Tormented | LisRene AU

Chapter 10

"Jackson, you're up!" Bambam said from where he leaned against the counter.

Jackson almost dropped the charts he was carrying. It had been a while since anyone had let him take lead with a patient. It was not because they did not want to give him responsibilities. They were all used to doing things themselves.

"Heart attack," Jennie said, walking towards Bambam with the paperwork. "Already started an IV."

"It'll be easy for him then," he said.

Bambam took the clipboard from Jennie's hand and she turned to look around the lobby. Irene watched her from the rolling chair behind the nurses' station. When Lisa came into view across the lobby, Jennie grinned slightly.

"Lisa," Jennie said. "Can we talk for a minute?"

Lisa glanced at Irene behind the counter and then back at Jennie. She nodded and followed her down the hallway, out of sight. Unfortunately, Irene could not hear them either. She was not normally a nosy or jealous person, but there was nothing to keep Lisa from sleeping with someone else. They were not in a relationship.

As Irene started toward her room to do rounds, she heard Jennie call back to Lisa, "I'll call you later."

Irene was surprised by a sudden feeling of dread. It was the same feeling she had after they had broken up and Irene realized Lisa was free to date other people. It had taken Irene a year and a half to go on a date. She had no idea how long it had taken Lisa. It had taken a lot of willpower to not ask Rosé for Lisa's address just so she could drive by.

Thankfully, Irene managed to avoid Lisa for a few hours. She kept busy by helping Rosé, letting Jackson shadow her, and doing paperwork she was behind on. Now, she and Yeri were eating in the cafeteria. Irene sipped from her travel mug of coffee. She felt more tired than usual.

"Do you know anything about Jennie?" Irene asked suddenly.

"No," Yeri said. "And I'm not getting in the middle of it either."

Irene's shoulders slumped. "I just don't know how to help Lisa," she said. "I want to help her so badly."

"You ever think that maybe she doesn't want your help?" Yeri asked. "Maybe she wants to help herself."

That made Irene pause. "Did she talk to you?" she asked, surprised.

"I just think that it would be better if you didn't hover so much," Yeri said.

"I don't hover," Irene argued.

"Irene, come on," she said. "When Lisa got back, you wanted her to come back to work immediately. You wanted her to go out and stuff. You used to talk to all of us about it."

Irene was now convinced that Lisa had, in fact, talked to Yeri about this. Her cheeks flushed. Yeri must have told Lisa the things she said two years ago. Irene stood and threw away her food. She was suddenly nauseous.

"See you on the floor," Irene said.

Irene heard Yeri sigh from behind her, but she did not look back. She was embarrassed and frustrated and confused. All she wanted to do was help Lisa get back to a normal life. Irene now understood that her idea of Lisa's normal life involved herself. That must be what Yeri meant. Lisa wanted a normal life that was sustainable by herself. Lisa wanted to function without Irene before she could try to function with her. The realization made her incredibly sad.

For three years, their lives were so entwined and completed by the other. They complimented each other. While Lisa was deployed, Irene waited diligently for her to come home. She made everything perfect for Lisa's arrival. She planned to continue their lives as if she had never left but all of Irene's plans changed when only a shell of Lisa returned the last time. Irene had been so excited that Lisa was retiring while Lisa's world was falling apart. She thought she was being sensitive to her needs, but, apparently, she had only made things harder for Lisa.