"Okay, so Kamala has been framed by Five, which is like the English FBI. Anyway, she's being framed for actually killing a security guard, which isn't the kind of thing Kamala does… Ephram?" Desi asked. The two were sitting in a booth at Mama Joy's. Desi was talking but Ephram wasn't listening.
"What?" he asked, turning to her. Desi laughed slightly.
"Are you okay?" she asked him. It was Saturday and all day long Ephram had seemed kind of, out of it. Ephram nodded.
"Yea, yea it's just…" he said, wondering whether or not he should tell her, "Orrie's leaving tomorrow."
"What?" Desi asked, surprised. Ephram sighed.
"His father is coming to pick him up," he explained. Desi bit her lower lip.
"I take it Jig knows," she said. Ephram nodded, rubbing the nape of his neck.
"Yea, yesterday."
"How's she doing?" Desi asked, worried.
"Better. Yesterday was kind of hard. She's been taking a lot of walks, with Ein," he said, knowing Jig was better making him smile. Desi nodded with this great, deep understanding that only Desi had. She held one of Ephram's hands in both of hers.
"Okay, and, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two, three, one, two thr- Jig?" Amy asked. She and Jig were in Amy's living room, trying to waltz again. Jig blinked and looked at her. Amy looked at her cousin, worriedly.
"Uh, what?" Jig asked looking at her.
"Are you okay, you're on beat five again?" Amy asked her, smiling. Jig looked at her, some far look on her face. Amy's eyes narrowed in worry.
"I'm fine. Where were we?" Jig asked her, her voice sounding as far away as the look on her face. Needless to say, Amy did not believe her.
"Jig, why don't we stop for a little bit?" Amy asked her. Jig nodded.
"O-okay," Jig said. Amy nodded. Amy released her and started walking over to the couch. Jig took one step and collapsed backward on to the floor.
"Jig!" Amy yelled and ran to her. She held Jig's head in her hands.
"Dad!" Amy yelled, "DAD!"
Ephram sat in a badly cushioned wooden chair. He leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees and his mouth resting on his entwined fingers. As usual the look on his face was not one of incredible rapture, it was one of remorse and regret. He never should have left her. He was her friend, he was supposed to be at her side. Well, he was there now. Jig was laying in front of him in a hospital bed. Silent. Asleep. He closed his eyes and heard her breathing and the beeping of all of her machines. She was sick again. Another fever. A fever he couldn't cure. Desi walked into the doorway and frowned seeing Ephram sitting there. She walked over and sat down in the seat next to him. He leaned back in the chair and looked at her sympathetic face. She picked up one of his hands and kissed it lightly with her lips. He smiled, hoping it would make her feel better. Unfortunate for his efforts, she knew he smiled for her sake.
"How's she doing?" she asked him. He frowned.
"She hasn't woken up yet."
"Well, I'm sure she'll be fine. Jig's as strong as I've ever known," Desi reassured him. He nodded.
"She's only been sick once before…" Ephram told her. Desi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" she asked him. He nodded.
"Doing the snow in."
"Wow, lucky girl…" Desi said, remembering all of her days spent in bed. Ephram looked at her, and then they both looked at Jig, laying unconscious in the hospital bed. Desi bit her lower lip.
"Orrie's leaving in three hours. Some one should probably tell him…" Desi said. Ephram quickly turned his head to look at her.
"No! He can't find out! He'd want to stay!" Ephram told her. Desi narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"Ephram, I don't understand. I thought we wanted him-"
"Jig's already said good bye to him once. If she had to do it again…" Ephram told her. Desi, again with this great understanding she's been able to grasp, nodded.
Edna and Irv sat outside of the room in connected chairs leaning against the wall. Irv sat back, but Edna leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees. Edna might have been in the hospital hallway, but her mind was somewhere else. Her mind was reviewing every promise she ever made to Kathy. Every promise she ever made to Jig. Irv would occasionally rub her back in support. He'd rub Amy's too but she was on the other side of Edna and he couldn't reach her. Amy, as one would probably guess, was blaming herself. She never should have made Jig practice with her that day. She should have seen that Jig wasn't okay. She really had to be okay.
Rabbi Raymond Jackson was of an impressive 6'4" with a tan complexion, and jet black wavy hair. His height came mostly from his legs which looked longest whenever he sat down. He looked surprisingly nothing like his son, who evidently got all of his looks from his mother's side. Which, actually, anyone could deduce if seeing Orrie standing next to his cousin. Now, Rabbi Jackson stood in front of his ex-wife's house, holding one of his son's suitcases in his hand and a smile on his face. His ex-wife and her other son stood in front of the house as well, along with her little brother and niece. Orrie stood at his father's side, mixed emotions playing themselves on his face. Happy to see his father and leave his mother, and yet, sorry to leave his favorite cousin and, Jig. Neither of them were here now, and Orrie had a pit in his stomach that told him why. There had been some love between Orrie and Jig. Nothing binding, like Ephram and Desi. Nothing long lasting, they both had known that. And yet, there was something it hurt to say good bye to. He hoped Jig would be okay, he didn't want this to hurt her. She told him to go. She meant it.
