1. That's What Friends Are For

by Annette Broadrick

  Everything was under control. She would see Gregory this evening and they could laugh at her silliness.

  Her mother decided not to go to the rehearsal so Penny drove to the church alone. Her dad was coming directly from his office.

  When everyone was there but Gregory, Reverend Wilder suggested they begin. ''After all, the groom has very little to do. I think that's for a reason," he kidded. ''Usually the groom is too nervous to think of much of anything."

  They all laughed politely, then followed his instructions.

  "Have you talked with Gregory today?" Penny's father asked while they waited their turn to go down the aisle.

  "No, I haven't."

  "I hope nothing is wrong."

  "So do I. Perhaps he just got held up. He's probably on his way now."

  "Well, he could have called to let you know."

  She gave her father a sidelong glance. "You know. Dad, that thought had crossed my mind."

  He chuckled and patted her arm. "I'm sorry. I suppose I'm more nervous about the groom's absence than you are."

  "Not necessarily. But I don't want anyone to think I'm nervous. What you are presently witnessing is my superb acting ability."

  At that moment Reverend Wilder motioned for them to start down the aisle. Penny and her father didn't have a chance to speak in private again.

  When Brad woke up he noted with relief that his head felt considerably better. Then he noticed it was dark.' 'Oh, no!'' His sudden effort to sit up on the bed reminded him that he was far from being cured, despite the rest.

  By the time he got over to the Blackwells', he knew he'd missed Penny. Helen confirmed his guess. "If you want to see her, you're welcome to wait. I'm sure they'll be home soon."

  Brad was too restless at the moment to sit and try to make conversation. What he had to tell Penny had to be said in private. What she chose to do after that was anybody's guess. But it wasn't up to him to inform her mother or anyone else.

  Brad spent the next few hours rehearsing what he needed to say to Penny.

  "You could always marry her yourself," Gregory had said. The refrain kept running over and over through Brad's head.

  There was just one thing wrong with that idea. Penny had no desire to marry him. She was in love with Gregory Duncan. The louse. The no-good, rotten arrogant fool who didn't care that he was leaving her to face the embarrassment and humiliation of a church full of people and no bridegroom.

  What was she going to do at this late date? How could she possibly call everyone and explain? What could she say? How could Gregory Duncan have done such a thing to her? If he had any feelings for her at all, he would have talked to her, either in person or even by telephone. At the very least, he could have written her.

  Why the hell had he chosen Brad to break the news to her?

  That's what friends are for. Was that it? Gregory knew that Brad would do his best to shield Penny as much as possible. He'd even marry her if it would help.

  Brad thought about that for a long while. Would it help? It couldn't make things any worse. At least she could have the wedding as planned, the reception. He seriously doubted she'd be interested in a honeymoon. Not with him, anyway. Brad tried not to allow himself to think about a honeymoon where he and Penny would be together, alone, and legally married. That way of thinking led to insanity.

  Perhaps he and Penny could work out something so that she wouldn't feel abandoned and forgotten. She would never have a need to feel that way as long as Brad was around.

  Ralph and Penny got home at about the same time. Her mother said that Brad had been looking for her. There had been no message from Gregory.

  She glanced at the time. It was almost eleven—too late to see what Brad wanted. Her parents went up to bed, knowing they would need their rest for the next day.

  Penny almost called Brad anyway. She needed to talk to someone. Not just someone, she needed Brad, she realized. He was the only person she knew with whom she could share her fears and be sure he wouldn't laugh.

  But his mother said he was still suffering from considerable pain. No doubt he was already asleep now, and he really needed his rest.

  Oh, well. She'd see him at the reception tomorrow, and they could chat before she and Gregory left to go wherever it was that Gregory planned to take her. Once Brad returned to New York, Penny knew her life would resume its normal pace.

  She knew that he wasn't to blame for all her restlessness this week, but he seemed to symbolize a certain freedom that she was willingly giving up by marrying Gregory. She knew she'd feel more at peace once Brad wasn't around to remind her.

