Friends Without Benefits

by Marci Bolden

“But then he said we should just be friends, and I haven’t talked to him since.”

  “I guess if all else fails, you can call Theos. His mother says he’s also very good at massaging feet. She apparently gets painful corns.”

  “Ew.” Dianna cringed and sank down into her sofa. “I did not need to know that.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Dianna and Paul hadn’t vocalized their intent, but a week had passed before they saw each other again, and after a week apart, it had come down to this: board games and a platter of snacks rather than a movie and shared bowl of popcorn and sitting on opposite sides of the coffee table instead of close together on the sofa.

  Dianna shook her head as Paul put letters on the Scrabble board. “That’s not a word.”

  “Yes, it is. Just not in English.”

  “You can’t do that.”

  He made a face at her and gathered up his mismatched letters. “I told you I’m not good at this game.”

  “You’re a lawyer. How can you not be good at making words?”

  “I’ve made plenty of words. You just don’t like them.”

  “Because you can’t use Latin. Do you want help?”

  “No, thank you, Miss English Major. You just stay on your side over there with your seventy-point lead.”

  “Seventy-six-point lead.”

  “Whatever.”

  She laughed and then picked up her phone. “What’s up, Sam?”

  “First thing, I’m fine.”

  “Okay.”

  “Second thing, don’t freak out.”

  “Sammy?”

  “I’m at the ER.”

  Dianna gasped. “What happened?”

  “Some jackass ran a stop sign and T-boned me.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  Paul pushed himself up and rushed around the table to sit next to her. “What?”

  “Sam was in an accident.”

  “Is he okay?”

  “I’m fine,” Sam said. “That was the first thing, remember?”

  “He’s at the ER.”

  Paul pulled her to her feet and took the phone from her. “Sam, are you at Stonehill Hospital?” He brushed his hand over Dianna’s head as he listened. “Okay, we’re on our way.”

  Paul helped Dianna get her coat, grabbed her purse, and shuffled her out to his car. He drove fast—but not dangerously so—and found a parking spot close to the emergency room doors. He held her hand as they walked in. At the counter, he asked the receptionist about Sam.

  “The doctor is with him now. I’ll let them know you’re here. Do you have a medical insurance card for him?”

  Dianna shook her head. “He’s on his father’s insurance. He should have those cards on him.”

  “He didn’t. We need that information as soon as possible.” She slid a clipboard across the desk. “Fill this out and bring it back.”

  “When can I see him?”

  “I’ll find out.”

  Paul guided Dianna to a row of hard plastic chairs and sat next to her. “You need to call Mitch.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She searched his eyes for a moment. “You can leave if you want. I’ll call Kara. She can come sit with me.”

  “Do you want me to leave?”

  Her heart sank. That was the last thing she wanted. “Do you want to? He’ll probably bring Michelle.”

  He put his hand to her face. “Being here for you and Sam is more important.”

  She took a slow breath as she looked at the clipboard on her lap. “He’s okay, right?”

  “He said he was okay.” He kissed her head for what she thought was probably the tenth time in the last twenty minutes. “Call Mitch, tell him to bring the insurance card. Then fill out the paperwork so the doctors know what they need to in order to help Sam.”

  Dianna swallowed and closed her eyes for a moment. She hadn’t talked to Mitch in months. He’d called a dozen times on Thanksgiving when the boys didn’t go to his family dinner, but she’d deleted his messages without listening to them. She hadn’t heard his voice or seen his face since their divorce hearing. She needed a moment to center her strength. Once she did, she took out her phone and called his cell.

  “Dianna?” he answered, his voice filled with confusion.

  “I’m at Stonehill Hospital with Sam. He was in an accident.”

  “Shit, is he okay?”

  “He said he was fine when he called, but I haven’t heard from the doctor yet. They need his insurance cards, and Sam didn’t have them on him. Can you bring yours?”

