The house was dark when Harry stopped under the portico and let her head drop back before getting out of the Yukon. She loved what she did, but days like today took their toll. Most of the injuries would heal, but the youngest worker’s leg was too far gone to save, so she’d had no choice but to amputate.
Explaining things like that to the parents and girlfriend of a twenty-year-old didn’t get easier with experience, but he was alive and would walk again. That had brought things into perspective when it was reported three of the crew hadn’t made it. She stretched and stopped in the kitchen for a Yoo-hoo before a shower.
Standing for sixteen hours had left her starving, but she was too tired to think about fixing anything. Right now, all she craved were a shower and sleep. She finished her drink and dropped the bottle in the trash as she stripped off her scrub top and left it on the counter.
Having houseguests made it a bad idea to strip outside her bedroom, but it was so late she doubted Rachel or Desi was awake. She left her shoes at the foot of the stairs and dropped everything else along the way so she was naked except for her underwear by the time she entered the master bedroom.
“I hope Mona’s in the mood to make waffles tomorrow,” she said when she closed the door. Talking to herself was a habit she’d formed to combat the loneliness of a big house.
She stretched, hearing the slight pops as everything went back into alignment. She considered skipping the shower, but hot water made her feel better and relaxed her into a better sleep. She could stay in tomorrow since her residents would cover rounds. If anything came up, they’d call, so she tried her best to clear her head as she adjusted the shower. Surprisingly, the thoughts of patients, the hospital, and surgery slipped her mind a lot more easily than thoughts of Desi ever did.
The image of that asshole with his hands around Desi’s neck made her livid, but the question of why still lingered. How had they gone from what they had to Desi ending up with Simoneaux? It was like trying to shove a crawfish back into its shell.
Her knuckles were still sore and had made a marathon day of surgery no fun, but she’d promised herself to try and be the friend Desi needed. “That’s all she probably wants.” Right now, Desi deserved patience and a shoulder to cry on.
Then Harry could finally let go and move on.
* * *
“Oh my God,” Desi whispered when the bathroom door closed, but not before she got a good look at a naked Harry outlined in the bright light.
The thrill that Harry had come to check on her died quickly with the realization of where she was. “Tony, what the hell were you thinking?” The water started in the shower, giving her a short window to fix this.
“The picture.” It finally made sense. This room reflected Harry down to the old memory of the picture because it was Harry’s room. She glanced to the other side of the bed and saw the stack of books, which wasn’t much different than in Harry’s old bedroom.
They’d spent a lot of nights reading before sleep, and she knew Harry loved it and obviously still did. Once they’d shut the light off, she’d snuggle with her head on Harry’s shoulder, and she’d fall asleep to Harry’s fingers trailing up and down her back.
“Stop daydreaming, idiot.” She needed to call Rachel, but she doubted she could get to another bedroom before Harry was finished, even with help. As if conjuring up the worst, the water stopped.
“Great, just great.” All she could do now was apologize and pretend she’d been sleeping the whole time. “Please be wearing pajamas.” This was embarrassing enough, but that short glimpse of her was enough to remind her how stunning Harry could be.
The bathroom light clicked off, but there was still enough light to see the light blue T-shirt and dark sleep pants. The way Harry walked made her think she was tired, and she indulged in how good it was to be this close to her. Harry must’ve been exhausted since she walked to the other side of the bed, lay down, and seemed to instantly fall asleep.
“Harry,” she whispered, but all she heard was deep steady breathing. “Harry,” she tried again, lying still so she wouldn’t startle her.
The bed was big enough that they weren’t touching, but she doubted Harry’d be thrilled to wake and find her lying next to her. She took the opportunity to study Harry as much as she could in dim light. She seemed to carry a bit more muscle than the last time they were this close, as if she found the time to work out. There was also a scattering of white along her temples, and her dark curly hair was much shorter than she’d worn it in high school. But her gorgeous face had hardly changed.
