Josh
Daniel sat in the chair next to my bed, his legs crossed and his phone resting on his knee. He was scrolling through emails, probably work-related, while I tried to adjust to the reality of not being in control for once.
"So," he said without looking up, "you've been lounging here in luxury while I've been keeping the company afloat. Nice gig you've got going on, boss."
I chuckled, shaking my head. "You're really milking this, huh?"
He glanced at me, his smirk sharp. "What can I say? This is my time to shine."
Daniel had been my closest friend since our engineering school days. While I had taken the more hands-on approach to managing the family company, Daniel had always been the one with the patience for the finer details. When I ended up here, he'd naturally stepped in to monitor operations.
"So, what's been going on at the office?" I asked, leaning back against the pillows. "Anything I should be worried about?"
He shrugged. "Not really. Production's running smoothly. The team finally ironed out the issue with the motor assembly line turns out it was a coding error in the automation system."
I nodded, relieved but annoyed at myself for not catching that earlier. "And the quarterly reports?"
Daniel handed me his phone, already pulled up to a set of graphs and charts. "Ahead of schedule. Though I might've had to breathe down a few necks to make that happen."
"That's why I keep you around," I said, scrolling through the figures.
"You mean besides my charming personality?"
"Obviously," I said dryly.
He leaned forward, his tone shifting to something more serious. "In all honesty, though, you need to stop worrying so much. Everything's under control. The company won't implode just because you're out of commission for a few weeks."
"Easier said than done," I muttered. "You know how my dad is. He expects me to have a hand in everything."
"And you do," Daniel said firmly. "But even the great Josh needs a break. Let me handle things for now. You focus on getting better."
I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. "I appreciate it, man. Really. I don't say it enough, but I don't know what I'd do without you."
"Probably run yourself into the ground," he said, grinning again. "Which is why I'm here. Someone's got to keep you in check."
We shared a laugh, the kind that came easily after years of friendship.
"So," Daniel said, leaning back in his chair, "how's life on this side of the hospital walls? That nurse of yours seems pretty competent."
I blinked at the sudden shift in topic. "Josie?"
He nodded. "Yeah. She seems… nice. A little too good at her job, though. You sure she's not secretly judging you every time she walks in here?"
I laughed, shaking my head. "She's professional, I'll give her that. But no, I don't think she's judging me. At least, not that I can tell."
"Hmm," Daniel said, eyeing me with a look I didn't like. "You sure you're not just saying that because you think she's cute?"
I frowned, tossing a pillow at him. "Get out."
He dodged it with a laugh, standing up and grabbing his jacket. "Alright, alright. I'll stop messing with you. But seriously, man, take it easy. I'll be back tomorrow with more updates."
As he left, I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. Daniel was right I needed to let go, to trust that things would be fine without me micromanaging every detail. But as much as I tried to focus on my recovery, my mind kept wandering back to Josie.
She had this calm, grounded presence that was hard to ignore. And every time she walked into the room, it felt like the air shifted just a little.
Maybe Daniel wasn't entirely wrong.
******************
The knock on the door pulled my attention away from the mindless TV program I'd been pretending to watch. I called out a tired, "Come in," expecting to see Daniel again, but instead, my twin sister Joanna walked in, a bright smile lighting up her face.
"Well, look who's finally looking a little less like roadkill," she teased, setting down a bag on the small table near the bed.
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," I replied dryly, though I couldn't help but smile. "What's in the bag?"
"Snacks," she said, pulling out a container. "And some of Mom's jollof rice. Figured you'd be sick of hospital food by now."
"You've saved my life," I said, already reaching for the container.
Joanna laughed, pulling a chair closer to the bed. "It's good to see you up and cracking jokes. When we got the call about your accident, we were all worried sick."
"I'm fine," I said, though I knew that wasn't entirely true. "Just a little banged up."
"A little?" Joanna arched a brow. "Josh, you could've been killed. You're lucky it wasn't worse."
I didn't have a response to that, so I focused on opening the container of rice instead.
As I took a bite, Joanna continued, her tone softening. "You need to take it easy for once. Let people take care of you. And I mean that for more than just the company."
"I'm trying," I said, though the truth was, it was harder than I thought it'd be.
Before she could press further, another knock sounded at the door. A nurse I didn't recognize walked in, clipboard in hand. She was young, probably in her mid-twenties, with a professional but distant demeanor.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Josh," she said. "I'm here to check your vitals."
I frowned slightly, glancing at Joanna before looking back at the nurse. "Where's Josie?"
The nurse paused, her pen hovering over the clipboard. "Josie? Oh, you mean Nurse Johnson. She's off today."
"Off?" I repeated, surprised.
"Yes," the nurse said with a polite smile. "She's not on duty today. Is there anything you need? I can assist."
"No, that's fine," I said quickly, though I couldn't shake the strange feeling in my chest.
The nurse went about her work efficiently, checking my blood pressure and noting a few things on her chart. I answered her questions automatically, my mind elsewhere.
When she left, Joanna gave me a knowing look. "Josie, huh?"
"What about her?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Don't play dumb," Joanna said, leaning forward. "You asked about her the moment the other nurse walked in. What's that about?"
"It's nothing," I said, though the heat creeping up my neck probably gave me away. "She's just been the one taking care of me since I got here. It's weird not seeing her today."
"Uh-huh," Joanna said, smirking. "Sure, that's all it is."
I rolled my eyes, focusing on the rice instead of my sister's teasing. But even as we talked about other things family updates, work drama, random bits of gossip my thoughts kept circling back to Josie.
I didn't know what it was about her. Maybe it was the way she seemed so calm and steady, or the way her smile softened the edges of everything. Whatever it was, it was distracting, and I wasn't sure how to feel about that.
"Earth to Josh," Joanna said, waving a hand in front of my face. "You're zoning out."
"Just tired," I lied, setting the container aside. "It's been a long day."
"Well, get some rest," she said, standing and gathering her things. "I'll be back tomorrow to check on you. And maybe bring more rice if you're lucky."
"Thanks," I said, giving her a small smile.
As she left, I leaned back against the pillows, staring at the ceiling. It was ridiculous to be this caught up over someone I barely knew.
But as hard as I tried to push her from my mind, the thought of Josie lingered.