  She closed her eyes when she heard Michelle’s voice in the background asking what was wrong. Swallowing her anger at the woman, she listened to Mitch explain what was going on.

  “I’m on my way,” he said and then ended the call.

  “He’ll be here in a few minutes,” she said to Paul.

  He put his arm around her shoulder. “Get this filled out.”

  “I keep telling myself he’s fine. I mean, he called and he sounded fine, but if anything ever happened to my kids…”

  “I know. But he’s okay, baby.”

  She took a breath and focused on the clipboard again. She filled out all of Sam’s crucial information and medical history, and then Paul carried it to the receptionist’s desk. Dianna was staring down the hall, so focused on silently beckoning for a doctor to emerge that she didn’t realize Mitch was there until he stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

  She looked up at him, and her stomach clenched. Funny how he looked the same. Like nothing had changed. Somehow she’d thought he’d look different.

  “They need his insurance card.” She nodded her head toward the receptionist. As she did, she locked gazes with Paul, who had hesitated on his way back to her side.

  “How is he?” Mitch asked, pulling her attention back to him.

  “I don’t know. The doctor is with him now. He sounded okay when he called.”

  “Did he say what happened?”

  “Somebody ran a stop sign and hit him. That’s all I know.”

  He started to turn and then stopped and looked down at her. “How are you?”

  “Fine. They need his insurance card.”

  Mitch turned and walked past Paul, but then, as he dug his wallet out of his pocket, he turned back and a look of confusion washed over his face.

  “Last chance,” she said when Paul approached her. “I promise not to be angry if you leave.”

  He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I’m not going anywhere. Besides…” He glanced around. “She’s not here.”

  “She’s probably around somewhere.”

  “I’ll deal with it when she shows, if she shows. Hospitals aren’t her thing, and she’s probably not a real big fan of Sam’s right now. He did contribute to the cancellation of her wedding, remember?”

  She laughed softly. “Right.”

  “How are you doing?”

  “I wish the doctor would come out. I just need to know he’s okay.”

  “He’s okay. He said he’s okay.”

  She leaned toward him, and he kissed her head, as he’d done continually since she’d gotten Sam’s call. She put her hand on his thigh and squeezed, absorbing his strength. She’d put Mitch so completely out of her mind she’d actually forgotten he was there until he cleared his throat.

  He was staring at Paul. “I don’t think we’ve met.”

  Paul stood, and Dianna’s heart started racing again. She didn’t think either of them would throw a punch, but she didn’t expect them to laugh off the fact that Mitch had been the reason for Paul’s very painful divorce. “Paul O’Connell.”

  Mitch looked surprised for a moment, but then his lips curved up slowly and he looked down at his ex-wife with a condescending smirk. “Right. I thought you looked familiar.”

  “She shared family photos?” Paul said. “That’s sweet.”

  He returned his attention to Paul. “So, you two…”

  His voice trailed off,
but neither Paul nor Dianna elaborated. Not that she could if she’d wanted to. Her attention was bouncing slowly between the two men. Paul, though a few inches shorter, looked much more commanding than Mitch. She’d always thought Mitch was so confident and sophisticated, but standing next to Paul, he looked…normal. His hair, with its light color and receding line, made him look older than his forty-six years. The lines around his eyes aged him. In contrast, Paul’s wrinkles made him look even more handsome.

  She’d always put her husband up on a pedestal and held him in such high regard, but as her gaze moved back to Paul, she realized something she’d never seen in all these years. Mitch was, simply put, just an average man.

  Movement drew Dianna’s attention beyond the staring contest Mitch and Paul had gotten themselves into. “There’s the doctor.”

  Paul helped her up as Mitch turned to face the physician. Paul’s hands went to her shoulders.

  “I’m Doctor Hillman. Sam is doing fine. He hit his head pretty hard, but nothing is broken.”

  Dianna exhaled and collapsed back into Paul. She reached up and covered his hands with hers. “Can he come home?”

