Chapter 7 #2
I pause, taking a mental step back.
I haven’t asked Elly about her views on the sacredness—or lack thereof—of marriage. I haven’t even stopped to think about it. I’ve been so focused on the end game, I’ve charged in like I was chasing down a loose puck in the crease, blind to everything but the chance to score.
“I’m sorry,” I say, sinking down beside her. “I didn’t mean to make light of marriage or commitment or anything like that. If you have strong religious views or?—”
“Oh, no, I know. It’s fine,” she says, with a smile that looks forced.
“I know you didn’t mean anything like that.
And I don’t have strong religious views, I’m just…
” She lets out a shaky breath and curls both hands around her coffee, gazing down into the light brown liquid as she adds, “I’m just a sap, I guess.
A romantic, even though no one’s given me a reason to be. ”
And that’s it.
The moment I go completely off the deep end.
Because suddenly I know I’m going to do everything in my power to give her a reason. Even if this is fake, even if it’s not forever. Because she deserves it.
I reach out, resting a gentle hand on her knee, where those ridiculous fishnets are digging into her skin.
“It might not be romance, but I have a hell of a lot of respect for you, Eloise, and I don’t even know your last name.
It’s not often in life that you meet someone who makes the kind of first impression you do. ”
“Thibodeaux. Eloise Thibodeaux.” Her voice is thicker as she adds, “And that means a lot. It really does. Thank you.”
She rests her coffee-warm hand on top of mine, and suddenly it’s all I can do not to turn my palm over and thread my fingers through hers. I want to kiss this woman more than I’ve wanted anything in a long time, but I also want to hold her hand.
The inner voice whispers something about this being the most dangerous game I’ve ever played, but I ignore it.
The only thing I want to hear right now is Eloise Thibodeaux saying “yes.”
“It’s not like we’d have to stay fake married forever,” I add softly as I turn my hand, my heart jerking in my chest as she curls her fingers around my palm.
“I’ll have to check the insurance rules with HR, but I’m pretty sure being married a year or so would be enough to ensure you’d have protection after we divorced.
CObrA coverage should kick in at that point and give you a little more breathing room if you need it. And I’d be happy to pay for it.”
“After a year of living rent-free, I’m sure I wouldn’t need you to do that, Grammercy,” she says, the fact that she’s even entertaining the scenario a sign of how far we’ve come. “I’m a hard worker and a good saver. I’m not in this position because I’m lazy or careless, I promise. ”
“I would never think either of those things about you, Elly. Neither would anyone else.”
She sighs. “You’d be surprised. There were people in my old neighborhood who thought I was a deadbeat for living off Mama and Papa’s life insurance for a while after they died.
But I was seventeen years old and pregnant.
I was studying for my GED and had doctor’s appointments to get to.
There wasn’t enough time for a part-time job.
And then Mimi was born, and it was all I could do just to keep the two of us alive for a while.
” She laughs, a soft, weary sound. “A newborn was a lot more work than I imagined, and Mimi was a great little sleeper. I can’t imagine how hard it must be for moms who have babies with colic, who cry all night. ”
“A lot of them have a partner to help out,” I remind her.
“A lot of them don’t,” she counters. “There aren’t many good ones out there these days, Grammercy. Believe me, I’ve had enough run-ins with the scum of NOLA to prove a girl should always pick the bear. So, you have to promise me something.”
I nod. “Shoot.”
“Promise me you aren’t a secret psychopath with plans to hurt me or my daughter. Because if you hurt Mimi, I’d have to kill you. And then I’d go to prison and she’d be an orphan just like I was. And I don’t want that for her.”
I squeeze her hand gently as I promise, “I will never hurt a hair on that sweet baby’s head, Elly. And I’ll do my damnedest to treat you the same way. I know things are more complicated between adults, but all I want to do is help. Help and…maybe be your friend, if you need one. ”
Her expression softens. “Yeah, I do, Mr. Graves. I really do.”
“Me, too.” I brush my thumb across her knuckles. “Then it’s a—” Before I can finish, a voice calls out from down the hall.
“Mama? Where are you, Mama? Are there snacks yet? I’m so hungry.”
“I’m just down the hall getting them, baby. Be right there.” Elly releases my hand and leaps to her feet, the spell broken between us.
She starts toward the vending machine, but I shoo her away.
“Get out of here,” I say, pulling out my wallet. “I told you, I’ve got this, I just got distracted. Go see how she’s feeling. I’ll be there in a minute or less. Tell the hungry girl she won’t be hungry for long.”
