Lean On Me

by Tori Scott

  The gray floors were speckled with spots of black, matching a gray metal cabinet with a shiny black top that now held gleaming silver instruments--scissors, scalpels, tweezers. A large clock on the wall showed 6:56. Past time for Melanie's dinner.

  Sandy’s husband had died in this very same emergency room at 7:21 pm, two years and two months earlier. A shudder went through her. No! It would not, could not happen again. Fate might play tricks, but it couldn't be that cruel.

  She forced her thoughts away from that awful time. They immediately latched onto Hunter. What was the problem between him and his son? She knew teenagers had a tendency to be loud and obnoxious on occasion, but Jason went way beyond that. Something was wrong in that household.

  "Mrs. Morrow?" the doctor said, waving a hand in front of her face. Apparently he had already said her name once.

  "Yes, I'm sorry. Just spaced out for a minute there."

  "That's okay." He smiled at her, kindness and patience reflected in his gaze. "We're going to move your daughter to the trauma ICU so the nurses can keep a close watch on her for the next few hours. This is a critical time for her, but I think she'll be just fine. As long as there are no major complications, she should wake up soon and will get more coherent before the night's over."

  Sandy's shoulders sagged with relief. "I can stay with her, can't I? I can't leave her."

  "Space is too limited for you to stay with her full-time, but you can visit for ten minutes every hour, then you can stay with her once we move her to a room. I've splinted her leg for now, but she'll need surgery. We don't want to do that while she has a concussion," the doctor said, "and her physician will want to look her over and make his own recommendations. If you'll just go find yourself a cup of coffee and give us about an hour, we'll get her settled and you can have your first visit. The nurse at the station outside can give you directions and some forms to fill out."

  He was interrupted when an orderly pushed a gurney through the door, and he motioned her outside. Sandy walked out, straight into a hard, broad chest.

  "Oomph," Hunter grunted as he staggered back a step. "Are you okay?" He stepped aside to allow the gurney to pass and watched solemnly as the orderly steered it to the elevators down the hall. "Aren't you going with them?" he asked as she stood and watched them take her daughter away.

  "They won't let me go with her right now. They're taking her to ICU for observation." She broke down as more tears rolled down her face.

  Without thinking about it, he pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. She felt so small and vulnerable. He looked over her head at Jason, who seemed to bloom with anger right before his eyes. What was going through his head now? Not ten minutes ago he'd been sorrowful and repentant.

  What the hell had changed in that amount of time? Hunter continued to stroke Sandy's back and murmur soothing words as he stared at his son. Jason cursed, then turned and left the emergency room, shoving through the main doors with enough force to bounce them against the brick walls. Hunter was torn between going after his son and staying there with Sandy. He pulled back a little to see how she was doing and she seemed to remember where she was and whose arms she was in.

  She pushed him away. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cry all over your shirt," she told him with a lift of her chin. "I'll be fine. I'm sure you have better things to do than stay here."

  Hunter looked toward the doors Jason had stormed through. "I need to go see about my son, but I'll be back. Just as soon as he and I have a talk and I find out what’s going on with him."

  "There's no need for you to come back. I told you, we'll be fine."

  Her look dared him to argue, but he’d never been known to back down. "Look, I know you're upset, but you're also barefoot, and you'll need a change of clothes. Do you have a friend you can call who can pack a bag for you? I can bring it to you after I find Jason."

  She started to argue, then looked down at her old cutoffs and t-shirt. She looked frustrated, but she nodded. "I'll call my friend Brenda."

  "I'll be back soon. You can count on it." He brushed a thumb across her cheek to wipe away a stray tear, his touch meant only as comfort. Strange, but he was the one who felt comforted by the caress. He looked at the tear on his thumb, then wiped it away on his jeans.

  Hunter left without looking back, afraid he would see the need in her eyes she wouldn't admit to and stay with her instead of finding his son. Jason had to be his first priority. He was just a kid, and Sandy was a grown woman. She could take care of herself. Couldn't she?

