Although cleaned up, Bo’s dual black eyes make him look less than an upstanding citizen as he barrels through the hospital lobby. He heads for the information desk, where he gets directions to Natasha’s room. He pays no attention to the receptionist picking up the phone as he heads toward the elevator.
Approaching Natasha’s room, Boris slows down. What if she’s still mad at him. Wait, he’s supposed to be mad at her.
Never been very good at carrying a grudge though.
He peeks around the door jamb to see if she’s awake and Natasha’s peal of laughter tells him she is. Boris is so relieved he smiles as he steps into the room but his face falls as he takes in her bandages and bruising.
“Oh Nat, I’m so sorry. I should have been there for you.”
Natasha shakes her head. “What, after I did that to you? And then I laugh at you? I am such a bitch!”
“No you aren’t.”
“Yes I am,” sniffling, Natasha looks perfectly miserable. “I’m sorry I hit you, god knows I’ve seen the error of my ways. Hitting is bad. Muy bad.”
A little hopeful, Boris asks, “Does that mean there’s a chance you’ll go out with me?”
“No, it doesn’t. Look, just pull that chair over here and sit so we can talk. It’s important.”
Boris does as she asks, and settles beside her. “Can I hold your hand at least?”
“Yes,” she says, and he notices that her eyes are awfully moist. Up close he can also see quite a bit of bruising fanning out from her bandage.
“Look, I’ve been laying here in torment, not knowing if you were ever gonna speak to me again. You’re my best friend, Boris, I’ve never felt closer to anyone than I do to you. But I just don’t have romantic feelings for you and I never will. I just can’t.”
“But the kiss? You let me kiss you.”
“No. I stopped fighting you off because it wasn’t doing any good. Anything good you got out of that kiss was all in your mind Bo. It was not good for me.”
“You didn’t like it even a little?”
“No. I thought you knew right from the start. I thought we were so great because you knew and you didn’t care.”
“Knew what?”
“That I’m a lesbian, Bo.”
He gapes at her, not getting it.
“I like girls. You aren’t my type, Bo, you’re the competition.”
Stunned, Boris lets go her hand. “Oh.”
“You didn’t know.”
“Of course I didn’t know. Do you think I’d have made a pass at you if I’d known? Why didn’t you ever say anything? I thought we were friends. Jeeze Nat, I have to think about this.”
“Here I thought you were such a cool guy and it turns out you weren’t cool at all, you were just clueless.” Natasha laughs, which turns into a prodigious yawn.
Boris shrugs. “Hey whaddayawant? I’m just a nice Croatian boy looking for love. Apparently in all the wrong places.”
“Lots of guys think it’s cool, they think they’ll turn me on so that they can have a threesome. Or ‘reform’ me which I very much doubt is possible. I am definitely hard wired.” Natasha looks over at Boris, who sits there, still looking so stunned. “You taking any of this in, Bo?”
“Yeah. Oh man, I’m just realizing how shitty it’s gotta be for you to get attacked like that.”
“It’s a weird one, Bo. See, I was knocked out first, so it doesn’t seem real to me. Yet. I dunno. But even though it happened to my body, I wasn’t around for it, so that’s something. Of course, they’ve been keeping me so high I can’t hardly feel anything, and I’m probably really messed up down there. But my head knows, and it is some pissed off, let me tell you. They did a rape kit, a pregnancy test and an AIDS test on me before I even came to.”
“Oh god.”
“I’m not knocked up, but there’s good news and bad news.”
“Okay, good. What’s the bad news?”
“The bastard didn’t have the decency to wear a rubber so I’ll be doing a series of AIDS tests over the next couple of years.”
“And the good news?”
“If they catch him they’ve got DNA to put him away.”
“Great. I guess. Maybe I’m just selfish, because all I really care about is that you’re alive. I’m so glad. I couldn’t even imagine a world without you, Nat.” He turns away, and she can tell he’s sniffling.
“Come on Bo, can the mush. Talk about something else.”
“Like what? You’re in a hospital bed. They aren’t gonna let me smuggle in your Underworld DVDs.”
“Why not? What else am I gonna do?” She yawns deeply again. “Except maybe sleep. Hey, you know, there is one good thing about this.”
“What?” Boris can’t imagine anything good from this.
