Do it, I think," she says, tapping open her contacts list. Her mom is right at the top in favorites. "Jay, I'm so nervous."
"I know you are, but it's okay, and the hang up button is fully accessible."
She stops fidgeting for a moment, then exits her mom's contact, "I'm- I'm gonna call my Dad first. He's... he'll be alright."
I nod, letting her.
She doesn't hesitate with the call button, just pressing it with her eyes closed and going for my hand right after, gripping my fingers.
It rings for three awful seconds, then: "Jessie? Sweetheart, wh- I haven't heard from you in months, are you okay?" Her Dad sounds genuinely worried and it gives me a moment I didn't expect to have, a halfway weird Dad to Dad connection, knowing in some fraction exactly how that has to feel.
"Yes, I'm okay, I'm alright, it's good to hear your voice," she uses her free hand to swipe at her cheeks and I open my arm, offering my chest for her to lean against. She doesn't take it, too focused on this.
"What's happening? How are you? Are... is everything going alright?"
"Everything is okay, yeah, I just, I wanted to check in. How is it there?"
He lets out a tiny noise, almost a scoff, "well, your mother poured boiling water on my hands about four weeks after you left and so I dug out all the divorce papers I got ten years ago and I'll be moving to my company's Boston branch starting September first. As of right now, I'm with a friend. So things are different here."
Jessie lets out a soft gasp, "she what?"
"Didn't like that I had a different opinion on what happened with you."
"Are you okay? Oh my... oh my gosh."
"I'm alright," he breathes out. "The burns healed up pretty good, though the skin on my hands has some scars on it, the EMTs were very nice when I called about a block away from the house."
I look over at her, catching her eyes looking back at me.
"It's been a little weird without her, but I'm regaining my footing, so, I'm okay, things are okay. How about you? I'd love to help but I still don't quite have access to the finances because the courts are slow right now."
"I'm, I'm good," Jessie squeezes my fingers. "I spent a week or so with a friend from high school, and then I bumped into- do you remember Jorgen Hadley, perhaps?"
"Was he the skinny one you liked on the frisbee team? The one that was over all the time during senior year? I won't say the end of my assumption, but I assume you already know," he lets out a soft laugh.
"Oh," she cracks a smile and it's truly relieving to see. "Yeah, Jay, Connor's Dad. I bumped into some of his friends and they have a house in the city that Connor and I were able to stay at. Jorgen works up in Canada now, he's in charge of the medical department for the Regina Wolves, the hockey team. He came home for the summer and I decided to try to see if he would help a little as a last resort and he's been more than amazing."
"Oh, thank god," he breathes out. "He's been good? I thought he was a little rough back then."
"Yeah, he was, but he grew up a little bit and so did I. I'm living with his parents while we try to figure out a better solution. I've been here with Connor for three or so months."
"So you're safe? Well fed? How are Connor's other grandparents?"
"They're wonderful, Joey and Linda have been nothing but wonderful."
"Thank God, thank God, thank God," he manages. "And how's Connor?"
"Connor hasn't liked transitioning through all this all that much but he adores Jorgen and seems to be alright with this situation. Still the same goofy sarcastic kid he was before we left, of course."
"Agh," he shuffles the phone a little, "Jessie you make me so happy."
"C-can I come see you, sometime? Soon?"
"Yes, of course, of course. What time is it now?"
"Noon," I answer. "I don't want to push for today, if you're not ready, I-I think that might a lot? Would it?"
"No, gosh," he mumbles, thinking about something else. "I've been ready to see you again since you left, sweetheart, your mom, gosh, your mother is a nightmare."
"I know," she sighs, this time leaning her cheek on my shoulder. "But-"
"No buts," he cuts in, shaky in his voice but you can tell that he's got the conviction for it. "No buts at all. Your mother gave me the biggest gift of my life, you, of course, but that woman is a narcissist and I was too much of a pushover to realize that it was hurting all of us," he breathes out. "Enough about her. More about you. How's your job? What's going on with Connor and school next year? Why did you decide to call me now? How-"
"One at a time," she laughs, lightly, almost as if he does this often. "My job is still my job, we're not sure what we're doing with Connor and school next year, and I decided to call you now because Jay is headed back up north in a few weeks and we wanted to get some closure on some things before both of our lives get unsteady again, just so if things go south we'll have answers."
"Reasonable," Mr. Kingston says. "And Jay, am I allowed to call him that or is that a you-only thing?"
I purse my lips, almost opening my mouth to say Jessie only because that's what I want, but Jess knows from the look on my face.
"Just call him Jorgen, I think he only puts up with me calling him Jay because he has to."
With that I open my mouth to correct her on that but she holds a finger to my lips, effectively silencing me.
"Right, Jorgen. Hadley, was it? Like Joey Hadley?"
"Yeah, those are the right Hadley's," she squeezes my hand, telling me to keep staying quiet.
"Right, right, I knew Joey from when we used to do events at St. B's that involved only dads. He's a real friendly guy, has an amazingly dry sense of humor."
"I've come to realize as much," she laughs.
"So, Jorgen, skinny kid from frisbee? Real tall? With the curly hair? Am I putting together the right pieces?"
"Yeah, those are the right ones."
Her Dad takes a second with that, "and he's the father, right?"