  “He sure can. He’s getting dressed right now. He’s got a few stitches, and he’s going to have a pretty good headache. If you notice any confusion or anything like that, take him to see his regular physician. Otherwise, make an appointment with his doctor in a week to get the stitches taken out.”

  “That’s it?” Dianna asked. “Just a few stitches?”

  “He’s going to be sore, but he’s fine, Mom. You can breathe now.”

  She smiled. “May I see him?”

  “Sure. Come with me. Uh, parents only in the trauma rooms, please.” He looked between the two men.

  Dianna squeezed Paul’s hands as she faced him. He nodded, as if to confirm what he’d been telling her. Sam was fine.

  “I’ll be back,” she said.

  “I’ll be here.”

  She was perfectly content to walk to Sam’s room in silence, but she should have known better.

  “Is that the boyfriend Jason said you had over for Christmas?” Mitch asked once they were far enough from Paul to not be overheard.

  “That’s not your concern,” she answered flatly.

  “I guess that’s why you were so vindictive in testifying against Michelle at her hearing.”

  She looked at him with an arched brow. “Vindictive? No, Mitch, I was being honest. I know it’s a difficult concept for you to understand, but sometimes when people are asked questions, they tell the truth, and telling the truth is not being vindictive.”

  “You didn’t have to testify.”

  “And she didn’t have to sleep with my husband.”

  “So now you’re sleeping with hers?”

  Dianna shrugged nonchalantly. “Why not? At least I know he doesn’t have a wife waiting for him at home, feeling terrible that her poor husband is ‘working late’ yet again.” She used air quotes around the words working late.

  They walked the rest of the way in the quiet she had initially been hoping for.

  “Well…” The doctor gestured toward a room.

  He did a terrible job at hiding his grin, and Dianna felt her checks flush. She thought she should apologize to him for the little spat she’d just had with Mitch, but that was too much like apologizing to her ex-husband, and she wasn’t about to do that.

  “Sam’s right in here,” Dr. Hillman said. “His discharge papers will be at the front desk whenever he’s ready to go.”

  “Thank you.” She walked into the room and put a hand to her mouth as she looked at her son on the emergency room bed.

  “Don’t cry, Ma.” Sam pulled his shoe on. “I’m fine.”

  “You scared me half to death.”

  “I told you first thing that I was fine.”

  “Like she was going to believe that,” Mitch said. “You know how she is.”

  Sam ignored his father. “I got hit on the passenger side. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been.”

  “Thank God.”

  He finished tying his shoe and then opened his arms. “Come on. Might as well get this over with.”

  Dianna wrapped him in her arms and hugged him tightly.

  “Where’s Paul?” he whispered.

  “In the lobby.”

  “Bet that went over well.”

  She scoffed and then leaned back. She tipped Sam’s head so she could look at the stitches along his left temple. Even though she knew he’d hate it, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

  “Mom.”

  “It’s not as bad as I imagined,” she said, running a thumb over his cheek to wipe her kiss away. “How are you feeling?”

  “My head hurts, but I’m okay.”

  “How’s the car?”

  “Trashed. He hit my front fender. I’m pretty sure the axle got broken by the way the tire was sitting. I’m screwed. There’s no way I can drive it, and it’d cost more to fix than it’s worth.”

  “I’m sure you can drive Mom’s Suburban while we get your car fixed,” Mitch said. “She doesn’t have any place to be.”

  Dianna turned around and glared at him. He was so out of touch with their lives he didn’t even know he was making an ass out of himself. She shook her head and returned her attention to Sam. “The other person’s insurance will pay something, but until then, maybe Matt will let you lease a car while we figure out what to do.”

  “Who’s Matt?” Mitch asked.

  He was once again ignored.

  Sam’s face lit. “You think he would?”

  “I’m sure Paul would be happy to talk to him—”

  “Wait,” Mitch spat. “We don’t need Paul to do anything, okay? I can take care of my son.”

