The Transplant ✔️

49. You've Read It

Jolie's POV:

"Candy!"

"Jolie!"

Like two lovers in an airport, Candy and I hugged in the hospital hallway and clung for dear life. I had missed my fiery redhead, best friend the little time we were away from each other.

"Babe, you need some serious foundation. This hospital has drained the life out of your skin. Let's get you to your room." Being as how I wasn't allowed to walk yet, Candy had to roll me down the hall. I was put back into a regular room and out of the ICU, so the hall was a bit bigger to walk down.

"It's not my fault I had my face squashed in a pillow during my exam. Then I was dragged out of my room for more lab tests and an ultrasound."

"How was it?" She asked as we strolled down the hallway.

"There isn't much significant improvement as of yet, but it sometimes takes a while to see progress. He said that the good news is my immune system has not attacked the organ yet, so if my next lab tests show more improvement, I am heading down a succesful transplant operation. I'm trying to keep my hopes high, but I dont know how much longer I can wait for progress."

"Luckily I'm here to help you. A pretty girl is a happy girl, am I right?" She turned to the left, rolling me into my room and hitting the wall in the process.

"Not if I'm dead; be careful would you?"

"Sorry. Would you like me to call the nurse to help you get back in bed?"

"No, not yet. After you do my makeup, I'm going to need a favor. The nurses, and even my family, won't let me see Jobe. Could you sneak me in his room for a minute?"

Candy's face lit up with a sort of deviousness I was all-too aware of.

"I like the rambunctious Jolie. Hell yeah, I'll bring you. If you want to have crazy sex after your surgery, who am I to stop you? Make sure your heart monitor's off, though." She winked.

I didn't bother telling her we weren't going to have sex when she already knew the truth.

**

"Jobe." Unlike me, Jobe wasn't up and strolling like I was. People heal at different speeds, I suppose, but it was hard seeing him in such condition.

"Jolie, how'd you get in here?"

"I had to run some tests and my nurse told me to sit in the waiting room while she spoke to the doctor. I waited ten minutes before I got tired of waiting. I was wheeling myself to my room, when I saw Candy arriving. She wheeled me over here while the nurses weren't looking." I didn't want to sound desperate, but I would go to extreme lengths to see him. And he was surely a sight, even in a floppy gown and greasy, unwashed hair.

"Dad and Avie went out for lunch, so I've been here bored as hell by myself." He uttered.

"Good thing I came, huh?" I smiled, using all my strength to roll near his bed. My wheels were probably caught under wires, but I didn't care.

"Yeah, good thing." His voice hitched, then came a rather odd, nervous - pitched laugh. I wasn't sure what was up with him, but when I got a look at what was sticking out of his pillow, I knew what was wrong.

"You read it, didn't you?" He tried to snatched the newspaper up, but with not much mobility, he couldn't reach his arm to the pillow. Giving up miserably, he finally nodded his head.

"Yes, I read it."

"I'm kinda embarrassed now." I wrote it for him to see, to be honest, but now that I know he's read it, I couldn't help but feel some level of mortification.

"Don't be embarrassed, please. It's the most wonderful and sweetest thing anyone's ever said about me. Your publisher should commend you on your work alone, and I'm not just saying what you wrote about me. You have a way with words, and I loved it."

"You're just saying that." I sulked, rubbing my hands raw on the wheels.

"I cried when I read it." He blurted.

My head shot up, not believing his words.

"Did you?" I laughed.

"Don't laugh, but yes, I was bawling because your words were raw; it came from the heart, which you don't often see in articles. We've changed each other's lives, Jolie, don't be embarrassed about letting the world know."

"I wasn't worried about the world knowing; I was only worried about you. When I was writing the article, I wasn't sure if you felt the same way." I admitted.

"Well, I..."

Interrupting us, was Avie, a rushing wind passing my way as the swung the door open.

"Jolie! Jolie! I missed you!"

"Hey, Avie." I greeted her.

"I'm hope you're not sick anymore." Awh, she was too considerate.

"I hope I'm not either, but it's going to take some time to tell. I actually shouldn't even be out of bed right now so I can continue healing. I'll see you again soon, Avie. Bye Jobe."

"Bye, Jolie." God, that deep voice could heal my body faster than any morphine.

I knew if Avie had walked in, their father wouldn't be long behind. I let Avie push me out of the room to meet with a waiting Candy so I could go back to my room.

With Avie out of earshot, Candy began to question me.

"What did you guys talk about? Tell me you didn't have sex with the little girl in the room!" She laughed.

She had no filter, at all, even with a crowd of medical professionals eyeing us across the hall.

"We talked about your bad hairdo. It's what everyone is still talking about."

"I knew it would haunt me forever!" Apparently, Candy Lane didn't get the joke.

She was a special kind of girl, but I was happy to call her my best friend. She was there when I needed her the most, and that's all that mattered to me.