  Quietly climbing the stairs. Penny went into her room and without turning on the light grabbed her nightshirt and went into her bathroom. She went through her nightly ritual, showering and drying her hair. Tonight she needed to remember to soak her contacts. She wouldn't want to be bothered next week while they were traveling. Thank God she knew the way to bed blindfolded, she thought with a grin. It was amazing how dependent she'd become on her extended-wear lenses.

  Flipping off the light she felt her way to the bed and had ahnost reached it when a hand touched her arm and a voice said, "Don't let me scare—"

  She was already beginning to scream when a hand clamped over her mouth in a firm grip.

  "Oh, for God's sake. Penny. I'm not a rapist! What's the matter with you?"

  As soon as she heard his voice, she recognized Brad but she hadn't been able to control her involuntary scream. She went limp in his arms and he released her mouth.

  " Are you okay? I didn't hurt you, did I?" he asked in a low voice. Brad reached over to the bedside lamp and turned it on. They both blinked in the sudden light.

  "How did you get in here?" she hissed.

  "The same way I always got into your room-through the window, remember?" He motioned to the opened window and the oak tree that stood outside.

  "What is so important that you have to scare me half out of my mind to tell me? Couldn't it have waited until tomorrow?" She wished she could focus on his face better. Penny couldn't see his expression at all. She sat down on the edge of the bed and glared at him.

  "You're wearing my old football jersey," Brad said in a wondering tone.

  "You mean you risked your neck climbing that old tree to crawl into my window to tell me that?" she asked incredulously.

  "Of course not. I just didn't know you had kept it, that's all."

  She sighed. "I kept every one you gave me. I find them very comfortable to sleep in. I've used them for years."

  He couldn't help grinning but she didn't seem to notice. Now that he looked more closely, she didn't seem to be looking at him. At least, she was staring at him, but she didn't see him. She had that same vague, unfocused look she used to get when... "You don't have your contacts in, do you?" he asked, suddenly comprehending why she seemed somehow different.

  Penny began to feel bewildered. Brad didn't seem to be his normal self at all, tonight. Then she remembered, but, of course; he was still recovering from his accident. That blow to the head might have caused more serious damage than anyone had realized.

  Oh, how horrible! Maybe there had been some brain damage that was only now beginning to be apparent. Penny got up from the bed and walked over to him. Touching his arm she said in a calm, soothing voice. "That's right. Brad. I have to soak them once a week to keep them clean of protein buildup."

  Leading him over to the bed, she coaxed him to sit down. She sat beside him and patted his hand.

  "I'm really pleased that you came to see me tonight, Brad. I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to visit with you these past couple of days." She glanced up at him with concern. "I suppose your head still really bothers you."

  Brad looked at her and had an almost uncontrollable urge to reach out and haul her into his arms. There she was, looking so concerned about him and his problems, unaware of what was happening in her life.

  He loved her so much. She deserved better treatment, she really did. I
f he hadn't been so shocked when Gregory had informed him of his intentions. Brad would have loved to have laid him out. Let Mr. Duncan appear in California to take depositions with a lovely shiner! He deserved more than that.

  Penny stroked his brow, subtly checking to see if he was feverish. "Why don't you go home now and get some rest. We're both tired." She smiled. "It wouldn't do for the bride to be drawn and wan tomorrow, you know."

  He flinched at her words, grateful she couldn't see him any better. Otherwise she would read the distress that was obvious on his face.

  "Yes, well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about, Penny," Brad finally managed to mumble.

  His voice sounded so soft and hesitant, which only increased Penny's alarm. He didn't sound at all like himself. Oh, if only she'd taken the time to check on him during the past couple of days. But he'd seemed to be improving. His mother hadn't reported anything out of the ordinary. What could have happened to have brought on these dismaying symptoms?