Lips curving, Elly nods. Still, she hesitates another beat before starting toward Mimi’s room, proving how alien it is for her to trust that someone’s watching her back.
And yes, I do literally watch her back—those shorts make it impossible not to—but only for a second.
Then I’m at the machine, punching the numbers for all the chips that end in “O.” I grab a couple of my favorites, too—pickle chips, kettle chips, and some cookies and crackers, too, figuring a kid in the hospital deserves options—and hustle back to bay twelve.
When I push through the curtain, Mimi is looking much more alert than when we first arrived. While Elly adjusts her pillows with practiced ease, the girl’s big brown eyes land on my face.
A beat later, she’s grinning. “Grammercy Graves? What are you doing here?” She pats excitedly at her mama’s arm. “Mama, it’s Grammercy Graves! From hockey! We watched you win the Stanley Cup!”
Elly let’s out a slightly nervous laugh. “We sure did. That was a fun night, huh? We should go to parties more often.”
“Yeah, we should,” Mimi quickly agrees, her gaze dropping to the haul in my arms. “Are those for me, Mr. Grammercy?”
“Mr. Graves,” Elly corrects gently, but I shake my head.
“Call me Gee,” I say. “All my brothers’ kids do.
Less of a mouthful. And yes, Miss Mimi, these are all for you.
I’ve got all your favorites, some cookies, and my personal chip of the moment.
” I dump the treats at the end of the mattress and hold up the bright green bag, giving it a little shake.
“Pickle chips, the only thing half as good as a fried pickle dipped in ranch dressing.”
“Ew,” Elly says with a laugh.
I press a hand to my chest. “Excuse me? Are you yucking my yum, Miss Thibodeaux?”
“Oh, course not,” Elly assures me, fighting to keep a straight face. “I would never.”
“Weird things can still taste delicious,” I say. “You at least gotta give ‘em a chance before you turn up that cute little nose.”
“We love weird things, don’t we, Mama?” Mimi says. “Weird is fun.”
“Agreed, Little Meems,” I say, holding up a fist for a bump. “Can I call Meems?”
“Yeah, sure. Mom does sometimes,” Mimi says. “And I’ll call you Gee.” Her lips curve into a mischievous grin that’s the spitting image of her mama’s teasing smile. “Unless you’re being silly, then you have to be Gee Gee, like the chihuahua that lives down the hall.”
“Oh, man,” I say, playing up my distress. “Not the same name as a chihuahua! That’s gonna be rough, because you know I can’t stop being silly.”
Mimi giggles as she reaches for the bag in my hands. “Let me try those pickle chips. I’m not scared.”
“We know that,” Elly says as I open the bag and pass it over, a soft, grateful look on her face that makes me even happier to have passed the Mimi test. “Bravest girl around. But should I go get you more water in your glass first from the fountain? They haven’t brought your juice yet, and you might need something to wash down that yuck. ”
“Yum,” I counter seriously, playing along. “All that yum , you mean.”
“No, I’m good. I’m not thirsty yet.” Mimi pulls out a single pickle chip and pops it between her lips, her whole face transforming as the wonder of dill flavoring widens her horizons. “Oh my gosh, Mama, these are delicious! I love these darned things!”
“Okay, fine, I guess I’ll try one, too.” Elly pops a chip and immediately makes a “help me, Jesus, way too sour” face that’s so adorable I have to bite back a grin. “Oh, wow. That’s…pickle-y.”
“Right?” Mimi already has an entire handful on the way to her mouth. As she chews, she adds, “You did good, Gee.”
“Thanks, Meems,” I say, my grin widening.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, bug,” Elly says, but there’s no heat in her voice, and a beat later she’s kissing the top of Mimi’s head. “Let me walk Gee out, and I’ll go hunt down your juice, okay? ”
“Okay,” Mimi says, her brow furrowing as she pulls out more chips. “But he doesn’t have to go if he doesn’t want to. There’s room for another chair, Mama. Some of the other kids have two people by their bed, I’ve seen them.”
Something warm and right blooms in my chest as Elly turns to me, and I nod.
“Okay, then,” Elly says. “I guess we should pull up a chair and get after these chips. They’re not going to eat themselves, and no way are you fitting all this in that tiny body of yours.”
“I might,” Mimi warns. “I’m really hungry. But I can still share.”
We spend another twenty minutes in their little shelter from the chaos of the rest of the department, having a chip picnic at the end of the bed while Mimi tells me about the comic book she’s writing.