  She seemed strong. He hoped she was. She'd need to be, to face the problems she now had because of his son.

  He found Jason in the parking lot, leaning against the Tahoe Hunter had purchased only a month before. His stance shouted anger and resentment, his face set in a scowl.

  "Well, it certainly looks as though you’ve been forgiven easily enough," Jason snarled. "I bet she hates my guts."

  Hunter sighed. "No, I don't think she does. You want to tell me what your problem is? It's been ten months since your mom died. I've been home for six months, and you still act like it's my fault." He took a deep breath in an effort to calm down and lowered his voice. "Are you upset because I was trying to comfort Mrs. Morrow? For God's sake, you just put her kid in the hospital! Was I supposed to walk away and leave her to cry alone?"

  "I don't care what you do, okay? Just as long as you leave me alone!" Jason turned his back to his father and tried to yank open the car door, which was locked. "You don't care about me or that kid in there. You're just interested in banging her mom."

  Hunter grabbed Jason's arm and spun him around. He fell back against the car. "I've never hit you in anger before, but I'm tempted to make an exception to that. Let me tell you how things are going to be from here on out. You're grounded until I say you're not. You won't be driving, because if the police don't suspend your license, I will."

  Jason’s face paled, then turned red with suppressed fury.

  "You only have a few weeks until summer break. I'll pick you up at school every day, and you'll spend your afternoons doing whatever needs to be done at the Morrows’ house. You'll go to counseling again, and this time you will talk about what's bothering you. Do I make myself clear?"

  Jason glared at his father, but he nodded. "Are you through? Can we go home now?"

  "I'm just getting started, but the rest will have to wait. Get in."

  CHAPTER TWO

  Sandy knew she was about to faint but it felt like a dream. Sounds faded away, only to be replaced by a roaring in her ears. A gray mist swam in front of her eyes. Her knees gave way and she felt herself falling but was helpless to do anything about it. Then everything went blank.

  She awakened a few moments later to find herself on a bed. She opened her eyes and quickly shut them again as the light overhead drilled into her brain.

  "Mrs. Morrow? Can you hear me?"

  She recognized that voice. The warm, husky voice that seemed capable of melting the ice around her heart if she let it. Which she wouldn’t, of course. But she was tempted. She opened her eyes again, careful not to look up at the light this time. "Mr. Thurman? What are you doing here? What happened?"

  Hunter sat beside the bed, holding her hand, his thumb rubbing circles on her knuckles. Her fingers tingled from the contact and she pulled her hand from his. He frowned but released her instantly.

  "You passed out. Stone cold. I was bringing your things to you and saw you sway. I caught you, and the nurse had me bring you in here."

  She tried to sit up, too quickly it seemed, and the room spun. She groaned and lay back down. "Melanie. I walked into her room and saw all those machines and needles. It scared me to death." She'd looked so tiny and helpless in the midst of all that equipment. Sandy had never felt so inadequate as a mother as she did at that moment.

  "Yeah, I can see how it would. Do you want to try to sit up again, a little slower this time?"

  She nodded and took the hand he offered. He gen
tly raised her to a sitting position and helped her slide her legs over the side of the bed. Once she was upright and no longer in danger of falling, she pulled her hand from his again. "Thank you. I'm not usually so helpless."

  "Don’t worry about it. You'll be back to your old self in a few minutes. Just give yourself time to get over the shock." He stood and smoothed the wrinkles from his pants.

  Sandy couldn't help but notice the bulge of muscles in his thighs. No wonder he seemed so strong. He was built like a German Tank. Damn, she needed to think about her daughter, not a man she didn't even know. "I've got to go see about Melanie."

  She started to slide off the bed and Hunter immediately appeared at her side. He slipped an arm around her waist and she leaned against him for a moment, then caught herself and straightened. "I'm fine. You can let go now." He gave her an assessing look and seemed satisfied with what he saw. He released her and stepped back.

