Friends Don't

by Kerry M Kelly

CHAPTER 8

  Monday was a little slow at work, and Dottie had been just about to leave when Katryn got a call from the Principal at Pasadena Park. It seemed that Ryan had fallen off the Monkey bars and they were afraid he might have broken his arm. The school nurse would drive him to the emergency clinic if Katryn wanted to meet them there.

  Dottie stayed to keep the shop open, and Katryn hurried to the clinic. She was not an overly protective mother. She had been raised with four brothers who had managed to cut, scrape, bruise or break all parts of their bodies with no real lasting effects. Still she was anxious to see how badly broken Ryan’s arm was. She found herself exceeding the speed limit more than once on her drive across town.

  When she got into the Minor Emergency room, a nurse showed her back to Ryan’s room. A doctor was looking at X-Rays clipped to a viewing screen along the wall. Katryn looked at her son, instead. His left arm was bent slightly, near the wrist. It was obviously broken, even she could tell.

  Ryan must have cried a little, she realized when saw the tear stains on his face.

  “How’re you doing?” she asked him, sitting down in a chair the nurse brought for her. With his right hand he took hold of his mother’s hand and squeezed.

  “I didn’t cry at school,” he told her. “Just a little in the car. I wanted you to be here.”

  “I am,” she reassured him. Then added, “You know, Ryan, it would have been ok even if you had cried at school. Broken bones hurt a lot.”

  “Mrs. Delaney,” the doctor interrupted. “I’m doctor Dolan, an orthopedic doctor. As I’m sure you can see, Ryan’s arm is definitely broken. Both the radius and ulna are involved. I’m sure it’ll set well, but I’d like to do it under anesthesia.” Katryn nodded. He continued.

  “Ryan had lunch about 11:30, so I’d like to wait till 5:30 to take him to surgery. We want to be sure there’s nothing on his stomach when he has the anesthetic.” Katryn nodded again. “I’d like to fix this at Sacred Heart. They have an operating room available at 5:30. If you’d like, you could go there from here. They could help keep Ryan quiet and comfortable. I’ll call over and leave an order for pain medication if he needs it. If we get started by 5:30, he’ll probably be out of surgery by no later than 6:30. If he wakes up feeling ok, he can go home by 7:30 or 8:00.” Katryn nodded again.

  “I’ll need your signature on a permit. We’ll want him to keep ice on his arm till surgery to keep the swelling down.”

  Katryn let go of Ryan’s hand and went to the desk to sign the operating permit. When she got back to her son, she explained in words he could understand what was going on. The nurse came in with a sling and carefully put it on so Ryan’s arm would be held safely against his chest.

  Katryn drove Ryan the few blocks to the hospital. He was made comfortable on a stretcher with his arm propped up on pillows. One nurse placed ice bags on either side of the break. Another nurse came in to put an IV in his other arm and give him something for the pain.

  Katryn left the room while the nurse was putting the IV in, and called Dottie. Next Katryn called Audrey who said she would not mind staying with Timmy and would fix his supper.

  Katryn went back in with Ryan and held his hand. He dozed occasionally, the medication relieving his pain quite effectively.

  At five o’clock the nurses came in to take Ryan to surgery. Katryn kissed him goodbye and gave his hand a squeeze before he left. She went back out to the waiting room, and wished she had at least brought a good book to keep her mind occupied.

  It was 6:30 and she had leafed through every spare magazine in the waiting room when Dottie came in with Joe.

  “How’s he doing?” Joe asked.

  “I don’t know yet,” Katryn told him. Her two friends sat beside her on the couch she occupied.

  “By the way, Katryn, the new Calvin and Hobbes came in this afternoon. I thought you might like a copy,” Dottie knew it was one of her favorites.

  “Thanks. I imagine I’ll have plenty of time to read this tonight.”