Star walked over to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. She bent down a little (her being 6'2" and him being 5'11"), and looked him in the eyes. She smiled.
"You know I'll miss you kid. But if this is what you want, then I can wait a few months to see you again," she told him. He nodded and smiled. She turned her head to the father standing behind her son.
"If he's not perfect the next time I see him, there is no place you can hide," she told him. The Rabbi's eyes widened in surprise.
"Right," he said simply. He had survived living with that woman for five years, he knew what to respond to. Star turned back to her son, who she still had a firm grip on. She leaned forward, kissed her son's forehead, and let him go. She turned around and walked back over to Cory, Dr. Brown, and Delia. The four of them waved good bye as the father and son got into the car, and drove off. Dr. Brown turned to his sister with a smile.
"You're a good mother," he told her. She smiled and turned to him.
"I know."
Amy sat at the dinner table, staring at her dinner. Her parents were talking, or rather, arguing about some odd thing. At least it wasn't about them getting lost, Amy was about as sick of that topic as one can be. Bright sat quietly, like he usually did. The children were usually only involved in the dinner conversation under the line "How was school today?" And it was winter break, so there was no school. Oh, and what a winter break it was turning out to be. It certainly was off to a great start. Amy looked up from the casserole and over into the living room. She could see their Christmas tree from there. This year it had a 'snowflake' theme. Christmas trees shouldn't have themes. Christmas trees are supposed to be a collage of things gathered over the years. Things made by the children out of Popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. Christmas trees were supposed to be about memories and family, not expensive decorations.
"I talked to Jig's doctor this afternoon," Dr. Abbott said, gathering Amy's attention.
"And?" she asked him. He sighed.
"Well," he started and cleared his throat, "he wouldn't declare her in a state of comatose. She seems simply to be asleep…"
"But…" Amy lead him. Dr. Abbott frowned but continued.
"But the fever is greatly affecting her body. Her immune system isn't used to this kind of attack," he explained.
"Wait, what kind of effects?" Bright asked him, more out of curiosity than worry for his second cousin. Dr. Abbott looked across the table at his wife, who nodded.
"Well, most predominately, it looks like, would be Juliet's ability to walk," Dr. Abbott told them. Amy's eyes widened in surprise.
"What! No!" Amy yelled.
"Amy, dear," Rose tried. Amy ignored her and got to her feet.
"No!" she yelled again, "I'm tired of people I love getting sick! I'm tired of it!" she yelled and ran from the room. Rose got up and followed her. Dr. Abbott let out a worried sigh and turned to his son. Bright shrugged and continued eating.
Ephram and Desi sat in the Jig's room playing Scrabble™ on a table next to her bed. Of the normal people who would wait for Jig, only the two of them and Edna remained. It was one in the morning and Irv had gone home a few hours ago after Edna threatened him. Dr. Brown and Delia had left long ago, Delia had to go to bed. Amy's parents had taken her home, no choice. Desi had stayed with him. She loved him so much, she'd stay up to one in the morning playing Scrabble™ with him.
"V-A-N-I-L-L-A. There, what's that?" Desi asked him, smiling. Ephram smiled too.
"That's proof of how upset you are they don't have a frozen yogurt machine here," he told her. She laughed and kicked him lightly under the table.
"No, but really… You would think they'd have a frozen yogurt machine here…"
"Desi, it's a hospital, not a buffet," he told her. She nodded.
"We have a frozen yogurt machine at home," she said.
"Oh, well, who doesn't?" he asked her. She kicked him again.
"If you weren't so cute I'd be home now and I could have some frozen yogurt," she told him.
"I'm sorry?" he said and she laughed. Desi sighed and turned to Jig.
"I wish I had a friend like Jig," she said.
"You do, Jig…" he said. Desi smiled and shook her head.
"No, I mean like the kind of friend Jig is to you. Could you live without her, Ephram?" Desi asked him.
"I'd rather not find out," he said. Desi gave him a lop sided grin but forgot it. Then she sighed.
"Well, you won't have to. Jig'll be fine. I just wish she'd hurry up," Desi said jokingly. Ephram smiled.
"She likes to let these things drag on. I think it makes her feel popular," he said.
"You bastard," Jig mumbled.