  She walked out of the room on shaky legs and found she was still in the ICU. She went directly to the nurse's station and spoke to the woman in hot pink scrubs who sat behind the counter. "Can I see my daughter now?"

  The nurse smiled and said, "I think that will be okay, as long as you're sure you can stay on your feet this time."

  "I'll be fine. Now I know what to expect."

  "The first time can be a jolt, that's for sure. Come with me."

  Sandy followed her to the cubicle where Melanie lay, pale and still. She tiptoed to the bed and gripped the rail so tightly her fingers ached, then stood there for a moment without speaking, her eyes again filled with tears. She looks so tiny. The bruises on her face and arms were a dark shade of purple, and the knot on her forehead stood out like a baseball. Sandy turned and whispered to the nurse. "How is she?"

  "The doctor will be back in a few minutes to fill you in, but for now she's actually doing pretty well. She looks a lot worse than she is." The nurse reached up and adjusted the IV drip. "She'll snap out of this soon and start playing on your sympathies."

  Sandy gave a choked laugh and turned back to her daughter. She smoothed the matted hair away from Melanie's face, then leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Wake up soon, Mel. I want to see you smile at Mommy, okay?" Her voice shook and she swallowed hard to choke back the tears. "As soon as you're awake and back home, you can have a big bowl of chocolate-chip ice cream."

  When the nurse inclined her head toward the door, Sandy leaned down to give Melanie one more kiss, then followed the nurse from the room.

  Hunter stood just outside the door, holding an overnight bag and a pair of tennis shoes. Her tennis shoes. He cocked his head and raised one eyebrow. "How is she?"

  Sandy shrugged, unable to speak without starting a fresh torrent of tears. He slipped an arm around her shoulders and led her from the ICU to the waiting room. He found two chairs in a quiet corner and gently pushed her into one, handed her a clean handkerchief, and sat down beside her.

  "Your friend said to tell you not to worry. She packed enough clothes for two or three days and locked your house."

  Sandy hadn’t given a thought to the fact that she’d run off and left the house unlocked. Nothing she owned meant anything compared to her daughter.

  She wished Hunter would go away so she could cry without an audience. Why was he here? Why hadn't he left her clothes at the nurse's station and gone home? "Look, Mr. Thurman," she began.

  "Hunter. Don't you think we've been through enough together to be on a first name basis by now?" He smiled gently and leaned a little closer. "Granted, it's not the best way to get to know your neighbors, but I have a feeling we're going to be seeing a lot of each other, so we may as well drop the formalities."

  "Fine. Hunter. I appreciate all you've done, but it isn't necessary for you to be here. I'm sure your son needs you more than I do. Why don't you go home?" She needed time to get her emotions under control. If he would go away, she might be able to do that. She couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe when he was near. He seemed to suck all the oxygen out of the room when he got too close.

  "Jason's at his grandparents' house, so I've got the whole night free. I figured I'd spend it with you. I can stay as long as you need me."

  Sandy blew out a frustrated breath. She didn't like the image that flashed through her mind when he said he was spending the night with her. "That's just the point. I don't need you. I'm fine. Melanie will be fine. Thank you for bringing my things. Now, please, just go." She lowered her head into her hands and closed her eyes. Maybe by the time she opened them again, he'd be gone.

  Hunter sat beside her for several minutes without speaking. Finally, she heard him stand and walk away. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat up straight. She felt a little guilty for being so rude. It wasn't like her at all, but the last thing she needed right now was a man hovering over her, acting like she was incapable of taking care of herself. She'd had enough of that to last a lifetime.

  ***

  When she saw Melanie's pediatrician coming down the hall toward her, Sandy jumped to her feet. Twisting her hands nervously in front of her, she waited for him to enter the waiting room. He spotted her in the corner and smiled. A smile was good, right? Hopefully he had some good news.

  "I just checked on your daughter, and she's starting to come around. She's still spacey and will alternate between sleep and semi-consciousness for several hours yet. But the CAT scans look good, and she's responding to her name. We'll keep her in ICU until morning, then we'll get her settled in a room of her own."

