He wondered about her relationship with Michael. Is it really just an old friend-type deal? What kind of person just drops everything to help out a friend in need? Bobby shook his head. A really nice person, that’s who.
He thought about the other women he’d seen with Michael. When he’d categorized Maggie with those girls, she’d instantly set him straight. Those women all seemed so vapid, so vain. Certainly not the type to get their hands dirty, to be inconvenienced with someone who was ill.
He remembered the electricity he’d felt when he’d held Maggie’s hand to help her up and as he cleaned her scraped knee. She seemed attracted to me. Do you suppose she’s being honest, that she’s just too busy right now? He almost wished he worked during the day so that he wasn’t around to be tempted to meet her when she stopped by in the afternoons.
“Let it go, son,” he said to himself as he gathered up the kitchen trash bag, tied a knot at the top, and made his way down the hall to the utility room to drop it down the chute.
Grasping the handle of the utility room door he pushed but found that it only opened a crack before he encountered resistance. Frowning, he pushed harder. The door opened a couple of inches, enough for him to see a bare foot on the floor. Carefully, he pushed the door further and stuck his head into the room. Michael lay face down, a small pool of blood by his head.
“Shit! Michael!” Bobby exclaimed, crouching over him. “Hey, Michael, are you alright?” Michael didn’t respond.
“Shit!” Bobby said again. He patted his pocket and realized he’d left his phone in back in his apartment, but he noticed a phone on the floor beside Michael. Picking it up, he dialed 911 and gave the pertinent information to the operator.
Assured that help was on the way, Bobby disconnected with the 911 dispatcher. He scrolled through Michael’s contacts until he found Maggie and pressed ‘call’.
Chapter 24
Maggie glanced at the clock on the wall. It was only 10:30 and she’d been interviewing witnesses for three hours. This was going to be a long day. One witness had just finished and the next one was being called when she was startled by the buzzing of her phone. Checking it quickly, she saw that it was Michael.
Dammit, Michael, I told you to text and not call. She pressed the ignore button and reviewed her notes for this next witness. Seconds later her phone buzzed again. “Shit,” she swore softly, “I’m sorry, Rance. I’ve got to take this. I’ll just be a second.”
She stalked into the hall and found a quiet corner, stabbing the green button on her screen. “What the fuck, Michael?! I told you not to call me today. I’m in the middle of about a million depositions. I said text, don’t call.”
“Uh, sorry Maggie,” said an unfamiliar voice. “This is Bobby. I didn’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to let you know they’re taking Michael to the hospital.”
Maggie blinked uncomprehendingly. “Bobby?” She checked her screen again. It said Michael. The rest of his words finally found meaning in her mind. “Hospital? What’s going on?”
“I found him unconscious on the floor of the utility room. He must have hit his head when he fell. The paramedics are taking him to the hospital,” he explained. “I’m going to meet them there, but I thought you’d want to know.”
She felt a cold numbness settle over her body. She couldn’t form her thoughts into words.
“Maggie?”
“Yeah, I, uh,” she began. “Is he alright?”
“He came around about the time the paramedics got here,” Bobby told her. “He’s got a nasty gash on his head. They’re going to check him out, but I don’t think it’s serious.”
Maggie shook her head, checking her watch. “Shit, Bobby, I can’t leave here right now. I mean, maybe in about an hour, but...”
“Don’t worry. Like I said, I’m on my way there. I’ll stay with him until you can get to the hospital.”
“No, no, you don’t need to do that,” she said, “that’s asking way too much.”
“You’re not asking, I’m offering,” he returned reasonably. “I don’t have to be at work until 5:00 this evening anyway. You take care of what you need to do and get there when you can.”
Maggie considered his words and sighed. “Okay, I’ll try to finish here as soon as possible. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to leave. I’ll let you know when I’m on my way. Will you still have Michael’s phone?”
Bobby hesitated. “Why don’t you call my phone instead?” He gave her the number.
