1. That's What Friends Are For

by Annette Broadrick

  He didn't respond.

  Frantic, Penny looked around. They had come a few miles from home. There was nothing on shore that indicated people might be close by. Even in her panic she knew she had to get help. The closest she could think of was home.

  Penny grabbed a towel and began to clean the blood from his face. She held pressure there until the flow eased up. Then she gently checked to see if she could find any other injuries.

  He was out cold and she didn't know how badly he'd been hit. There was nothing more she could do now. She had to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible.

  Penny didn't even realize she was crying until she had to keep blinking to see where she was going on the way home.

  Brad was hurt and it was her fault. She'd been so mad at him. She'd even thought about doing him bodily harm! And look what had happened. "I didn't mean it, God! You know I didn't mean it. Don't let it be serious. Please. Please let him be all right."

  She set new speed records getting home. As soon as she could tie up the boat at her dock she ran up the path. "Mom! Dad! Call the ambulance, Brad's been hurt!"

  Penny burst into the house, gasping for breath. Gregory met her by the time she reached the kitchen, her parents right behind him. She absently noticed his casual dress but she had no time to question him.

  "What's the matter!" he demanded.

  "It's Brad! He fell. Hit his head. He's bleeding and I don't know how badly he's hurt."

  He grabbed her by the shoulders, "All right, now. Calm down. You call an ambulance and we'll go check on him."

  Quickly she nodded, reaching for the wall phone and glancing at the emergency number posted nearby.

  Later, Penny couldn't seem to remember all of the events. She knew Gregory and her dad had gone down to the landing and had brought Brad up to the house. He was still unconscious.

  She'd called his parents and they were all there when the ambulance arrived. Without thinking about it. Penny crawled into the ambulance with hun, holding his hand and whispering to him. "I'm sorry. Brad. I never meant to hurt you. You know that. It was just a crazy accident. Please get better. Brad. Please don't be hurt bad."

  The attendant handed her a tissue and she realized that tears still streamed down her face.

  The doctor was waiting for them when they arrived and it was only when they'd taken him into the examining room that Penny realized she was standing barefoot in her bathing suit.

  Both sets of parents and Gregory arrived within minutes. Her mother, bless her heart, had grabbed some clean, dry clothes for her and Penny excused herself and went into the ladies' restroom to change.

  As soon as she came out she asked, "Have you heard anything?"

  They all shook their heads. Gregory led her to a couch that looked as though it had been brought off the ark and sat down beside her. "Can you tell us what happened?"

  As coherently as possible, she explained the sequence of events. When she was finished, Gregory asked, "Could you identify the other boat or any of the people in it?"

  "I doubt it. It all happened so fast. They were just a bunch of kids out having a good time and not paying attention."

  "Without your quick responses, it could have been much worse, you know. They need to be found and reprimanded."

  Her eyes filled once again. "It was so awful, Gregory," she said in a choked voice. "We'd been fighting and I was so blasted mad at him, but I didn't want him to get hurt." She lay her head on his shoulder and cried, her sobs shaking her body.

  "I know. He's very special to you. I'm beginning to understand that."

  He held her until eventually the emotional shock began to abate and she had managed to gain some measure of control.

  The doctor on call appeared in the doorway of the waiting room. He was new to the area and none of them knew him.

  He smiled at the three couples waiting and said, "This young man was very lucky. He did receive a concussion, but it could have been much worse. Blows to the temple are very tricky things."

  Brad's mother asked, ''But he's going to be all right. You're sure?"

  "Oh, yes. He came to for a few minutes. He's still groggy and we gave him something to ease the pain." He paused and glanced at the three women. "Which one of you is Penny?"

  Penny came to her feet. The doctor's smile widened. "You might want to go in and see him for a few minutes. He's disoriented and seems to think something happened to you. He's been calling your name and fighting me, saying he had to find you."

  Without a thought Penny joined the doctor in the doorway. "Where is he?"

  He turned and started down the hallway. "We put him in this room," he said, opening the door and holding it for her.

  ❧

  Penny tiptoed into the room. The shades were drawn and it was dim. The doctor snapped on a night-light and she could see Brad lying there, his head swathed in white bandages. His eyes were closed and he looked so pale. Penny bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  She glanced around and discovered the doctor had left the room. Hesitantly she approached the bed. Brad was in a hospital gown and the sheet was folded neatly over his chest. His hands rested on either side of him. She took his hand and slowly lifted it to her mouth, brushing her lips across his knuckles.

  Brad's lashes fluttered, then he slowly opened his eyes. "Penny?" His lips moved but there was very little sound.

  "I'm here, Brad."

  "You okay?" he managed to say. He was having trouble moving his mouth.

  ''I'm fine. It's you we've been worried about."

  "What happened?"

  "A boat almost rammed us. I dodged to miss them and threw you halfway across our boat." Tears began to stream down her face once more. "Oh, Brad. I'm so sorry."

  "Wasn't your fault," he said drowsily.

  "I'm sorry I got so mad at you. I was afraid you'd been killed and I would never be able to tell you how sorry I am."