  “Now you listen to me,” Joe told her sternly. “We don’t want you at the store tomorrow. Dottie ‘n I’ll do just fine. You stay home with Ryan, you hear?”

  She hugged Joe and told them both thanks. The truth was, she hated to ask them, but she HAD wanted to stay home tomorrow with Ryan. She was sure he would be fine, and would want to show off his cast by Wednesday, but she thought he might need one day of rest. The doctor came over to Katryn while she was thanking Joe and Dottie.

  “Everything went well. I think it’ll heal nicely. I’d like you to wait till 8:00 before you take him home so the cast will be drier. I need to see him in two weeks. I’ll take off his cast, x-ray the arm again, and if all’s well, I’ll re-cast. The nurses will give you medication for pain, and an instruction sheet explaining what to watch for in the next couple of days. Otherwise he’s fine, as I said. Oh, and he can go back to school tomorrow, if the cast is completely dry and he’s in a hurry. If not, I’d prefer he wait till Wednesday. Any questions?”

  “None I can think of.” She knew she would probably think of hundreds of them after he left, though.

  “Fine. If you’ll call the office and make the appointment, I’ll see you in two weeks.”

  “Thanks, Doctor Dolan.”

  “You’ve got a fine son, there, Mrs. Delaney,” he told her before leaving.

  Not five minutes later the nurse told Katryn she could go see Ryan. Joe and Dottie were allowed back, too. Ryan was groggy, but awake. He had a blue paper cap on his head, and in his bed was a latex glove blown up into a 5 fingered balloon. It had a face drawn on it. He told his mother that one of his nurses, Judy, had made it for him. Joe gave Ryan a stuffed Ninja Turtle he had hidden in his coat. The turtle had a band aid and sling on his left arm.

  “He went right over to the stuffed animal store as soon as you called. He even made the sling himself!” Dottie whispered to Katryn. Ryan hugged the turtle close with his good right arm, and slowly drifted back to sleep.

  “We’d better go now, Katryn,” Dottie said quietly when Ryan fell asleep.

  “Thanks for everything.” Katryn hugged them both again, and this time there were tears in her eyes.

  “Remember,” Joe whispered. “Don’t even think of showing up at the store tomorrow.” Then he and Dottie left. Katryn wiped her tears away, sat down in the comfy chair beside Ryan’s bed, and started to read Calvin and Hobbes.

  It was almost nine o’clock when Katryn and Ryan got home. Audrey apologized for allowing Timmy to stay up, but she told Katryn he refused to go to bed till Ryan got home. Ryan sleepily showed his brother the cast and his turtle before Katryn carried him into his room and put him to bed. When she tucked Timmy in, she explained that Grampa Joe had gotten Ryan the turtle.

  “It’s ok, Mom. He got it ‘cause he broke his arm. I’m just glad I didn’t break my arm ‘cause soccer games start soon.”

  “Ryan might have to give up soccer this season,” Katryn agreed.

  “I’d rather play soccer than have a ninja turtle,” Timmy told her. She kissed her son goodnight, and went back to the living room to read.

  She checked on Ryan at ten, eleven and twelve, and would have checked on him through the night if she had not fallen sound asleep in the recliner. She woke up a little after six and slowly remembered why she was not in her own bed. She checked Ryan again, and then made her way upstairs to shower.

  Timmy ate breakfast with his mother while Ryan slept on. He walked to the bus stop for the first time that year, and told his classmates all about his brother.

  Katryn and Ryan spent a quiet day at home. Katryn read him most of Calvin and Hobbes, and he napped for a short while after lunch. She could see his energy returning, and she knew he would be more than ready for school in the morning. He was in a hurry to show off his cast, and his Ninja Turtle, to his classmates. He even made his mother wait until after Timmy signed his cast before she could.

  Katryn had just fi
nished reading to the boys and was in the kitchen deciding what to fix for dinner when the doorbell rang. Timmy came and got her.

  “There’s a man at the door to see you, Mom.”