  "You want to talk about tomorrow, Brad?" she questioned as casually as possible.

  "Yes."

  She waited a moment, but he didn't say anything more. Finally, she said, "Okay."

  Brad sat there, staring at her, remembering all of their shared time together. He'd lost track of how often he'd climbed the tree outside her window and sneaked into her room. She had been just as bad about using the tree as an escape to meet him somewhere.

  The innocence of youth. It had not occurred to either of them that there was anything wrong with them shinnying in and out of each other's bedroom windows. It had been a game. Some of their greatest adventures had been planned while sitting on one of their beds cross-legged, letting their imaginations fly before them like kites in the sky.

  Brad admitted to himself that he felt different now. He was well aware that they were no longer children. Even with her face freshly scrubbed and her hair brushed into submission, Penny could scarcely pass as a child. His old football jersey did not disguise her womanly form or hide her well-shaped legs. Brad felt such a strong surge of love for her that it set him trembling.

  How dare Gregory Duncan hurt her—his wonderful, lovable, gentle Penny. She never harmed anyone; she only saw the good in everyone. Even now, Penny had complete trust and faith in the man who was too cowardly to tell her he wasn't going to marry her tomorrow.

  "What about tomorrow?" Penny prodded gently, wondering if she should slip out and try to get one or the other sets of parents. Maybe they should take him to the emergency room tonight. Perhaps something suddenly had come loose inside his head, causing his rather strange and unusual behavior.

  "The wedding," he managed to say, desperately seeking the right words to tell her.

  "That's right, Brad," she said in the same soothing tone she'd been using for several minutes, "Tomorrow is the wedding. And I'm getting married."

  "No, you're not," he said baldly.

  Oh, dear. He was getting more and more irrational.

  "I'm not?"

  "No."

  "I see. Why am I not getting married?"

  She sounded so calm, as though she were humoring him. Of course she'd been under a great deal of strain this week, herself. "Because Gregory isn't going to marry you." There. He'd told her. He waited for her reaction. He knew the rest of the night was going to be hell. At first she'd try to deny it. That was only to be expected. Then she'd probably cry, and get angry—the anger would help, he decided. He would stay with her through all of it, and whatever she decided to do in the morning, he'd agree. If she wanted him to marry her, he would. That's what friends are for, after all, to help in a time of crisis.

  What he hadn't expected was her calm acceptance. "Why isn't Gregory going to marry me?" she asked casually.

  "Why?" he repeated, not knowing what to say.

  "Um-hmm."

  "Oh. Well. It has something to do with me, I think. I'm not sure."

  "Brad, are you still feeling guilty because you intended to break up our engagement?" she asked with sudden inspiration and understanding. She put her arms around his waist and lovingly laid her head on his chest. "Oh, you poor darling. That's what we were discussing just before the accident. It must have been haunting you all week." She glanced up, unable to see the glazed look in his eyes. "Brad, love, I have forgiven you for that. Please try to understand. No one is going to hold your intentions against you. After all, you changed your mind. And you were even concerned enough to tell me, which I appreciated, very much." Placing her head back on his chest she continued, "Now I want you to go home and get some rest, okay? I appreciate your coming over tonight, I really do. But I don't want you worrying about anything, you hear me?"

  She could feel his heart pounding in his chest, like a bird beating its wings against a cage. Penny felt like crying. There was no telling what was going through his poor, confused mind at the moment. Whatever it was, he was concerned about her. No matter what he was suffering, he was still thinking of her.

  "Penny!" he said in a strangled voice, "You don't understand!"

  She raised her head and kissed him lightly on the lips. Surely Gregory would understand why she would be kissing another man the night before her wedding. The kiss was meant only to comfort. She had to do whatever it took to calm Brad down until they could get some help for him.

  His arms came around her convulsively and he hung on to her like a drowning man. During all the hours he had agonized over how to tell her, how much to tell her, never had Brad envisioned that she wouldn't believe him.