“Desi.” Her name spoken in a whisper made Desi stop breathing, but Harry didn’t move. She had to be dreaming…about her.
“It’s okay, sleep.” She stayed still and stared at Harry’s face. “I never thought I’d be this close to you again.” It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep, and it seemed like she hadn’t been unconscious long when she woke to Harry snoring and the sound of someone’s voice in the hallway.
“How many times have we been over this?” An elderly African American woman came into the room, and her aggravated tone made Desi almost levitate off the bed. “I’m not spending my golden years picking up after your messy ass, Harry.” Despite her words, she was doing just that. “Are you this messy in surgery? You probably left your socks in somebody’s chest. It’s a miracle you haven’t been sued.”
The woman had a bundle of clothes in her hands, and she picked up the briefs with her fingertips. “Then that Tony finds you the biggest damn house in New Orleans, so I can hunt your underwear in thirty rooms instead of the ten we had before.”
“Hi, you must be Mona.” She spoke softly, not wanting to wake Harry, and not to freak the woman out.
The woman startled and looked up from her armful of laundry. “Hey, sorry, I didn’t notice you. You can lose a horse in here with the mess that one likes to make.” Mona dropped the pile next to the door and came closer. “Who might you be?”
“I’m Desi.”
“Yes, of course. Harry mentioned you’d be staying with us. Can I get you anything?” Mona lifted her eyebrow to an impressive height, but it was probably over their sleeping arrangements.
“I really have to go to the bathroom, but I’m stuck. Could you get my sister? Maybe the three of us can figure out how to get me in there without breaking my other leg.” She was trying to lie still, but she was about to embarrass herself.
“No need to wake Rachel. That girl sleeps like the dead, so we’d all end up with a broken leg. We’ll get the big moose to help you.”
“Oh no,” she said, but Mona’s hand came down on Harry’s forehead with a light smack.
“Goddamn it, Mona. What the hell?” Harry sounded whiny as she lifted her head a few inches and squinted in the direction of the french doors.
“Harry, what have I told you about taking the Lord’s name in vain in my house? Do I need to cut me a switch from outside for your misbehaving butt?” Mona pointed at her, and Desi almost laughed. “Get your lazy ass up, and help your friend to the bathroom.”
“Have you finally driven to crazy town? What are you talking about?” Harry closed her eyes and relaxed against her pillow. “Give me a few more hours. I was in surgery forever yesterday.”
“Harry, don’t make me haul you out of there by your ear. Desi has to go.”
Harry turned her head and opened her eyes, then frowned. “Hey, what are you doing here?”
“I’m so sorry, Harry. Tony didn’t tell me this was your room. I assumed he put me in a guest room. If you help me, I’ll move.”
“Hey, slowpoke,” Mona said, following up with a poke to Harry’s forehead. “These are your favorite sheets, and the pretty girl’s about to start an elaborate pee-pee dance.”
“A call to a maid service would end all this grief, you know.” Harry got up and quickly moved to Desi’s side. The light blue T-shirt and navy pants really showed off Harry’s body in the light of day, and Desi tried not to stare. Passion wasn’t really something she experienced anymore, but Harry could make a nun want to touch and be touched. She tightened her hands into fists at her sides, not wanting to overstep what she knew in her heart Harry wanted from her.
“No sane person would put up with your ass,” Mona said, turning the bathroom light on.
Harry carefully pulled the blankets back and removed the metal frame Tony had set up. “This is looking better.”
“It’s hideous.” The row of staples down her leg was hard to look at.
“I’m a doctor, and this is healing nicely.” Harry rubbed her hands together and glanced at her. “I need you to hang on to me, relax, and let me do all the work.” Harry knelt on the bed and slid her arms behind Desi’s back and under her knees. “Put your arms around my neck.” Harry lifted her slowly and walked her into the bathroom. “I’m going to put you down, so rest all your weight on your good leg.” Once she was on her feet, Harry lifted the back of her nightgown. “Keep your leg straight out,” she said as she lowered her. “Call me when you’re done.”