  Katryn walked into the living room and stopped short. Paul was feeling Ryan’s cast and asking how he was. “He said he knows you from Volleyball. I hope it’s ok that we let him in?” Timmy asked quickly. Before Katryn could answer, Paul spoke up.

  “Dottie told me what happened to Ryan.” Reaching to the floor behind him, he picked up two wrapped boxes and a beautiful long stemmed dark red rose. “I hope you don’t mind that I brought something by for Ryan, and for Timmy,” he said. She shook her head, so he handed both boxes to Timmy.

  “Maybe you could help your brother open his, first?” Paul asked, showing the boys the bigger box was Ryan’s. The boys thanked him, then hurried over to the sofa and sat down. Timmy started to open Ryan’s box first.

  “This is for you, of course,” Paul handed Katryn the rose. She looked up questioningly and he answered, “It’s an apology of sorts for what I was thinking about you. First, you didn’t show up for volleyball last night, and then when I came to get you for lunch, you weren’t there. I thought you had gone back on our deal” he admitted.

  “Dottie must have explained,” Katryn guessed. “Thank you for the rose. And for thinking of the boys.”

  “Mommy, look what we got!” Ryan exclaimed. “I got a nerf soccer ball, Ninja Turtle coloring book, crayons and a soccer game.” He held up an electronic game he could barely hold with one hand.

  “I got the same things, only not the nerf ball,” Timmy said, excitedly pushing buttons on his electronic game.

  “I thought Ryan might want to stay in practice with soccer,” Paul explained to Katryn. “And I was afraid he might not be allowed to play with regular soccer balls while he’s in the cast.” Katryn was taken aback by how thoughtful Paul had been. She thanked him again. The boys, remembering their manners, thanked him again, also.

  “Would you like to sign my cast?” Ryan asked. Paul said he would be honored. While Paul was writing on the cast, Timmy asked his mother how to play the game. When she admitted she knew nothing about it, Paul offered to help.

  “Would you stay and play a game with me, then?” Timmy invited. Paul turned to Katryn and asked if she would mind.

  “No.” She could hardly throw him out when he had been so thoughtful, she told herself. Then she heard herself ask, “Would you like to stay for dinner? I was just going to fix something.”

  “You hadn’t started anything yet, had you?”

  “No, as a matter of fact I’m running a little late tonight.”

  “Good,” he told her. As I have pizza being delivered ...” the door bell rang and he smiled. “...right now, I’ll bet. Dottie assured me you and the boys like Pizza. I hope it’s ok?” He didn’t wait for her answer, but instead opened the door, took the large box from the delivery man and paid him.

  “Oh boy, pizza!” Ryan yelled. Timmy offered to set the table, but Katryn told him she would do it. Paul followed her out to the kitchen, pizza in hand.

  “You don’t mind, do you?” he asked, sitting the box on the counter.

  “No,” she said, and quickly turned to the cupboard. She had not been quick enough, though, and Paul saw the glint in her eye.

  “Katryn, what’s wrong?” Reaching for her shoulders, he turned her around to look at him. Seeing the tears, he started to apologize. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to make you cry. I’ll leave...” She shook her head.

  “It’s ok, Paul. It was just so nice of you ...” He took her in his arms and held her close. It took a moment until she could compose herself. This was a side of Paul she had never seen. This side was so different from the Paul who demanded she do things his way, the Paul who had danced so suggestively with her. This side was so much more appealing.

  She pulled away and assured Paul he was welcome to join them for supper. He helped her set the table, and soon the four of them were eating pizza together. Timmy wolfed down one slice of pizza, and was catching his breath before the next one.

  “Who are you?” Timmy finally asked Paul.

  “Paul’s the new guy on the volleyball team.” Katryn answered, smiling at her son’s lack of tact.

  “Oh,” was all Timmy said. Katryn knew why Timmy gave Ryan a disappointed look, and wondered if Paul had noticed. Changing the subject she asked Ryan if he were able to play his game.