  "I'm... too hard-headed... to be hurt... by a blow...to my head," he said haltingly, trying to smile. She could see the pain in his eyes and she ached with shared pain. "Besides, you had a right.. .to get angry at me. Trying to break... engagement... was... childish thing to do."

  She smiled. "I'm afraid I have to agree with you there, my friend."

  "I'm sorry... forgive me?"

  She stroked his cheek with her free hand. "You know me, Brad, I can never stay mad at you for long. I never could."

  "Good thing," he replied, his voice slurred. "Or you'd... be angry... all... time."

  "Fm sure the doctor wants you to rest," she said. "Your folks are waiting outside. I know they want to see you."

  He smiled, a slow, sleepy smile that seemed to increase the ache in her heart.

  She leaned over and kissed him. "I'll see you tomorrow, Brad." She laid his hand on his chest, but she didn't let go immediately.

  He squeezed her hand but didn't say anything. She patted the hand she still held and slowly released him, suddenly feeling awkward.

  Then Penny turned around and left the room.

  Chapter 5

  Gregory was quiet on the way home and Penny felt too drained to try to make conversation. He followed her into the house and she went to the kitchen to make coffee, motioning him into the living room.

  Her parents had stayed at the hospital with the Crawfords. No one had expressed an opinion as to when they'd return.

  When she brought the coffee into the living room Penny suddenly realized she had never asked Gregory why he'd been there that afternoon.

  "I'm so glad you came today," she said, handing him his cup and settling beside him on the couch. "I'm just sorry I wasn't here. I thought you said you were going to spend the day working."

  He looked at her and smiled, a wry smile that she found endearing. "Actually, I had no intention of leaving the office until I had made a dent in the pile of files and papers on my desk." Gregory settled back on the sofa with a sigh." After a few hours I noticed there was no appreciable difference in the amount o
f work in front of me." He took a sip of coffee. "I kept thinking of you and how much I wanted to be with you."

  Gregory peered into his cup as though looking for an answer to a thorny question. "As a matter of fact, I decided to forget about the work for a while and come get you. I thought we could spend some time together out on the lake."

  His eyes met hers. "When I got here your parents mentioned that you and Brad had gone out a few hours earlier.''

  Penny touched his cheek lightly with her hand. "I wish I'd known. I could have waited."

  "Spending the day with you and Brad wasn't what I had in mind."

  "What I meant was that if I'd known, I would have waited and gone out with you. Brad would have found someone else to spend the day with."

  Gregory studied her face, enjoying the candid expression in her blue eyes, the way her flyaway curls clustered on her forehead. Most of all he enjoyed the unconscious innocence she projected, not so much a sexual innocence, although he was willing to bet that was the case. But Penny had a wholesomeness, such a trusting nature that he sometimes felt he was hundreds of years older than she. The ugliness of the world seemed to have passed her by, as though, like a princess in a fairy tale, she had been locked away and protected from some of the harsher realities of life.

  "You mentioned earlier that you and Brad had been arguing," he said with a slight smile.

  Penny felt her face flush. "Yes."

  ''About what?"

  She stared at him in dismay. She had no idea what Gregory thought of Brad. He was an expert at keeping his thoughts and opinions to himself. For some reason she didn't want him to know about Brad's intention to break them up. The point was, he hadn't and he was sorry. There was no need to share the details with Gregory.

  "I can't even remember," she said, not meeting his eyes. "Brad and I seem to argue every time we're around each other."

  ''I still find that surprising in you."

  "I know. Some people have that effect on others."

  He nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, that's true. Sparks fly."

  She laughed. "They definitely fly whenever Brad and I get together." She hugged Gregory. "I'm so glad you and I don't react that way to each other. I much prefer our comfortable relationship." When he didn't reply she went on to say, "I never got around to thanking you for your help today. I don't know what I would have done without you."

  He held her hard against his chest, unable to resist her lips so close to his. Gregory kissed her, feeling her warmth pressed against him.

  When he finally released her he smiled at the picture she made—her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling, her mouth slightly swollen. "I was glad to help, but you would have done just fine without me. You handled yourself extremely well in the emergency, never losing your head."

  "Oh, no. I almost drowned you in my tears at the hospital."

  "Yes, after the crisis was over. But when you needed to be strong you managed to give Brad first aid, then got him home. I was very proud of you today. I want you to know that."

  "Oh, Gregory. Your ability to understand me is one of the things I love about you," she said, her arms still around him.

  He was quiet for a few moments, then said, "It's interesting, isn't it, the many different ways we can love. Some people seem to have a larger capacity for love than others. You seem to have grown up giving your love to people—your parents. Brad, his parents; later the people who live in Payton. Now me."

  She smiled at him.

  "I always had trouble understanding that emotion they called love. I've seen some of the tragedies that have occurred in the name of love, witnessed selfishness and possessiveness that have been given the label of love, but until I met you, I never truly experienced what it all meant—the generosity of love for its own sake, and what a difference it could make in life." He looked down at her, trying to memorize the beauty that was in her. "Thank you for showing me how unselfish love can be, how generous."