* * *
Bobby sat in the green vinyl chair beside the hospital bed. Michael was propped up against several pillows, a tiny spot of blood marring the white bandage around his head. They’d been at the hospital for about an hour and a half, and had just been moved into a semi-private room from the chaos that was the emergency room. Michael had received eight stitches for the wound on his head, but doctors were intent on examining him further for the cause of his fall.
Michael breathed out noisily, then winced at the pain it caused his head. “You don’t have to babysit me,” he told Bobby for the third time.
Bobby shrugged. “I’m not babysitting. I told Maggie I’d stay until she’s able to get here.”
“Was she pissed?” Michael asked.
“She was when she though it was you calling,” he grinned. “That girl has something of a potty mouth.”
Michael smiled too. “Yes, she does, sometimes.”
They both sat smiling at the thought. Bobby cleared this throat. “So, I’m wondering...” He looked up at Michael, his brow slightly furrowed. “What is the deal with you and Maggie, anyway?”
Michael shook his head and winced again. “There’s no deal. We’re not together. Never were. I hired her right out of law school and we worked together for a few years. She went her own way a couple of years ago.”
Bobby thought for a moment. “She seems pretty committed to helping you out while you’re sick,” he observed.
“Yeah, she’s been a life saver.” Michael blinked hard and looked over at Bobby. “You might not have realized this, but I’m something of an asshole.” He smiled ruefully. “I’ve treated people pretty badly over the years. Friends, colleagues, certainly women,” he admitted.
“The day I was diagnosed, I realized that I don’t have anybody in my life I haven’t worked over, Maggie included. That day I tried calling everyone I know. Nobody had the time of day for me.” He shook his head at the memory. “I ended up at Maggie’s apartment in the middle of a cold, wet night, soaked from the rain, drunk, and crying. She let me in, dried me off, and listened to me. For reasons I can’t fathom, she agreed to help me through this thing.” Michael raised his eyes to meet Bobby’s. “I owe her,” he said quietly.
Bobby nodded thoughtfully, gazing off into the distance. “She’s something else, for sure.”
Michael regarded him curiously. He likes Maggie. I wonder how she feels about him. His thoughts were interrupted when Bobby’s phone rang.
“Hello?” he answered. He looked at Michael. “He’s out of Emergency. They put some stitches in his head and admitted him. They want to check him over and figure out what happened.” Bobby listened for a moment and shook his head. “I’m fine. Like I said, I don’t have to be at work for a while. I’ll wait until you get here, don’t worry about it.” He nodded. “Mm-hmm, do you want to talk to him?” Bobby looked to Michael. “Oh, okay then. We’ll see you when you get here. Bye.”
He grinned as he put his phone back in his pocket. “Maggie didn’t want to talk to you but she’s on her way.”
Michael chuckled lightly. “I’m probably in for an ass-chewing when she gets here.” They both laughed.
Twenty minutes later a doctor entered the room. He checked Michael’s chart and his vitals. “Explain exactly what happened,” he said.
Michael recounted his morning. He’d been feeling fine, more energetic than he’d been in a while. He’d gathered up his trash and made his way to the utility room. He’d felt a little dizzy.
His next memory was Bobby leaning over him and paramedics arriving.
“While we wait for the blood work from the ER, I want to do a scan,” the doctor said. “I’ve contacted your oncologist and expect to hear back from him soon. In the meantime, they’ll come and take you downstairs in a few minutes, get that scan out of the way.”
“I want to go home when we’re done with tests and things. I don’t want to be here overnight,” Michael said.
The doctor pursed his lips. “Let’s see what we see,” he hedged. “The scan itself will take about an hour, then we’ll need to look over the results. Maybe you’ll get home today.” He left and minutes later an orderly came to take Michael for his scan.
“Don’t worry about anything,” Bobby said. “I’ll go meet Maggie and we’ll be here when you get back.”
Michael was wheeled out of the room and Bobby took the elevator to the lobby to wait for Maggie. As he approached the hospital entrance he heard raised voices.
“My name is Maggie Flynn. I have power of attorney for Michael Rannigan. I want to see him immediately.”