  “A little bit,” he admitted. Paul promised to show both of them how to play the games after supper, and talk got around to soccer. Paul asked lots of questions about the team the boys played on, the positions they played and how their team was doing. He listened attentively to all their answers, and Katryn knew he had easily won them over.

  After dinner, Katryn shooed the three of them out of the kitchen and did the dishes. Paul had offered to help, but she had assured him it was ok; he could show the boys how to play their games.

  In the quiet of the kitchen, Katryn marveled at how well Paul got on with her sons. He was never patronizing, never talked down to them. He had, in fact, seemed truly interested in what they had to say. She really wished she had not seen him like this, not seen how he could be with her sons. She started into the living room and heard Timmy ask Paul,

  “Do you like Julie?”

  “She seems like a nice person,” he answered non-commitally.

  “No, I mean do you like her ...” Timmy quit when he saw the look of anger on his mother’s face.

  “How’re the games going?” she quickly interjected. Even Katryn broke down and played the soccer game. They made teams up, and Paul & Ryan won two out of three games. Timmy was ready for another try when Katryn noticed the time.

  “Sorry, sport, but it’s bed time. It’s a school night.”

  “Aw, Mom,” Timmy started to complain.

  “Maybe your Mom would let me come back some time and we’ll play again ok?” Paul quickly offered. Timmy and Ryan both looked to their mother. When she nodded, they whooped and yeah’ed loudly. Then they kissed their mom, shook hands with Paul, and headed to their rooms to change into pajamas.

  “They’re really nice boys, Katryn. You’ve done a good job with them.”

  “Thanks. But they were born ‘good’. I don’t think a I had a whole lot to do with it.”

  “Give yourself some credit. Of course you had a lot to do with it. They’re well-mannered and polite. Kids aren’t born well-mannered and polite.”

  “Well, thanks. And thanks for the flower, and their games - and, in fact, dinner. It was a very nice evening.” Paul did not answer immediately, and Katryn would have sworn she saw a look of regret in his eyes. He recovered quickly, though.

  “It was a nice evening. By the way,” he asked, “Why did Timmy look so disappointed to hear I was on your team?” Her face reddened to a deep rose hue when she answered him.

  “They know I wouldn’t date someone Julie’s dating.”

  “Do they want you to date?” he prodded. Taking a deep breath, she answered honestly.

  “Yes. They want a father desperately.”

  “Any man would consider himself very lucky to have them for sons, Katryn.” He saw tears spring to her eyes. He stood and walked over to her. He kissed her softly. Then he pulled away from her and asked, “Will I see you Friday?” In spite of how nice he was being, Katryn could not forget the dance they had shared last time.

  “Paul, I’m not sure ...” she started.

  “I promise we’ll have no repeat performance on the dance floor.” he assured her, seeming to read her mind.

  “Well, then, I guess I’ll be there.” He surprised her by thanking her. Then he left. He was an enigma to her. She wanted to hate him, but she could not. She wanted to quit seeing him, but she could not. She wanted to tell him how much she cared, but she could not.

  She was awake in bed for quite some time wondering if there were more sides
to Paul she had not seen yet.

  Wednesday Katryn went back to work. It was a relatively slow day, so Dottie left early. Joe picked her up and they went to supper.

  Katryn’s evening was pretty busy, what with checking all the names on Ryan’s cast, playing the new soccer game, and then cub scouts. The boys never mentioned Paul, and Katryn spent a lot of time trying not to think of how well he had gotten along with her boys.

  Friday morning Katryn was at the shop early, as usual. Joe came in to browse before he began work, and he and Katryn discussed the upcoming wedding.

  “We’re selling both our houses,” he told her. “We’re getting a three bedroom apartment. She’ll have a room for her flower arranging things, and I’ll have an office,” he explained. “We’ll even have a day bed in her room for visitors,” he added.