  Sandy reached out a hand and shook his. "Thank you, Dr. Mendelsohn. You don't know how relieved I am to hear that." The tight band around her heart eased a little, allowing her to relax slightly. She took a shaky breath.

  "I understand. I have two small children of my own. It's a terrifying thing to see them hurt like this," he said gently as he patted her hand. "You can go in again in a few minutes, then you need to see about getting some rest yourself. Melanie will need you to be there for her tomorrow, but for tonight the nurses can watch over her. They'll call you if anything comes up. I'll see you in the morning." With another reassuring smile, he turned and left.

  Sandy dropped back into the chair, leaned her head against the cushion, and closed her eyes. No way would she leave the hospital as long as her daughter was there. Things were going to be tight, though. She could take her vacation time and sick leave, but that only amounted to two weeks. She didn't have enough in savings to cover any extra time off, and she didn't think Melanie would be ready to go back to day care anytime soon.

  Damn that crazy kid next door. And his father. She'd had a perfectly good life these past two years until they moved in. Now her life was a mess, her daughter was in the hospital, and she felt inadequate for the first time since her husband’s death. She hated feeling helpless. She’d sworn she'd never again be in that position.

  The tears started to fall once more, and that made her even more angry and frustrated. If she never saw Hunter and Jason Thurman again, it would be too soon.

  ***

  Hunter stood in line in the hospital cafeteria, juggling two cups of coffee and a turkey sandwich. He'd forgotten to get a tray, which would have made things easier. But since when had he ever done things the easy way?

  When he'd joined the military straight out of high school, he'd thought it would be easier than working his way through college. Hah! Next thing he knew, he'd been picked for Special Ops and that had been the hardest thing he'd ever done. The rigorous training had taxed him, mentally and physically. True, it had turned an idealistic young boy into a grown man almost overnight. But there had been a price to pay, too.

  He shook his head, refusing to think about that. He'd put those memories behind him for good. Right now, he needed to figure out how to get his wallet out of his pocket without ending up wearing the coffee. The line inched forward until he finally reached the register. He set the coffee and sandwich down on a small clear spot on the corner, retrieved his wallet, and paid for his items. So
far, so good.

  The next hurdle would be to get Sandy to accept his peace offering.

  How was he going to find a way to help her if she refused to accept it? Hell, it was his son's fault she was in trouble in the first place. The next few weeks would be difficult for her and he wanted to do something to make things easier. He'd always resented the way his wife depended on him for everything, and now he was frustrated with this woman for being exactly the opposite. Maybe he didn't know what he wanted after all.

  The elevator door opened at the third floor, directly opposite the waiting room. He could see Sandy slumped in the chair, her hair hanging over her face. His heart twisted at her obvious misery. The elevator door started to close just as he stepped out, hitting his arm and sloshing coffee over his hand. Damn!

  He didn't realize he'd spoken the oath aloud until he glanced up to find her glaring at him reproachfully. Her sidelong glance toward a small child playing nearby reminded him he needed to watch his language. He offered a small grin of apology and took the seat beside her. "Coffee?"

  She hesitated for a moment and he wasn't sure if she would accept his gift, or his apology. Then she sighed and reached for the cup. She wrapped her hands around it as if trying to absorb the warmth. She took a sip, then grimaced at the bitter taste.

  "Not the best coffee, is it?" He grinned and took a sip from his cup.

  "No, but it's better than nothing. Thanks."

  After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, she sighed. "Why are you still here? I wasn't exactly polite earlier."

  He shrugged, not sure himself. "I don't know. I just felt like I needed to be here. And you looked like you needed a friend."

  "I told you, I don't need..."

  "Yeah, I know, you don't need anybody. What makes you think that? Everybody needs help sometimes." He watched her face, the stress she was under evident in the line between her brows. He itched to smooth it away, but wisely kept his hands to himself. "It's okay to lean once in a while, as long as you don't make a habit of it."