Jackie admired her spunk and noticed her name tag, ‘Charlotte’.
Clay raised his free hand in submission. “Okay, you’re right. Will do.” Charlotte gave them a doubtful look, shot an annoyed glance at Jackie, then left with a huff.
Despite the nurse’s crabbiness, Jackie smiled as she stepped around Sean. The mood in the room quickly lifted her spirits. “Anybody want coffee?”
“Sounds good, but I usually drink tea during the day,” Clay said.
“You probably shouldn’t have any caffeine right now,” Charlotte said as she came back into the room with a covered tray of food. “And what are you doing still sitting up? Lay back down this instant. I’ve brought some food.” Everyone stepped back as the nurse fussed and helped Clay get situated. She rolled his tray table over and set the covered platter in front of him.
“Thank you, I’m definitely hungry,” Clay said.
“That’s a good sign.” Charlotte smiled down at him. “Anything you need, just press the button. Make sure you finish that hydration drink I made you,” she said and hurried off while checking her watch.
Clay, Sean, and Jackie looked at each other with broad smiles. Apparently, word of Clay’s deed had gotten around the hospital and just about every nurse on the floor had dropped in to check on him. “Best hospital I’ve been in,” Clay remarked as he removed the cover. His expression soon turned to disgust. “But I should have told her I’m vegetarian.”
Jackie perked up at the comment. “You are?”
“Yeah, sorry. You and Sean can have it.”
Jackie looked over at Sean. “You take it, I’m vegetarian too.”
Clay looked up with a grin in recognition of a kindred spirit. Her eyes seemed to shimmer slightly as the sunlight through the window reflected off her golden hair, mesmerizing him for a second. That must have been one hell of a bump to my head.
Their eyes met and they held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Jackie tilted her head slightly to the side, the sincerity of her polite smile hinted around her eyes. The features of Clay’s earthen good looks became apparent to her. His green-blue eyes looked back at her from a tousled shock of thick shoulder-length light brown hair. The lines of his lean face peppered with the rough stubble of a two-day beard.
The moment was shattered when sparks flew out of one of the machines standing idle nearby. Monitors went haywire. Beeps and alarms distorted in an electronic seizure. Sean and Jackie reared back in surprise while Elena yelped and curled up in her chair, covering her legs defensively. Nurses and a doctor rushed in seconds later.
𓂓
As Sally walked back from the elevator, she saw the commotion around Clay’s room. She hastened her pace with the tray of coffees and muffins balanced deftly in her hands. She arrived at the room and peeked in to see a doctor and several nurses bustling about, unplugging the malfunctioning monitors and equipment. Sean and Jackie stood out of the way with Elena. Clay sat on the edge of the bed.
“What’s happened?” Sally exclaimed.
The nurses looked up and frowned, but otherwise ignored her. The doctor squeezed by her as he exited the room, careful not to bump the coffees. Jackie caught Sally’s attention. Sally met her gaze, eyebrows gathered in, then closed her eyes and hung her head with a downturned mouth. Jackie knew an apology when she saw one. “We don’t know. The monitors just went crazy. They think it’s some sort of power surge,” Jackie replied.
In a fluster, Sally walked in and set the tray down on a side table. “Good grief, as if this day couldn’t get any worse.”
Sean looked over. “Yeah, right.”
Sally handed him a coffee and pointed to a bag in the center of the tray. “Muffins in the bag if you want one, dear.”
“Thank you,” Sean said and, after examining his options carefully, reached in for one. He settled back into a chair and sipped the coffee as he regarded the muffin.
Sally offered one to Jackie. She accepted with a nod. “Elena, do you want a nibble?”
“Okay.” Her sing-song reply melted the last bit of tension in the room. With the equipment finally quieted down, the nurses filed out. Each one gave Clay a smiling glance or an affectionate pat on his shoulder with comments like, “It’ll be okay, big guy.” Clay smiled politely at each one, watching as they left the room, enjoying the attention thoroughly.
Jackie frowned slightly and narrowed her eyes. “Hey. Lover boy,” she said flatly.
Clay awoke from his daydreaming to hear Jackie continue. “You interested in one of these, Heff, or should we send for champagne?” Jackie held up a cup of coffee. The last nurse out looked like she might object but decided not to.
Clay chuckled, eyes smiling. “Well, maybe just a sip. Those muffins look good too.”
Sean looked up after taking a bite, the muffin crumbling a bit in his hand. “Yeah, not bad,” he said with a full mouth. A bit more laughter echoed in the small room. With Sally welcomed back into the fold, at least for the moment, the makeshift family enjoyed the meal together. Sean and Clay wisely refrained from asking the obvious while Jackie picked bites from a muffin to give to Elena.
A few minutes later, an older nurse brought in bottles of water. “That’s enough coffee for you, mister.” With a flirtatious glance, she handed one to Clay.
“Okay.” Clay smiled back as he took it. Jackie watched the exchange, frowning slightly.
The nurse looked over to Elena. “How about you, dear, would you like some water?”
“Yes, please,” Elena replied with a smile.
The nurse looked down at her approvingly. “Here, let me pour it in a cup for you.”
Elena said, “That’s okay, I can drink it from the bottle like Momma does.”
Jackie relaxed a bit and smiled down at Elena, then looked up to give the nurse a nod of approval. “Sorry about all the trouble here. Any idea what happened with the equipment?” she asked.
“We aren’t sure,” the nurse said, flashing her a quick smile. With the warmth of a grandmother, she loosened the top and handed Elena the bottle, then turned to Clay, who looked like he wanted to say something. With a glance, she stopped him—the eye contact telling him not to object before he even had a chance. “Clay, we are transferring you up to the third floor here shortly,” she said.
“Is that really necessary? I feel fine,” he said. “I actually feel like I could go home.”
Grandmother Nurse leaned on one foot, pushed her hip out, and crossed her arms. Leveling her gaze, she spoke in the authoritative tone nurses naturally possess. “You’ve had a pretty rough day there, tough guy. Even though you are recovering quickly, it is best not to rush things.”
Clay considered what she said for a moment, then looked over to Sean, who looked back with an intent stare. Next, he looked to Jackie, who also crossed her arms in newfound solidarity with the nurse. He didn’t dare make eye contact with Sally. “Okay,” he said. “Thank you.”
Grandmother Nurse nodded once. “Hmph.” Then she spun on her toes and left with arms swinging in a triumphant stroll.