  If he had seemed even a little nervous talking to Katryn, she would have put it down to pre-nuptial jitters. She never noticed that he was perhaps a bit more talkative than usual.

  When he left to go to work, Katryn began straightening shelves and adding new books where they belonged. It was a bit quiet for a Friday, but Katryn was enjoying the change of pace and never noticed the time. At 12:20 Dottie hurried in and back to the office. Katryn looked up from her work for a quick ‘hi’.

  At 12:30, the festivities began. Joe came in the door with Paul, a large group of employees from the Flour Mill, and quite a few of Katryn’s regular customers. They began to sing “Happy Birthday to you.” Katryn looked surprised. Her birthday was late June. She listened as they continued. “...Happy Birthday Katryn’s Book Store...” and she suddenly realized it must be March 17th! She was stunned. Never before had she been unprepared for St. Patrick’s Day, and these last 7 years she had had an extra reason to celebrate. She decided she had been much more pre-occupied than she had imagined.

  Her eyes grew moist, and she thanked everyone. While Dottie fixed green punch, Joe placed a sheet cake on the counter. White with green shamrocks, it read, ‘HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY, KATRYN’. A shopkeeper from one of the other stores handed her a very large card.

  “Happy Birthday to one of our favorite shops, Katryn. May you have many, many more birthdays with us,” she read it aloud. It had at least a hundred signatures.

  “I got most of your regulars to sign when you took your lunch breaks, and all day Tuesday,” Dottie told her. Katryn was overwhelmed.

  “Don’t you start crying,” Joe ordered. “You’ll ruin the cake.” She laughed along with the others. She blew out the seven candles on her cake, and then Dottie served cake while Paul ladled punch.

  It seemed to Katryn that every person she had ever seen in the Mill showed up sometime that afternoon. Shop keepers told her how much they appreciated her letting them shop before the Mill opened. Customers told her how they enjoyed her friendly service. The time went by so quickly, and she was busy talking to so many friends, that she was totally surprised when there was a lull and Joe exclaimed, “Should be slowing down! It’s well after closing, you know.”

  “Fastest afternoon I’ve ever had!” Katryn admitted, looking at her watch. “Thank you. You and Dottie ...”

  “And Paul,” Dottie added. “He had a bit to do with this, too.” Katryn saw Paul was still at the punch bowl.

  “Have you been there all afternoon?” she asked, surprised.

  “And you never even noticed!” his eyes twinkled when he answered.

  “Thank you. All 3 of you. I can’t tell you how much all of this means...”

  “Then don’t try,” Joe told her. “You’ve done plenty for everyone else all along. We just wanted to do something for you.” Katryn gave Joe a big hug.

  “You’re the best, Joe,” she kissed his cheek. Dottie walked over and Katryn hugged her, too. “Thank you Dottie. I couldn’t have found a better family for the boys then you two.” The three of them had tears in their eyes. Joe, embarrassed, harrumphed.

  “Guess we better get this cleaned up, eh?” Dottie searched for mislaid paper cups while Joe got the tables wiped off. Paul took the punch bowl to the back room to rinse out. Before she knew it, Katryn’s store was spic ‘n’ span. Then Joe and Dottie said they had to leave.

  “I’ll be here to open in the morning, Katryn. Have fun at the dance.” Dottie told her before they left. Only Paul remained. He had said nothing while Katryn again thanked Dottie and Joe. After they left, Katryn turned to him.

  “This was really sweet, Paul. I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “You gave the others a hug,” he suggested.

  She nodded. He held her close, but this time was different. Though the electricity was there, though her heart was racing, this time his hug was tender and caring. He held her a long time before letting go.

  “I have something for you,” he said, reaching into his inside coat pocket. He handed her a long thin box.

  Nervously, she unwrapped it. It was a jeweler’s box. She snapped it open to find a simple gold chain with a beautiful emerald shamrock.