  “Yeah, you’ve done a great job so far,” Sam said. “The car I had, Dad, I could only afford because Mom matched me on what I had saved. Didn’t know that, did you? You were always so concerned about me making my own way, you didn’t have a clue that to get a job I needed a car to get me there. You always just expected Mom to drive me around, not caring that she had her own things to do. Or did you even know she had her own life?”

  Mitch exhaled slowly.

  “No, you didn’t, because you don’t know anything. You don’t know how hard Mom’s been working just to keep food on the table and the bills paid. You don’t know how much she’s been struggling to take care of me. You’re so caught up in your own stupid life that you don’t have a clue. You’ve never had a clue.”

  Mitch took a step to close the gap between him and Sam. “I’m still your father. I deserve some goddamned respect from you.”

  “Now is not the time,” Dianna warned.

  Mitch shook his head at her. “No, it is the time. It is the perfect time. I’ve tolerated him up until now.”

  “You’ve tolerated me?” Sam hopped off the table and stood tall, looking eye-to-eye with his father.

  “You and Jason completely disrespected me by not coming to my wedding.”

  “You completely disrespected me, my brother, and my mother by walking out like we meant shit to you. Screw you. You wanted that life, well, you’ve got it. Take it, but don’t act like we have to take it, too. And not that you care, but Mom is doing great without you. Anything she can’t do for me, Paul can.” He shook his head. “Go home to Michelle. We don’t need you here.” Sam stepped around Mitch and left the room.

  Dianna followed him. “You okay?”

  “Fuck him.” Sam was angry, but he also sounded like he could cry.

  Dianna wanted to push him to say more, but she didn’t think it’d be fair to bring him to tears when Mitch and Paul were around. She’d try to talk to him when he wasn’t so upset.

  “Go show Paul your war wound. I’ll get your papers signed so we can go home.” She watched Paul stand to greet Sam, and then she went to the front desk. “Discharge papers for Samuel Friedman?”

  The woman slid papers across the desk and started explaining what Dianna n
eeded to know if Sam showed signs of a concussion.

  Dianna scrawled her name on the paper and tucked a copy into her purse. She walked back to where Sam was giving Paul all the gory details of his accident. “Ready?”

  “Yup.” Sam started for the door.

  Paul looked at her. “Everything okay?”

  “Let’s just say he made it very clear that he doesn’t want Mitch around right now.”

  “You can tell me about it later.” He put his arm around her shoulders as they walked out.

  Sam wasn’t shy… They hadn’t even made it to Paul’s car before he was asking if Paul thought Matt could either lease or sell him a car for cheap. Dianna only half listened to their conversation as Paul backed out of the parking spot. Her heart skipped when she noticed Mitch standing at the doorway of the ER watching them leave, looking lost and confused. She shook her head slightly, forcing away any guilt she may have felt, and focused her attention on what mattered—Sam and Paul.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Hell of a night, huh?” Paul hated seeing so much stress on Dianna’s face. It seemed like she’d finally found solid ground to stand on, and now she was back to looking frustrated and confused. Not that he could blame her. Seeing her child in the ER, whether he was seven or seventeen, would be stressful, but he suspected her mood had more to do with Mitch than Sam. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.” She sat heavily on the couch.

  He sat next to her but kept a respectable distance. He’d been trying to be mindful of how much he touched her now that they’d determined they weren’t ready for anything more. Of course, that had gone out the window when she’d gotten the call about Sam, but now that they knew he was okay, Paul was again trying to be aware of the space between them.

  Dianna rubbed her brow. “Sam really laid into Mitch.”

  “Good. He deserves it.”

  “He’s so clueless, Paul. I don’t think he even knows what he did to us. He kept acting like everything was the way it was. He actually didn’t even think that I’d be working. Apparently I should be able to survive on his incredibly gracious child support of a hundred and fifty dollars a month. He has no idea what our lives are like now.”