Chapter 17-Something You Love
"He's what?" Manny asked with a look of horror on her face. She slapped her thighs softly, trying to keep her anger under control.
"He's going to have surgery today, to get him to walk again." Marco said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, still trying to eliminate the anger.
"Why didn't he tell me? I mean, we may not be together, but I am still his friend…damn it!" Manny flopped back on her bed as she screamed in frustration. She didn't like secrets kept from her, especially when it was about someone she loved.
"Manny, it'll be okay. He'll be fine, the doctor is super qualified, and you know Jimmy only goes for the best." Craig said as he sat in the corner of her room. She looked at him and nodded, even though she wasn't sure.
"If he goes for the best, why didn't he go for me…?" Manny thought to herself. She put on her blue sweatshirt over her black t-shirt and slipped on her black and blue nikes.
"Where the hell are you going? It's pouring outside!" Craig said as he stood from the chair. Manny looked back at him and rolled her eyes a bit, and then she looked at Marco.
"Marco, take me to the hospital that he's at." Manny said, and she walked out of the room.
The ride to the hospital was quiet, Manny kept her gaze towards the window, where the rain rolled down the window. He turned into the hospital parking lot and parked towards the front. She got out of the car and looked at him.
"I'll call you when I'm done." Marco nodded when Manny said this, and he drove away. She ran into the entrance, trying to escape the rain. She came in, and it was freezing. She cursed under her breath as she walked to the reception desk and looked at her hands. The receptionist looked up at her, chewing gum loudly.
"James Brooks." Manny said simply as the receptionist looked on her computer. She scrolled her eyes across the page, and then smiled at her.
"Room 406." The receptionist said, and Manny broke into a run onto the elevator. She pushed the button that had the number 4 on it, and it started to rise. She sighed as it rose towards its destination. She tapped her foot repeatedly, trying to pass the few seconds that seemed to go by like hours, and to keep her anger down. The door finally flung open, and she ripped down the hall until she found room 406. She opened the door and saw Jimmy, looking towards the rain in the window. She sighed a bit as she walked around his bed, and sat into a chair in front of him.
"Hey…" He said weakly, and her anger melted immediately. She smiled a bit as she put her hand in his.
"Hey…why didn't you tell me that you were getting surgery?" Manny said with a little bit of anger in her tone. He smiled a bit as he rubbed his finger across her hand.
"Because I didn't want to worry you…but the surgery is over. It took about 4 hours, and I don't feel the least bit of pain." Jimmy said quietly, as Manny sat her head on his shoulder. The room was completely dark, except for the moonlight from the window that bounced off their faces.
"Well, I'd rather be worried than be clueless. Do you know how scared I was when Marco told me? I thought that something was going to happen to you, and then I would lose you…" Manny said as Jimmy looked at her. He knew exactly where this was going, and he didn't want to go there, because he knew what he would say to her.
"Look Manny, I know that you love me and everything, but I'm with Alex, and I can't cheat on her. I told you before, I'm not Craig." He said, and Manny smiled at him and laughed a bit.
"I don't want you to cheat in her either, but I want you to at least tell me that you care about me. I mean, just because you're with Alex doesn't mean that I'm just gonna stop loving you. I mean, you're the only boy in my whole life that didn't label me as some loose girl. You cared about me, and it was as if I had a brother." Manny said, and he tightened his grip on her hand.
"Manny…" Jimmy started. "The truth is…I love you too. But I can't just up and leave Alex. I mean, I love you both…and it wouldn't be fair to her if I just left her. I know it isn't fair to you either…but I don't want to be alone." Manny smiled a bit as she closed her eyes. Jimmy looked at the clock and saw that it was midnight. He closed his eyes as well, and they slept through the stormy night.