“I’m out of the closet now. That’s something. You know what, I was so scared about it but it feels great. But then maybe that’s the drugs. You’re still my friend, right Bo?”
“Don’t be a stupid. Of course I am.”
“And you know, now that I’m out, I can tell my best friend who I have the hots for.”
“No. Uh uh. I don’t want to think about that.”
“Hmm. I guess if you like me, you can’t possibly be a boob man. God, I love a good set.”
“Oh. Nat, ” In spite of himself Boris finds himself chuckling. “What you are doing to all my misconceptions!”
“This is so great. I feel so great to be able to talk to you about … guess who I have the hots for?” she yawns again, and Boris can see she’s fading.
“I can’t guess. Why don’t you tell me, who do you have the hots for?”
“That’s it, you’re not gonna guess?”
“Lemme get used to the idea, okay? Besides, you know I don’t have to guess, you’ll tell me.”
“Says who? Come on, just guess.”
“Okay, how about Barbie?”
“No way, I need a woman with a brain. I mean come on Bo, you gotta have something to talk about afterward.”
“Maybe you do, but I don’t.”
“I never knew you were such a pig!”
“Oink. Okay then how about Elsie. That girl is so hot.”
“Oh yeah she’s great looking but she’s got the personality of a Borg or something. Too tough. No, the one I like is Liz. She’s such a sweetheart. I’ve got such a crush on that girl. Except I know she’s so straight I cut myself just looking at her.”
“You can tell?”
“Yeah, I can tell.” Yawn. “I’m pretty sure anyway.”
“This is a lot to get my head around Nat. Hell, I’ve been thinking of us as getting married for a long time now. Imagining what our kids would look like.”
“Kids?” Natasha’s jaw drops. “Get outta town, no way!”
“I think I still want to marry you.”
“Look Bo, in the first place, you’re way too young to get married. If I was straight, hell, I’d marry you in a heartbeat. But I’m not. And I’m never gonna be.”
“But I don’t want to grow old alone.”
“I won’t let you, you can come live with me when we’re old. Although it’s pretty unlikely, ’cause you set hearts a racing.”
“That’s BS Nat, and you know it.”
“No, it’s true Bo. I’ve been your biggest handicap because they all think I’ve got you. So they stay away. What a selfish bitch I am, if I’d backed off a little, but I was afraid you’d stop being my friend if you hooked up with some chick.”
“No way.”
“You’re my best friend Bo. That hasn’t changed. We’ll always be friends no matter where we are. Don’t want to lose you.”
“You know, when I was so mad at you yesterday it made me even madder that I couldn’t talk it through with you.”
“Are you going to be able to get over it?”
“Well,” Boris smiles a little, “Maybe.”
Natasha studies him, mouth twitching just a tad. “What aren’t you telling me Bo?”
“I guess I can tell you, it won’t hurt your feelings.”
“Yes Bo. But tell me quick because the pain meds are about to put me out here.” Natasha gestures with her wrist, showing him the attached I.V.
“I was really mad, so I just went back to the Res and Elsie fixed me up.”
“I guess she could at that.” Natasha smiles drowsily.
“No, you goof, with ice.” Natasha raises her eyebrows questioningly. “Okay, I wasn’t happy because Elsie just wouldn’t play doctor with me even when I practically begged her.”
“Oh poor Bo.”
“I was seriously ragged so I had to go out and get pissed.”
“I know how that goes. Did it help?”
“Funny thing, the beer didn’t help much at all, really. But I have to tell you, the getting laid part really helped a lot.”
“That’s good, you tell me all the details.” Natasha smiles and yawns. “Hard to believe you could get laid with a double shiner like that, but that’s good Bo, tell me.”
“It was,” Boris smiles, remembering, “It was like something out of a movie. Out of one of Amelia’s film noir movies.”
Natasha smiles. “Sounds great, and I wanna hear everything but …. when I’m ‘wake… You’ll have to … to … tell me all ’bout it …” And she’s asleep.
Oddly, while watching Natasha sleep, Boris feels an overwhelming feeling of love for his friend, but without the slightest trace of lust. Any physical attraction he thought he had is gone. He leans down and gives her a light kiss on the forehead.
Looking down at her battered face he whispers, “I’m so glad you’re gonna be okay, Nat.”
