| "Mr. Littrell, I can�t thank you enough," the woman held his hands tightly in hers. She was beginning to cut off the circulation. Her husband seeing Brian grimace took hold of her wrists and she released her grip. "It�s Brian, remember," Brian said as he flexed his fingers to get the blood moving again. "I told you I would be here. Bobby�s going to be fine now." They stood outside the ICU. Through the window a young child lay still on the bed. The monitors beeping as they checked his heart and lungs. "I�ll come back tomorrow and see him. You two need to get some rest." "We will," the man said as he put his arm around his wife. "I don�t know how to repay you." "Just bring Bobby out to the farm once he�s recovered and he can ride any time he wants. That�s all the payment I need." Brian extended his hand and the man gave him a firm handshake. "But you�ve been here all day and the money," the woman pleaded, wanting in some way to appease his generosity. . "Like I said, I wanted to be here and as for the money, it�s not mine, that�s the trust fund from the hospital." "But you donated�" "Once I turn it over to the hospital they disburse it according to the needs stipulated by the fund. I�m glad I can help, even in this small way." They turned to see the nurse go into Bobby�s room and take a reading. When she came out three expectant faces waited. She smiled and nodded and they all let out a sigh of relief. "Mr. Lit�" "Brian," he urged again. "Brian," the woman could see it was a losing battle, "thank you." She reached up and kissed his cheek and hugged him. When they parted, he just smiled and nodded. "I�ll see you both tomorrow." He looked at the husband; "you both deserve some quiet time alone." The man nodded. They both offered their thanks again and Brian left them standing at the window watching their son sleep. It had been a long day but well worth every minute. Bobby�s surgery had gone successfully and in six weeks or so he would be back to normal, no better than normal. Brian walked towards the elevators. The floor was quiet as the ICU rooms circled the nurses� station. Families sat silently outside each room waiting patiently for their fifteen minutes of visiting time. His aversion to hospitals was still strong, but it was the one reason he donated his time. He wanted to offer what little he could to make the children�s stay as pleasant as possible and let them know that it was okay to be scared too. It was a natural feeling. Having been in their shoes, he would listen to their worries and fears and offer what comfort he could. As he stood at the elevator bank that all too familiar feeling rose inside him as he remembered being five years old and spending those months here. Unlike Bobby it took till he was grown to finally have surgery and give him a new lease on life. So now, the days he spent with the children and their parents was just his way of giving them some support when the future could be uncertain. The elevator arrived and he stepped on. It was after five. How could the hours go by so quickly? Moire pushed the book-laden cart down the hall. "See you tomorrow Moire," Kathy, the head nurse called as Moire rushed by to catch the elevator. Moire waved and called out, "hold it, please?" as the doors began to close. They opened again and she pushed the cart through. "Thank you." When she looked up, a pair of laughing blue eyes rested on her face. The one place Moire didn�t expect to see him, wound up being it. A smile spread across her face as the doors closed and the car bumped as it began its descent. He looked a bit tired. Brian lifted a book from the cart. "I enjoyed this one as a kid too," he said as he thumbed the worn pages of The Cat in the Hat. "That one has seen a lot of use," Moire added. "The little ones like this one though." She picked up The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Brian nodded. "You coming or going?" She looked up at the numbers as the elevator came to a soft stop at the first floor. "Going actually. You?" Brian held the doors as Moire pushed the cart over the seam between the elevator car and the tile floor. "I just need to return the cart to the volunteer room and I�m done for today." "Ah." They stood awkwardly looking at each other as the doors closed behind them. Moire felt her heart beat in her chest. He looked wonderful and she could feel him slipping away. "Well it was nice to see you." She wanted to keep him there, but she couldn�t think of anything to say. He turned and walked towards the front entrance and Moire watched his back retreat through the lobby. She hung her head and started towards the volunteer room berating herself all the way. She let a golden opportunity slip by. Brian went through the revolving doors and stood on the pavement just staring into space. Totally oblivious to everything around him, he nearly knocked over an elderly lady as he turned to go back into the hospital. He apologized profusely and tried to get the doors to move quickly for fear he might be too late. He walked briskly down the hall and found the volunteer room. The door was open but there was no sign of Moire. Feeling disappointed he turned to leave when she came through a back door. "Are you lost?" She said as she turned off the lights. "No." He had almost forgotten how pretty she was. "I um�I was�I was going to go get a burger and was wondering if you would like to join me. I mean, unless you have big dinner plans at home or have a heavy date or something." "Actually daddy is away for a few days and I don�t have a heavy date." ~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Twenty minutes later they were sitting on a bench on the UK campus eating the largest grilled burgers Moire had ever seen and drinking imported beer. As she bit into the sandwich, juice from her burger ran down her chin. Brian leaned over and caught it with his index finger. �When you said burgers I expected,� she wiped her mouth again. �Fast food?� Moire nodded as she took another bite. �Your snobbery is showing again.� �Guilty,� she mumbled her mouth full. �But you came anyway.� She shrugged her shoulders. �Even though it could have been a value meal from Mickey D�s?� �Yes.� �Why?� Brian reached for the beer bottle sipping the hearty brew. �Were you expecting me to decline?� �Yes I was.� �Yet you still came all the way back into the hospital to ask.� Moire placed the sandwich on the wrapper. �Are you lacking that much confidence in yourself? Or am I really that much of a snob?� She sipped her beer too watching him. �I realize there is no future for us but I enjoyed being with you the last time we had dinner and I just wanted,� he stopped and just looked at her. The sun filtered through the trees leaving her partly in shadow and the light breeze sent a waft of her perfume in his direction. �You wanted�� she encouraged him. �Brian?� She called to him and he finally snapped out of his daze. �You were saying, you wanted�� �I just wanted to see you again, purely above board.