WHEN LINDY ARRIVED at work the next morning, she had to continuously remind herself that if she did not step out of her car and walk into the hospital, she would potentially lose her job.
The probable situation of stumbling upon Jack felt unavoidable. And even if they somehow managed to avoid crossing paths that day, she would still have to take it upon herself to find him and produce a worthy explanation as to why the frontman of Nirvana had been in her apartment the previous night.
As Lindy walked up to the front doors, she caught sight of Beth waiting for her in their usual meet-up spot, wriggling her fingers in a morning greeting.
"You look a bit hell-ish," Beth remarked as Lindy joined her. Ever the reliable friend, Beth linked her arm through Lindy's, their matching scrubs making them look like a conjoined set of twins.
"You think so?" Lindy asked, trembling.
"It could be the sloppy bun or the dark circles under your eyes. Maybe both."
Beth leaned in, lowering her voice and raising both of her eyebrows with curiosity.
"Did you have another late night with someone?"
Lindy clenched her jaw as the memories of the night crashed down onto her for the thousandth time that morning.
"Sort of. It didn't go as planned."
They navigated the busy hallways, walking into a stroke of pure luck when they entered the empty elevator going several stories up. Beth looked hungry for more information.
"What do you mean? What happened? Don't leave me hanging!"
"Jack came by. He saw Kurt."
Beth paused before letting out a nonchalant laugh, swatting her hand through the air in dismissal of Lindy's claim.
"You're kidding. Aren't you?"
"No. I'm not. I wish that I was. He brought me food and Kurt came out of my bedroom and Jack saw him standing there. I thought he was going to have a heart attack."
"Holy fucking shit Lindy! Your life can't ever be normal, can it?"
Lindy held on to her bags a little tighter. She knew that her life was a far cry from normal, but hearing Beth say it out loud made her realize that other people could see it as well. She was fucked up.
"No, I guess it can't be. And now Jack might tell people and then Kurt and I will be absolutely fucked."
The elevator doors parted and Beth and Lindy slipped out, allowing another group of hospital staff in. Beth clicked her tongue.
"Lindy, that's not going to happen babe. Jack wouldn't throw you under the bus like that."
"You don't get it. He saw Kurt Cobain standing in his night clothes in the middle of my apartment. He's probably so pissed at me. I wouldn't be surprised if he comes back to try to snap some paparazzi pictures."
"Be realistic, please," Beth demanded. "This is Jack that we're talking about, not your sleazy next door neighbor. He cares about you Lindy. He's a good guy and even I know that he wouldn't do something so hateful, no matter what was in it for him."
"Well, I'm going to talk to him today. I've got to make sure that he's going to keep it between us," Lindy maintained, following Beth into the room where they could set down their things and clock themselves in.
"Prepare to be surprised," Beth sang, punching in her time stamp with a smug smile.
_________
