- 4 -
I must have fallen asleep sometime after I closed my eyes, because sometime before dawn someone gently taps on my shoulder. I roll over slightly and look up to see a nurse standing over me smiling faintly.
"Sorry to bother you Mrs. Rove, but you shouldn't still be in here." "I'm sorry. What time is it?" The nurse glances at her watch. "It 5:43 am." "Oh wow. I didn't mean to fall asleep." I say. "For that long." I add. The nurse smiles for real this time.
I gently move Adam's arm, which is still wrapped around my waist and sit up. I glance at him and I reach down to kiss his forehead. He looks so peacefully lying there and I hate the thought of him waking up, so I slowly move towards the edge of the bed and stand up.
I yawn and run my fingers through my hair. I walk to the doorway and glance back at Adam. He's still sleeping, so I turn to walk down the hallway and back towards the waiting area. My parents are still sitting out there as well as Anna and Tara, who are spread out on a few chairs looking like they were trying to sleep. Mom sees me and sits up quickly.
"Joan, where have you been all night?" she asks. "Good morning to you as well." I reply, smiling. "Sorry sweetheart. Good morning." She says. "To answer your question, I was with Adam." I say. Mom raises her eyebrow. "You were with Adam all of this time?" "Yes, I was. I went into talk to him, then we sort of kissed and we sort of kissed for a while. Then, I stayed with him until he fell asleep, then I sort of fell asleep too."
Mom looks like she's trying really hard not to laugh. "You sort of fell asleep?" I roll my eyes. "Yeah, I sort of fell asleep. So, where is everyone?" "Everyone was expecting you to come pretty much straight out and you didn't so everyone else left last night, except for them." She nods towards Anna and Tara. I smile, then reply "They're pretty awesome friends." "Yes they are." mom says, agreeing. "Everyone should be back in a little while." I nod and glance over at Anna, who by this time is starting to stir. She opens her eyes and sits up, rubbing at her eyes. She glances up and sees me.
"Joan, hey. You're back! Where were you?" I smile. "I was with Adam. We talked for a little while and then I stayed with him until he fell asleep." I reply. Anna nods and says, "Cool." "Are you hungry?" mom asks me. "Yeah, I'm starved." "Me too Mrs. Girardi. By the way, you look like st Joanie." Anna says. I let out a small laugh. "Gee thanks." I reply.
"Do you want to go home and freshen up, then come back to eat?" Anna asks. "Sure. When are Miss Anti and Stud Muffin going to be here?" I ask referring to Grace and Luke's pet names for each other. Anna laughs, then says "Last night Grace told me somewhere between 8 or 9." I nod.
"Who's Miss Anti and Stud Muffin?" mom asks. "I don't think you were there, but the morning after Adam's and my wedding we all heard Grace and Luke calling each other their pet names, I would guess forgetting where they were. We've teased them about it since." I reply. Mom laughs for a moment, and then shakes her head.
"Tell anyone who asks, we'll be back a little while. And if Adam wakes up and asks, tell him I'll be right back." I say. Mom smiles then says "Alright." I give her a smile, and then follow Anna down the hallway towards the elevator.
"Have you heard anything from Glynis and Friedman? Kevin and Lily?" I ask, as we step into the elevator. We ride it down to the ground floor and walk outside, towards the subway station. "Glynis and Friedman, no. I'm guess they'll just show up with Luke and Grace or something. Kevin called like half an hour ago because he said he couldn't sleep. They should be here later this morning. They have to drive down from Arcadia, so it should be a couple of hours I guess." "Cool." I reply then quickly add "Thanks Anna." She looks at smiles and me. "Don't worry, it was no problem."
We get on the train and ride the 10 stops down to Adam's and my apartment. In my rush last night, I forgot to grab my bag that had my keys in it. Luckily, the day that we moved in we put a spare key under the rug. I put the key in this slot and turn it to the left. The door opens easily and we go inside.
The food is still on the stove. The lights are still on. Everything is just how we left it last night.
"Go ahead and get ready Joanie. I'll clean up this... stuff." I give her a quick smile and head into the bedroom. I walk through the bedroom and into the master bathroom to take my shower.