“I’m sorry, but you aren’t on the list,” a receptionist was saying. “You’ll have to take a seat until we can get this straightened out.”
“Maggie,” called Bobby, “over here.”
Maggie looked past the woman and sighed with relief. “Bobby, thanks so much for being here,” she said.
“It’s alright,” he said to the receptionist, smiling kindly, “we’ve been waiting for her.”
The woman actually giggled. “Oh, I didn’t know. We can’t let just anybody in here, you understand,” she said, giggling again.
Maggie glared at the young woman as she passed by the reception desk. Bobby took her arm and led her down the hallway. “They’ve taken him for some kind of scan,” he explained. “They said it might take as long as an hour.”
“I’ll just wait in his room, then,” she said. “Again, I can’t thank you enough for being here. You go on and I’ll hang out here until he’s done.”
Bobby shook his head. “I still have some time. There’s no point in waiting in his room. Come with me, cher, let’s get some coffee.
Chapter 25
She watched him across the hospital cafeteria. From her vantage point she could appreciate the way his long-sleeved navy blue henley clung to his broad muscular shoulders. The shirt was worn casually, untucked over faded jeans and as he turned toward her she noticed the light tuft of chest hair sticking out through the unbuttoned placket. Her eyes traveled to the worn brown leather boots on his feet. How have I never noticed how sexy leather boots can be?
Bobby smiled at her as he carried two cups of coffee to the table where Maggie sat waiting. “Here you go,” he said, placing a cup in front of her.
“Thanks,” she said, tearing open a yellow packet and emptying the contents into the cup, stirring with a wooden stick. Even so, she didn’t drink. “I didn’t mean to cause a scene back there,” she told him. “It just...infuriated me that they questioned my being here.”
He sipped thoughtfully. “Aw, you know, they have rules they have to follow,” he said quietly. “I told Michael’s nurse where we are. She promised to come get us when he’s back in the room.”
Maggie shook her head. “You’ve really gone above and beyond, here. I mean, seriously, I’m sure you had plans for today.”
“I don’t know. It’s not that big of a deal. It’s what neighbors do for each other,” he minimized.
“Not around here, they don’t,” she said vehemently. “Around here, neighbors go through one another’s pockets looking for loose change.” Bobby chuckled at that, and she reluctantly smiled. “You said you just moved here. Where are you from, that neighbors treat each other so well?”
He smiled slowly. “I moved here from Texas,” he said, “but I’m originally from Louisiana.”
“Really?” Maggie asked. “I’ve always wanted to visit New Orleans.”
“My people are from the bayou outside Lafayette,” he said. “That’s Cajun country, cher.”
She smiled incredulously. “You’re Cajun? I’ve never met anyone who’s Cajun before.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he replied with an exaggerated accent. “My pauvre maman calls me Robert when I’m in trouble.” He pronounced it Ro-bear.
Maggie giggled self-consciously. “Say something else,” she encouraged.
“Mais jamais d’la vie!” She giggled again, blushing. “It means, never in all my born days,” he explained.
“That’s cool,” Maggie said, feeling suddenly shy. She stirred her coffee again distractedly. “Do you come from a large family?”
Bobby rolled his eyes. “I’m the baby in a family of six children. I have five older sisters. They were always dressing me up in girls’ clothes like I was a doll baby or something. Where do you think I learned how to fix high-heeled shoes?” He smiled at her. “Are you from New York originally?”
“No, I grew up in North Carolina. I came here for law school and ended up staying,” she told him.
“And your family is back in North Carolina?”
Maggie shook her head, a slight frown crossing her face. “Nope, no family, just me.” Bobby wrinkled his brow. “I was raised by my dad. He died when I was in college. So...it’s just me.”
“Wow, that’s...” His blue eyes were wide with sympathy, unable to imagine life without his large, boisterous family.
She shrugged. “It’s not that bad, really. My friends are my family. We’re together for holidays, talk endlessly on the phone, take vacations to visit one another, the ones who’ve moved away, anyway.”
