Escaping the Past

Lou approached Brody and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Do you know what’s happening yet?” she asked.

“Not yet. The sons of bitches won’t let me go in there,” he ground out.

“That’s ok. We’ll just wait out here until they’re ready for us.” She patted his shoulder gently and encouraged him to move to the waiting area. “Sadie said your mother took a nap like she normally does in the afternoon but she didn’t respond when Sadie tried to wake her up?”

“That’s what she said. I didn’t get a chance to examine her because the little bastard in the ambulance took the stethoscope back. I should have just clobbered him over the head with it.”

Lou couldn’t hold back a small smile at the idea of Brody knocking out the ambulance technicians and stealing their equipment. “I don’t think that would have been a very good idea,” she chuckled.

“Sure would have made me feel better,” he flopped into a waiting room chair and lifted his feet onto the coffee table. His fingers drummed on the arm of the chair.

“I’m sure they’ll come out and tell you something soon. Is it okay if I wait here with you and keep you company?” she asked.

“You’re welcome to stay but I’m not sure how much company I’ll be,” he responded.

“I’ll take my chances.”

The minutes became hours as the day went on. The doctor came out once and explained to Brody that they were taking his mother down to x-ray and then get an ultrasound of her heart. He did assure Brody his mother was now stable yet they were very concerned. He had not returned since that time.

Brody was restless and couldn’t sit still in his chair. He shifted and moved constantly, looking at his watch every five minutes. At 7:30 in the evening, he checked his watch again and was stopped by the rumbling of Lou’s stomach.

“Why didn’t you tell me you’re hungry?” he asked as he lowered his feet to the floor.

“I’m not hungry,” Lou replied, her face heating in embarrassment.

“Bullshit. Your stomach says otherwise. When was the last time you ate?” he asked.

Lou straightened in her seat, her back stiffening and she replied, “The same time you did.” Her face warmed again as she remembered sharing the sandwich earlier that day.

“At least you had a cookie,” he mumbled under his breath.

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” he sighed. He rose from his chair. “Come on. Let’s go and get you something to eat.” He waved his hand at her with an impatient gesture.

Brody stopped at the emergency desk and checked out a pager that would alert them if the doctor was ready to see them or if there was a problem. He put it in his back pocket and touched his hand to the back of her arm, urging her to precede him into the elevator. She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, exhaustion taking over. She yawned loudly and long.

“Am I boring you?” Brody asked with a small smile on his face. “I must be keeping you from a date or something.”

“I don’t date and I’m not bored.”

His eyes narrowed. It was almost imperceptible, but it was there. “Why don’t you date?”

“I just don’t go out much. I work a lot of the time and spend the rest of the time with my daughter.” Lou shrugged her shoulders. “She’s my number one priority.”

“But surely someone who looks like you takes some time off for a date very now and then?” Brody cocked one eyebrow with disbelief.

Lou looked down at her jeans and t-shirt. “What do you mean, someone who looks like me?”

“You can’t tell me that someone with your…” He stopped as though looking for the right word, “assets…” His eyes finally found their way back up to her face. “Has a hard time finding a date.”

“Are you going to tell me next that I have great birthing hips?” she asked, a grin tugging at her lips.

Brody chuckled. Under his breath he said, “Those hips may be made for something but it sure ain’t birthing.”

“What?” He didn’t really say that, did he?

“Nothing.” He swiped a hand down his mouth.