“She’s probably laughing at me for acting like I was about fifteen when I stopped by here to pick up Gemma last night. I was so nervous I was pacing, and she gave me shit for it,” Kallie told me. “When Gemma walked in, she told me all this inappropriate stuff I was supposed to ask her.”

“Why must you always try to get our kids in trouble?” I asked Alice playfully. She smiled at me, and her eyes shone with laughter. “You’re evil.”

“It wasn’t even a real date!” Kallie insisted, to which Alice laughed again. “She’s still kinda hurt about her breakup, so we’ve just been talking. Nothing else,” she said sternly to Alice, who just grinned at her. “She’s never gonna believe me,” she said sadly in my direction.

“No, she probably won’t,” I agreed, laughing when Alice was able to lift her hand enough to flip me off. “I’ll see you later, honey,” I told Kallie, giving her a hug.

“I’ll stop in after work tonight. It might be a little late, depending on when I can get out of there, but I’ll definitely stop for a few minutes at least,” she said over her shoulder on her way out the door. I watched her receding form as long as I could see it, and then turned back to Alice.

“She really seems to like your nurse,” I told her. Alice looked at me with a glint of something evil in her eyes, and I laughed. “Would you stop? I think it’s really sweet. She hasn’t been happy outside of work in a long time.”

Alice nodded slightly. She looked sad, and I felt bad for bringing her down. “Hey, it’s okay. She seems really happy now. She’ll be even happier when you get to come home, babe. We all will. Shane and Jenny especially, I think they’re getting tired of babysitting me. Not that I can blame them,” I said somewhat bitterly.

She tapped the top of my hand lightly with her fingertips, and signed to me, asking me if I’d slept. I smiled. “Yeah, Al. They force me to. And don’t worry, I’m not gonna try and stay here tonight. I know it’s better for me to go home, so I’m going to as soon as Shane comes to get me later on. I won’t argue, I promise.”