� �Above board?� She grinned at him. �So I don�t have to worry about my virtue?� He choked at her comment. �Are you okay?� �Yes, fine.� He took a drink of beer to wash down the burger. �Yes, your virtue is safe.� Not that the idea of making love to her hadn�t crossed his mind on a few occasions since their last meeting, but she was off limits in that department. He had enough to worry about without getting Colin Fitzgerald�s underwear all knotted up over his daughter�s liaison with him. They sat in silence for a while each trying to figure out what the other one was up to. They finished their burgers and Moire was sipping the last of her beer. �So what brought you to the hospital today?� She glanced over to see Brian slumped a bit on the bench, his feet out and eyes closed. At her question, he opened his eyes. �Bobby Miller had surgery this morning.� �Oh I see and you were there to see how it went?� �I was there since seven this morning.� She shot him a look of surprise. �I wanted to spend some time with him before they put him under. He was a bit scared.� He sat up and drained the last of his beer and put the bottle on the ground between his feet. �That�s understandable.� �Yeah, I know and I wanted to try and give him as much confidence as I could.� He picked up the trash. �You finished?� He motioned to her beer and she nodded. He took all the trash to the receptacle and dropped it in. �Wanna walk a bit?� �Okay.� They fell in step and walked along the path through the campus. �You said you know it can be scary. How?� �I spent a few months in the hospital when I was five years old. It�s not exactly the ideal place a five year old wants to be.� �I didn�t know.� He�d been sick as a child and it must have been serious to keep him in for a long period of time. �I almost died,� the words were said as if he were reminiscing on his own, �but through some miracle I pulled through but not without a price. I had heart surgery when I was 23, the same surgery Bobby had today. I promised him I would be there.� Moire didn�t say a word, totally taken back by his openness about that serious time in his life. Brian stopped and looked at her. �Hey I�m fine now, good as new, actually better.� �Heart surgery? Did you have a heart�� �No attack, but my heart enlarged to the point where the doctors were very concerned. I was born with a small hole but when they operated they found another as well. If I didn�t have the surgery they couldn�t guarantee anything. So now I have a scar on my chest to remind me every day how lucky I am.� �And you volunteer your time with the children as a way of giving thanks.� �Yes, it�s the least I can do. Like you, I enjoy the time with them and some are so ill, but to see their faces light up and hear them laugh, it brings more joy than winning any horse race.� Talking about his surgery had opened up his vulnerability just like Moire relating the night her mother died. Two people who had spent barely two days together rarely were this honest, yet it seemed that they both were able to share their personal stories without fear of ridicule. They walked for awhile in silence after Brian�s revelations. Moire, more than ever, was intrigued by this man who showed no wealth yet lived fairly comfortably. Outwardly he seemed to be less than scholarly, yet was well read and up on all current events and who took little regard to outward appearance and still could turn heads on a college campus. �Hey I didn�t mean to cast a shadow over you. That wasn�t my intent. I have no idea why I told you all that.� �Probably today�s events just brought it all to the surface again. That is quite understandable.� They had walked around the quad and found their way back to their starting point. Another couple was sitting on the bench now, and they only had eyes for each other. Moire and Brian looked at each other, their thoughts the same. This was all they would have. Now the silence felt awkward but before it had to chance to lengthen Brian�s cell phone rang. He pulled the phone from his pocket and checked the caller ID. �What is it?� Moire watched as his face became serious. �Did you confine her? Good. What about Maggie? Great! Yes, I�m on my way.� From the one sided conversation; Moire gathered there was trouble at the farm. She studied the cracks in the sidewalk as Brian finished his conversation. �Get the coffee started,� he said with a chuckle in his voice. Then Brian said goodbye and hung up. �Something�s wrong?� She questioned a bit warily knowing how precarious her situation was with him when it came to business. �Yes and no. Crimson Love has begun to foal and it�s breach so it could pose complications if we can�t turn it around. I need to get back right away.� His words were apologetic in tone. �I completely understand. You have a vet coming?� �Yes, Matt called Maggie McDonnell,� Moire grinned. �Daddy won�t use her, says females don�t know the first thing about caring for animals of a thoroughbred�s caliber. I think he�s wrong though. I hear she�s one of the best.� �Well she learned at her father�s knee so to speak and now her 16 year old daughter is doing the same thing. I trust her completely.� Brian motioned with his hand; �shall we go?� They stopped at the curb for the traffic to pass before crossing to his car. As the traffic cleared Brian casually took her hand and they ran across the intersection beating out another stream of cars coming down the street. He opened the door for her and then walked around and got in and turned on the ignition. They traveled along South Limestone Street and Moire never said a word. She just assumed he would drop her off at the hospital and continue on to the farm. But she noticed they passed the turn for the hospital and she looked at him for some explanation. �Brian? I think you missed the turn for the hospital.� �No I didn�t.� He gave her a cheeky grin and continued on out of the city. �Brian? What are you doing?� �Have you ever seen a breach birth before?� Moire noticed they had picked up speed and not that she was concerned about it but he was definitely anxious to get back as quickly as possible. �No as a matter of fact I haven�t.� She let out a sigh and settled lower in her seat as he rounded a turn at a speed a little too fast for her liking. �Well I guess today is as good a time as any.� He grinned at her again. What harm could there be in her being there? None other than she was Colin Fitzgerald�s daughter and it could cause a stir among the stable hands. But it was a foaling, nothing more. Brian thought about his decision. It would give him more time with her and that was one thing he wouldn�t mind at all. The entrance to the farm approached and he made the turn a bit sharp causing Moire to grab the handle of the car door. This was not how she had planned on spending her evening, but the alternative had been dinner alone. She couldn�t have arranged it any better if she tried. |