She finally sipped her coffee and made a face. “This is terrible, by the way.” He grinned in response. “Truthfully, Michael is family. We’re kindred spirits in a lot of ways. He doesn’t have anyone either.”
He reflected on his earlier conversation with Michael. We’re not together. We never were. “So what do you do for fun, cher? When you’re not working or delivering soup to the sick, what do you do?” He watched her intently.
Maggie thought for a moment. “I...well, I like to read. Romance novels, the trashier the better.” She laughed. “I love music, all kinds. I like to go to the theatre.” She grinned self-consciously. “I don’t know. I work a lot so I’m usually pretty busy.”
“How about sports? Do you like any sports?” he probed.
“Oh, God, no!” she answered quickly. “I hate sports. Michael loves sports, especially baseball. He has it on all the time. I just never got the point, really. I mean, grown men chasing around some ball with a stick. And being grossly overpaid to do it.”
She took another sip of the horrible coffee while Bobby suppressed a grin. “I’ve met a few professional athletes in my line of work.” She looked at him for emphasis. “Obviously I can’t name names, but I’ve always found them to be spoiled, entitled ego-maniacs.”
The boyish grin spread across Bobby’s face. “You know, cher, if you feel strongly about something, you should just say it,” he quipped. “Don’t hold back.”
Maggie laughed. “Well, you asked.” They sipped their coffee for a few minutes. “You said you moved here for your new job. What do you do?”
“I, uh,” he began, blue eyes wide.
“Excuse me, Mr. Beaulieu,” a pretty nurse interrupted, “Mr. Rannigan is back in his room now.”
Bobby gave her a high-wattage smile that reminded Maggie of Michael’s. “Thanks, Anne, I appreciate it.”
“Beaulieu,” Maggie exclaimed. “I wondered why Michael calls you Beau. He always comes up with odd names for everyone. He’s called me Mags practically since we met.” Bobby chuckled as he took her hand and helped her up from the table.
They took the elevator upstairs and Bobby led the way to Michael’s room. Maggie made a bee-line for the side of the bed. “Michael, what in the hell were you thinking?” She reached to touch the bandage on his head.
He leaned away from her. “Stop it, Mags, for fuck’s
sake,” he complained. “I took the trash out, got a little dizzy, end of story.”
“Not end of story,” she corrected him, “Bobby’s been here all day. And I left a half-day worth of interviews to rush down here, all because you were too impatient to wait for me to take care of it for you.”
“It’s all good,” Bobby said, “I was glad to help out. How are you feeling, Michael?”
“Like a dumbass,” Michael answered. “All I want is the hell out of here.”
“Hopefully they’ll let you go home tonight,” Bobby offered. “I’m going to scoot on out of here, get ready for work. I’ll stop by later to see how you are.”
“I appreciate your help, Beau,” Michael said sincerely.
Maggie went to Bobby, placing a hand on his arm. “Thank you so much. For everything,” she said.
Bobby smiled warmly. “My pleasure, cher.” He held Maggie’s gaze for a long moment. The he nodded again to Michael and left them.
Michael watched the exchange carefully. He hadn’t seen that look in her eyes since... She likes him.
As Bobby left, the doctor arrived. “Ok, Michael, the scan came back alright. It looks like the worst damage is that cut on your head. Your blood work shows anemia, though, which is not uncommon for patients on chemotherapy. I’ll prescribe a couple of things that should help restore your red blood cell production. I’d advise you to listen to your body. When you’re tired, rest. I know it can be frustrating, but you have to take it easy.”
Maggie gave Michael a pointed look and he rolled his eyes. “I understand, Doc, now about me getting out of here tonight...”
The doctor scratched his chin. “I’d feel more comfortable if you stayed the night,” he said.
“I’d really rather be home,” Michael insisted.
“I understand,” he nodded, “I’ll get the paperwork together, get your scripts...if you’re sure.”
Michael nodded. “I’m positive. I’ll rest better in my own place.”
After the doctor left, Maggie turned to Michael. “Seriously, you should stay the night, let them keep an eye on you.”
Rannigan's Redemption: Complete Collection Page 32