“I’m making it all about swamp creatures who are also princesses and robbers and good guys and bad guys,” she explains after the nurse arrives with juice for all, a special treat Elly whispers means I’ve been accepted into the regulars’ club.
“Only I can’t make very many words yet. So, I mostly draw the pictures, and when I’m done, I tell Mama what to write in the bubbles. ”
“Smart,” I say, gesturing toward her with an electric orange triangle. “Outsourcing is the way to go. We can’t be expected to do everything all by ourselves.”
“I know! That’s what I tell Mama when she’s making me wait for writing time,” Mimi says, making Elly laugh and roll her eyes.
“Lord, help me,” she mutters. “With you two ganged up against me, I’ll never win. ”
“Sure, you will,” I say, nudging her knee with mine. “I can have two new best friends at the same time. I’m good at multitasking.”
“Oh, sorry, Gee,” Mimi says, looking genuinely stricken for a beat, “but I can’t be best friends. Ruby from kindergarten is my best friend. We gave each other best friend bracelets and everything.” She sighs. “Only mine broke, so I have to wait until it gets fixed to wear it again.”
I nod and assure her, “No problems, Meems. We’ll just be good friends, then.” I glance Elly’s way, holding her gaze as I murmur, “Your mama and I’ll have to be best friends, instead, I guess.”
“I’ll take that under consideration,” Elly murmurs.
Finally, it’s time for me to leave. They both need to get some rest, and I’m starting to feel the late hour myself.
“See you soon, Mimi,” I say, holding out my fist for another bump.
“Okay,” she says, tapping her tiny knuckles to mine. “You should come over to our house for pizza, and I can show you my drawings. Mama makes really good frozen pizza. Way better than Nancy. But that’s probably because we have it a lot.”
Elly blushes. “You flatter me, child.” She ruffles Mimi’s hair. “Flatter me and shame me a little all at the same time, and that’s why I love you. Be right back, okay? When you’re done with the chips, remember to wipe your hands on the napkin, not your blanket, okay?”
“Okay,” Mimi says, then yawns. “I think I’m almost done. Now that my tummy is full, I’m starting to feel sleepy again. ”
“Good. The more you can sleep and rest, the better the chances you’ll be stable enough for us to head home in the morning,” she says, following me out into the makeshift hallway between the two rows of triage rooms. As we make our way toward the big exit doors leading out of the emergency room, it’s relatively quiet aside from a little girl moaning softly from bay eight, who I hope feels better real soon.
I hope all these kids do.
One in particular…
“Can I text you tomorrow and see how she’s doing?” I ask. We exchanged numbers over cookies a few minutes ago, and I confess I feel better now that I have Elly saved in my phone.
“Sure. Of course. She usually kicks the fevers pretty quickly as long as there’s no underlying infection, but yeah…
it’s fine to text.” Elly nods seriously.
Too seriously, I’m thinking, right as she adds, “But I’m going to need a day to think about the other thing, Grammercy.
A whole day, when I haven’t been up at the hospital most of the night.
Is Sunday evening early enough to let you know? ”
“That’s perfect,” I say. “Take as long as you need.”
“Well, the insurance runs out end of the day on Monday, so probably best if I figure things out before then.” She crosses her arms, giving herself a hug I wish I could give her.
“But, like I said. I’m grateful, either way.
You’re a good one, Gee. You give me hope.
” Before I can prepare myself, she’s popped up on her toes and pressed a quick kiss to my cheek.
It’s over before I fully realize it’s begun, but still…
Still, there’s a huskiness in my voice as I say, “Good night, chère . ”
“Good night, Grammercy,” she murmurs back.
I push through the doors, leaving her on the other side, left with nothing but the ghost of her lips still warm on my skin and the scent of her perfume to assure me this wasn’t all a dream.
I really did meet my mystery girl, spend the night with her at the hospital, and ask her to marry me.
Life, man…
Sometimes it can be one hell of a ride.
As I drive home in the pre-dawn light, past the familiar landmarks of the life I once knew, my heart aches in a way that’s both wonderful and scary. I’ve put something in motion tonight, something that could change everything.
And weirdly enough, no matter how much I know I need to keep my focus locked on the season ahead, I can’t help hoping…
Please say yes, I think as I pull into my building’s garage. Please…
Crazy or not, half my heart is still across town, next to a one-of-a-kind woman and her sweet little girl, keeping watch over them through the night.