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
"You'll... you'll know it when you see the two of them. I would've been less certain if I had remet him when Connor was littler but they look incredibly similar."
"Does this mean Connor will be tall?"
"Connor already is tall," she smiles. "And yes. Probably taller than we thought considering Jorgen put on a few inches since I last saw him."
"How... how tall is he?"
She looks up at me, squints, then back down at the phone, "I think he told me he's around six foot five."
"Holy-" her Dad takes a moment to breathe. "That's a big guy. Oh, gosh, I'm only five seven, how am I supposed to scare him?"
"I think he's already a little scared of you, from the look he's giving me right now," the little glint in her eyes when she looks up at me tells me almost everything I need to know.
"He's right there?"
"Yeah."
Her dad clears his throat, "you listen here, buddy, I know you're probably very large, which does not make me all that intimidating to you, but you better not lay a hand on my daughter."
"I know, sir," I give what I really really hope is a good impression with that, praying that I can at least mitigate some of what I assume his response to seeing me in person will be. Dad's, I would assume, aren't all that fond of me. Six foot five, sort of gym-rat looking, covered in tattoos, missing limb, it's all not adding up in my favor in winning over parents.
"Or my grandson, for that matter. And you better be a good damn figure in their life or I'll beat it out of you, you hear me?"
"Yes."
"Good, good," he clears his throat again. "And she said you work for that hockey team, medical something? What's that mean?"
I glance at Jess for a second before opening my mouth, "I'm a paramedic, I worked for the city for a while after high school and then my uncle hired me to work on his team up north. I moved up the ladder quickly and now I work in games on the bench and in the offices as a coordinator of most of everything medical that has to happen."
"So you're... on the bench? Like on the bench in games?"
"Yes."
"That's cool, so you know a whole bunch of professional hockey players?"
"I'm close friends with a lot of them, yes."
"So... do you do anything over the summers?"
"I," I pause. "I normally volunteer for Regina Fire and EMS, but this year I'm filling a blank position back on Chicago East EMS while staying to help Jessie and Connor."
"What are your plans come fall? Jessie said going back north?"
I lean forward, setting one elbow on my knee, the other arm still occupied with holding her hand, "I'm headed back up for the season. I'd love to stay and work here to be around for Jess and Connor, but inner-city first response is more than I can handle for long periods of time."
"I'd have to say the guys that were there when I burnt my hands were pretty gnarly, it would take a lot."
I let out a small laugh, "the career guys are pretty gritty, I do have to say. Do you remember who responded to that? Names?"
He pauses, "um, well one was mostly bald and there was a guy with salt and pepper hair and both of them looked like they could bench my bodyweight, the salt and pepper haired one looked like he'd broken his nose?"
"Do you remember what division?"
"West, definitely."
I let out a half-laugh. I'd just seen those two this week, "that's Cole McWaters and Nate Bridges. I see them when they fill shifts for people on East. They're husbands."
"They're what?"
"They're married," I consider that for a moment, wondering if this man holds any homophobic bias from the way he's responding.
"That's an interesting household," he comments. "Fun dinner conversation, I'd think."
"They've had me over for dinner a couple times when I was fresh on the crew, back when they worked East. Definitely interesting."
"So you're a paramedic," he confirms to himself. "Does... is that a college degree thing?"
"No, it can be, but no, I got all my certifications without college."
"Weren't you the one going to... gosh I don't remember, but Jessie had said you'd applied to some really good schools in high school. She was headed to Marquette, but, you know, her mother. I think she should've gone, but."
Jess lets out a soft little noise from next to me. I know the story, I hate it, but I know it. "No, I... I got into some good east coast schools but was planning for University of Illinois, but I had a bit of an accident at the end of high school and it redirected me. I'm glad it did, though, considering what I thought I was going to end up doing when I applied to colleges and what I'm doing now, I'd much rather be where I am."
"Sometimes things are for the better, you know," he makes a noise like he shrugged. "So, Jess," he switches his attention and I sit for a minute while they pick back up their conversation, stunned, sort of. I had expected him to ask about what the accident was, that's what normally happens. Instead he said something nice and supportive and then let it drop.
I don't think I've had that happen before.
"Connor's home at three this afternoon from a friend's house, would you want to maybe head to the park in Jay's neighborhood? That way I can get out of his hair and let him do some work stuff and Connor can see you."
"Send me an address and I'll be there," he says. "I'll save all the serious talking to then so I don't have to do it over the phone."
"Okay, me too," Jessie responds, thumb running over the back of my palm. "I love you, see you in three hours."
"I love you too, see you."
And the line drops. She leans forward and sets her head in her hands, dropping my palm to do so.
I let it be quiet for a few minutes, rubbing her back, letting her be the one that says anything because I don't know what to do.
"Hot water," she mumbles after some quiet time. "She poured hot water on his hands... because she didn't like that he didn't like what happened with me."
I don't say anything, just a small hum.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"Can you come with me? When we go to the park?"
"F'course."
"I can make him sit at a bench or something so you don't put too much strain on yourself or-"
"Jessie," I stop her. "If you want me there, I'll be there. I don't care if you're gonna make me crutch through a marathon or not."
She grabs my head and hugs me, tugging my head to her chest and burying her face in my neck, "you're too good."
I love you.
***
next chapter's roman numeral is just L. i'm excited.
have a good thursday
-rabid