  He couldn't understand why not. Was her faith in Gregory Duncan so strong that the only proof she would accept would be entering the church in the morning and finding no groom waiting?

  She felt so small against him, and she was so vulnerable. Penny had no idea what she had to face tomorrow, unless he took Gregory's advice and became the substitute bridegroom.

  Is that why Gregory had told him, instead of her? Was he giving Brad the option of marrying her, himself?

  How could he explain to her? "Penny?"

  "Hmm?"

  "I love you."

  She smiled, her head resting on his shoulder. ''I'm so glad."

  "No. I really mean it. I want to marry you."

  Her head jerked up and she stared at him, truly concerned. "Oh, Brad, please don't talk that way."

  "I mean it. Gregory won't marry you, but I will."

  "Oh, Brad. Please don't do this to either one of us. Please. It's too late for us. Don't you understand that? Maybe if we'd had this discussion before you left for New York everything would have worked out differently." She pulled back slightly and placed her hands on his neck, cupping his jawline. "You can never go back. Brad, no matter what. Perhaps if I hadn't met Gregory, and I'd known how you feel about me..." She paused, wanting him to understand, not wanting to cause him any more grief. "It's too late for us," she finished softly.

  "No, it isn't. Believe me, it isn't."

  She just shook her head. "Oh, Brad. If only life weren't so complicated." She slipped off the bed and stood in front of him. "Go home, now, Brad. We'll meet tomorrow and pretend this conversation never took place. It's just between you and me, like so many other things that we've shared together."

  Brad sat there staring at her. He'd tried to tell her. In fact, he had told her, but for whatever reason, she hadn't believed him. His options at this point were severely limited.

  The question was, what would she do tomorrow when she discovered that Gregory wasn't there? Would she allow him to substitute for the missing groom?

  Knowing Penny the way he did, he sincerely doubted it. In the first place, she would assume he was doing it out of pity for her because of the humiliation she would suffer. Pity had nothing to do with the feelings he had for this woman.

  But he needed time to explain, time to make her understand. And from the looks of things tonight, she wasn't going to listen to what he had to say. She'd been under considerable strain all week. He knew that. Stress could have a str
ange effect on people.

  Feeling a wealth of love for the woman who stood in front of him, Brad made up his mind. He would do whatever he had to do to protect her from a situation not of her own making.

  Brad stood and smiled down at her. "Everything's going to be all right, love. I'll take care of it."

  She nodded, glad to see that he appeared to be calming down.

  He turned and pulled back the covers, helping her as though she were an invalid. Docilely she went along with him. There was no reason to upset him. He certainly wasn't dangerous to anyone—just a little irrational. Hopefully that would pass in a few hours. Surely it wouldn't take more than a few days to help him recover. Penny prayed his condition wouldn't be permanent.

  "I'll get you a glass of water," he announced as though coming up with a brilliant idea. "That should help you sleep." He turned away and disappeared into her bathroom. She heard the water running, and he eventually reappeared.

  "It will?" she asked, wondering if he had water confused with warm milk.

  He carefully handed her a glass filled with water. Penny smiled and took it, dutifully taking a sip.

  "Now don't worry about a thing, do you hear me?" Brad asked in an urgent tone. "Everything's going to work out just fine. You know I'll always take care of you."

  "Yes," she agreed, nodding.

  Brad leaned over and touched her lips softly with his. "I think I'll let myself out the back door rather than go down the tree, if that's all right," he suggested.

  "Oh, yes! I wouldn't want you to slip and fall, for heaven's sake. You've had enough bumps to your head for one week!"

  They smiled at each other, pleased that they had reached some sort of harmonious understanding.

  Penny listened until she heard the faint sound of the back door closing, then sighed and turned out the light.

  Now not only did she have to worry about whether or not the groom would show up for his wedding in the morning, she also had to live with the fear that her best friend might have received some sort of brain damage that had gone undetected until now.