Under Different Circumstances

Chapter 18

I had to suppress a giggle at his use of the word doofus.

"Maybe you should set the AC on fire. Then your landlord will definitely see that it's broken," I suggested with a teasing grin on my face.

His eyes shot up, and his brows furrowed in confusion. Then the realisation set in.

"I take it Jay told you the full story of the shed fire," he concluded with a smile spreading across his lips. "I'm understanding more and more why Jay likes you so much."

My heart leapt in my chest, and my cheeks warmed up.

"It's a great story," I remarked and shrugged my shoulders, keeping a casual front.

"If he told you that story, then it's only fair if I tell you something embarrassing from his childhood," he mumbled while typing out a response to his landlord. "Wouldn't you agree?" he glanced up at me and grinned mischievously.

"Oh definitely. We need to keep things fair here," I agreed with a fake, serious expression on my face.

Will put his phone down on the table and stared off into the distance for a moment, thinking of a story to tell me.

His eyes lit up when he found the right one. "I've got one," he chuckled to himself. "Until he was eight years old, Jay was an adamant believer in cooties. He was so convinced that they were real that when a girl in elementary school ran up to him and kissed him, he came home and went straight to bed because he thought he had contracted cooties from her and would be seriously ill. He even started running a psychosomatic fever until our mum convinced him that cooties weren't real."

My mouth dropped open slightly. "No way!" I breathed in disbelief. Then I burst out laughing, "You're right, that is a good story. I can't believe it!"

Will beamed, "Glad you like it. Just tell him that if he tells you more stories about me, I have plenty more about him too."

"He told me the exact same thing," I noted after my laughter had died down, and I reverted my attention to my food.

"How's he doing? I only managed to get a hold of him once last week. He and the unit are in Wisconsin?" Will inquired.

I realised that Jay hadn't told him about the accident with the boy. "Yes, they're working together with the local police over there. Seems to be a pretty big case, but he can't tell me anything about it. I just know that they're working relentlessly and don't take breaks," I explained. "I really hope they can close the case soon."

"I'm sure they will," Will reassured me and took a look at his watch, "I'd better get back to work. This was fun."

"Yes, it was," I agreed. "When the unit is back, we're planning on doing a night at Molly's. You should come too," I told him as we placed our trays on the rack and left the cafeteria.

"Sounds good! Let me know when," Will smiled. "See you soon."

He headed back to the ED, and I went to work for the rest of the day.

Late at night that day, as I walked up the front steps to my house, I got the call I'd been waiting for.

"We caught the break in the case that we've been hoping for. The bad guys are in lockup, and we have more than enough evidence to charge them," Jay blurted out as soon as I had accepted the call. "We have a day of paperwork ahead of us tomorrow, but then on Thursday, we're finally heading back to Chicago!"

"Finally!" I rejoiced, feeling excitement bubble up inside me. "Congrats on closing the case!"

"Thank you. I'm so glad that it's over. It was a frustrating case," he let out a sigh of relief.

Finally hearing and talking to a joyous and excited Jay again, made my heart swell.

"I can't wait to see you again! And sleep in my own bed!" Jay paused for a moment, "And maybe combine the two," he trailed off.

I chuckled as I locked my door behind me and walked into my kitchen. "Come back to Chicago, and we'll see," I purred in my best flirtatious voice.

Jay let out a breathy chuckle. "Let's change the topic or I might jump in my car and drive over right now," he implored. "What have you been up to today?"

"I just came back from work. I started training Zoe for a bit today, and my mum joined too. They've decided to take over my position together," I started recapitulating my day.

"That's a good idea," Jay commented.

"Yeah, I think so too. That way they can help each other out while they're both still learning and figuring things out," I agreed. "And earlier today, I had my stitches taken out at Med and had lunch with your brother."

"Oh no! What kind of stories and lies did he tell you about me?" he joked, but I detected a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Wouldn't you like to know," I teased. "Lunch with him was a lot of fun. Will is great."

"I'm glad you two get along so well," he said and let out a big yawn which he passed on to me and made me realise how tired I was.

"I'm going to head to bed now," I told Jay. "It's been a long day."

"Yeah, me too."

"I'm so happy to know when you're coming back now, but somehow it makes me miss you even more," I murmured as I headed up the stairs to my bedroom.

"You'll have me back sooner than you know."