  "It was my pleasure," she said with a mischievous grin. "You've shown me a great deal, too, you know."

  "Have I?In what way?''

  "You didn't treat me like some fragile doll sitting on a shelf. You've always treated me as an equal, with respect and admiration."

  "Hasn't everyone?"

  "It's hard to explain. But living in the same small town all my life has meant that everyone has preconceived ideas about me. Until you came along, nobody would even ask me out for a date!"

  "Why do you suppose they didn't?"

  She grinned. "Because all the eligible men already knew me too well, I guess.''

  "It couldn't have anything to do with Brad, could it?"

  She frowned. "What does Brad have to do with my not being asked on a date?"

  "Perhaps everyone thought you two were a pair," he suggested.

  Penny rolled her eyes. "That's quite possible. I know everybody acted surprised when you and I announced our engagement. I just assumed they thought you'd been tricked into proposing to me."

  Gregory threw his head back and laughed and she began to laugh with him. "Oh, Penny, what an innocent you are!" He studied her for a moment, the light of laughter gradually disappearing out of his eyes. "Then you admit that people saw you and Brad as a couple."

  She shrugged. "I can't very well deny it. Since he's been home everyone I've seen has made some comment. But that's their problem. It doesn't really concern you and me. Once we're married, they'll get those silly ideas out of their heads."

  "So you don't really wish that it were Brad you were marrying instead of me?"

  "Brad and I don't have that sort of a relationship. We never did. You are the man I'm going to marry." She sounded very final.

  Gregory smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." He carefully unwrapped her arms from around his neck. "However, at the moment I think I'd better let you get some rest. I've still got to pack and get ready to return to St. Louis."

  Penny hated to see him leave. She enjoyed his companionship so much. She felt safe and secure whenever he was around. In particular, she needed his presence this final week before she married him, especially now that Brad was here. She couldn't explain it. She just knew it was true. But she knew she mustn't be selfish, so she walked him to the door in silence.

  He paused at the door and looked down at her. "I'm going to be extremely busy, so don't worry if you don't hear from me. I'll be back in time for the rehearsal Friday night. You can count on it."

  She nodded. "I'll just think about this time next week when we'll be on our honeymoon," she said with a grin. "That should help fill the next few days."

  "I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with Brad while he's recuperating." Gregory waited for a denial, for some sign that, despite everything he had seen and heard, Penny wasn't as attached to Brad as Gregory was finally coming to accept.

  "Yes, that's true," she said, unaware of what he was thinking. "You know his television character is supposed to be in a coma. He almost had a chance to find out what that was like firsthand." She shook her head. "I bet he's already regretting having come home for the wedding."

  "Then again, it might have been a very crucial decision for his future. Who knows?" Gregory said, leaning over and kissing her softly on the mouth. "I suppose only time will tell."

  I wonder what he meant by that? Penny asked herself when she went upstairs and began to prepare for bed. Gregory could certainly be enigmatic at times. No doubt that trait was one of the reasons he was such a brilliant attorney.

  ❧

  "Oh, how sweet," Brad cooed in a cloying falsetto voice, clasping his hands under his chin and giving her an idiotic smile. "You brought me some candy," he said as she walked into his hospital room the next morning carrying a gaily wrapped package.

  Penny was relieved to see him looking so much better. His color had improved considerably since the day before. Today he looked almost rakish with his head bandaged, but there were still deep bruises under his eyes.

  "What I have is much better for you than
candy," she informed him, walking over to the bed and handing him the package. '"I've brought you a coloring book and some crayons." It was worth the search she'd gone to that morning to see the expression on his face.

  Without missing a beat he said, "Fantastic, what kind?"

  "Only the best for you, my friend—a book immortalizing the characters from Star Wars."'

  Brad started to chuckle, then gently touched his head. "Please don't make me laugh. My head feels like it's going to topple off my shoulders when I so much as move it. Laughter would destroy me."

  She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Poor baby. And here I thought you'd be so pleased."

  "I am. I am. You're the only one who knows about my secret passion for the Star Wars trilogy."

  "Oh, I don't think you managed to keep your deep, dark secret from your mom. Remember, she was the one who attempted to keep order in your room for years."

  He smiled. "Yes, but I've learned that I can trust the two women in my life to keep my deeply-guarded secret."

  "So how are you feeling?"

  "Like I've spent a week wrapped around several bottles of booze and just surfaced."

  "That bad, huh?"

  "I knew there was a reason I never drank much. Can you imagine someone paying to feel this bad?"

  "Who are you kidding? You never wanted to lose your wholesome kid image and you know it."

  "Wholesome? Me? Don't let my producer hear you say that. He's convinced I look like the sort who'd start seducing maidens before breakfast and continue throughout the day without pause."

  She grinned. "Are you sure that's the appeal? I always thought you looked like the sort women dreamed of being seduced by."

  He eyed her speculatively. "Oh, yeah? Tell me more."

  ''Nothing doing. You're too vain as it is."

  Brad patted the side of his bed and she perched on it. "I don't think I remembered to thank you for your help yesterday," he said.