  “It’s ... beautiful,” she stammered. “Oh, Paul, you shouldn’t have.”

  “Really?” he asked, cocking an eye brow.

  “No, you really shouldn’t have,” she said, smiling. “But since you did, and since I’m sure you’d be heartbroken if I made you take it back...”

  “Very heartbroken,” he agreed. He too, was smiling.

  “Then perhaps I should keep it.”

  “Perhaps you should,” he repeated, more seriously. Then he asked, “May I help you put it on?” When she nodded, he took the gold chain from the box. Katryn turned away from him and held her hair up off her neck. He fastened the two ends of the necklace and then turned her towards him.

  “How does it look?” she asked, fingering the shamrock.

  “It looks like it was made for you. It’s as beautiful as you are.”

  Katryn blushed. He took her face in his hands and kissed her. Her arms wound around him unconsciously, and he pulled her close to him, his kiss becoming more demanding. Katryn felt the sparks as his kiss grew more intense, his hands pulling her closer and closer. Her hands slipped under his coat to press against his back, holding him even closer than he held her.

  She felt him pull back. Surprised, she looked into his eyes and for just a moment she thought she saw pain. He recovered quickly, and with the twinkle back in his eye, explained.

  “I made a promise Tuesday, that I have to keep even if this isn’t a dance floor,” he reminded her. “And I’ll bet Ryan and Timmy wouldn’t be too impressed with a fellow who can’t keep a promise.” Katryn nodded. She realized she owed him. She was not at all sure she would have been able to pull away this time.

  “By the way, I talked to Audrey and she said you were going straight to the games from work. We’d have just enough time for a quick sandwich if we go now.”

  Going for a sandwich sounded good to Katryn. Not that she was hungry, but being alone with Paul right now sounded too good to pass up - even if they had to be alone in a crowded restaurant.

  She went to the back room, brushed through her hair, quickly touched up her makeup, and started out the door. She rushed back for her volleyball clothes, and they stopped at her car long enough for her to drop her uniform off. Then Paul escorted her to his car.

  Over sandwiches, Katryn told Paul about some of the people he had met at her party. Though she had thought she was not hungry, she was able to do justice to a delicious turkey and Swiss. When they were finished, Paul took her back to her car and followed her to Shaw Jr. Hi for the volleyball games.

  Katryn locked her necklace in the glove box before going into the gym. Though she hated to take it off, no jewelry was allowed during games. Paul waited a moment outside and let Katryn go into the gym first so it would not look like if they had come together. They changed into their uniforms in the appropriate locker rooms, and then met their teammates on one of the courts for a quick warm up.

  They lost one match, but K
atryn told her team they should still be at the top of the league because the next best team had already lost 3 games going into tonight’s games. It was, in fact, Jim’s team.

  After the games, Katryn told the others she would meet them at KELLY’S. She had brought some toiletries this week so she could clean up a little after the games and change out of her uniform. She had purposely worn dark slacks and a light silk blouse to work so she could change back into them after volleyball.

  Katryn felt at least a little fresher when she put her things back into her duffel bag. She dabbed a last drop of Emeraude behind her right ear, placed the bottle back in her make-up bag, and left the women’s locker room. She saw the janitor pick up a last errant volleyball and place it in a large cart. He waved at her before he wheeled through the double doors that led into another gym.

  Katryn stood for a moment and looked around the empty gym. Fifteen minutes ago there had been close to 100 people playing, watching or refereeing volleyball at four different nets. Now only the familiar faint scent of sweat and old tennis shoes remained to even hint at the activity of a short while ago. Depressing, Katryn thought to herself. An empty gym, a gym not being used for sports was depressing. Big, empty, lonely. All of that.

  Shaking off a slightly melancholy mood, Katryn headed for the front door-way. She was almost to the entry way when she realized she was not alone, after all. A cold chill replaced the sense of melancholy when she recognized the voice coming from off to her right.