Desi looked around the large bathroom, noticing the shower chair in the corner and hoping it was for her. After a week, she was ready to be clean, at least. There was also a big clawfoot tub, and she wondered how many women Harry had shared that with. Long-dormant jealousy flared to life.
“You okay?” Harry called from outside the door.
“I’m done, thanks, and sorry to be so much trouble.”
“You aren’t any trouble, and in a couple of weeks you’ll be able to get up on your own.” Harry picked her up and started for the bed.
“If I’m not too heavy, you can put me in with Rachel.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” Mona said, fluffing pillows. “Tony put you in here because this bathroom is the best one for your needs.”
“Now that the ruler of the house has spoken, let me take another shower, and I’ll get out of here. Mona can help you with a sponge bath today, but we’ll figure something out so you can take a shower.”
“Thank you, that’d be great.”
“And I know it’s not the best, but if Tony or I aren’t around, you’ll have to use the bedpan.”
She nodded, not able to stop the heat spreading across her face. Mona got her settled and opened the doors to the balcony, cooling the room a little. “I will, I promise.”
“Harry, when you’re done, Serena’s here, and she has Albert with her,” Mona said from the door. “Enjoy the fresh air, Desi, and I’ll fix you some breakfast.”
“Thanks, Mona,” Harry said, coming out of the closet with some clothes in her hand. “I’ll be down in a minute, so keep my little buddy entertained.”
“What in the hell was that girl thinking, naming that sweet child Albert? Might as well tape a note to his forehead the first day of school with I’m Albert, please feel free to beat the crap out of me and steal my lunch money.” Mona shook her head.
“Albert is Serena’s father’s name, and she figured he became a federal judge with it, so how bad could it be? But everyone in school will call him Butch, even if I have to go with him every day and do some coaching. He can go back to the stuffy name when he gets appointed to the bench. The Honorable Butch doesn’t sound official if he takes after his grandfather.”
“Thank God for you and those two boys being in that child’s life. He wouldn’t have any friends without the three of you,” Mona said, then mumbled something when Harry threw her pajamas toward Mona’s head from the safety of the bathroom.
Desi smiled and listened to the running water when Mona left. It didn’t take long for Harry to walk out wearing perfectly pressed chinos and a button-down shirt. Harry looked like all the other yuppies she’d seen going into the better restaurants and stores in town whenever Byron let her out to run errands.
She often spent those times walking close to the places she and Harry used to visit, dreaming of running into her again. She’d never spotted Harry out, and after a few years she’d convinced herself that Harry had moved away from the city and started over somewhere else.
“How about some coffee? Mona’s a pain in the ass but makes the best coffee,” Harry said with a smile.
“I heard that,” Mona yelled from somewhere outside.
“As I was saying, Mona’s a pain in the ass but makes good coffee. Would you like some?”
“I’d love a cup. Could I have some toast too?” she asked. “Sorry, only if it’s not too much trouble.” The morning had made her forget her place. She wasn’t to ask for anything.
“One toast and coffee coming up, and as an extra treat, I’ll provide a nice breakfast companion to share it with.”
Harry left her to wonder who that was, but she smiled when she heard the delighted squealing of a child right after Harry left. “That must be Butch,” she said to herself as her eyes drifted back to the picture on the mantel.
She was staring at it when Harry came back in.
“Uncle Harry, who’s that lady in your bed?” the little boy partially hidden behind Harry’s legs asked.
“That’s Uncle Harry’s oldest friend, buddy, and her name is Miss Desi. I bet it’d make her feel better if you go and say hello.” Harry tilted her head in the direction of the bed and waited. “Be careful, though—Miss Desi has a big owie.”
The little boy stared up at Harry with his head cocked all the way back as if thinking about Harry’s request. It didn’t take long for him to walk to the bed with purpose and hold his hand out. “Hi, I’m Albert Hubert Ladding III. It’s really nice to meet you.”
Desi shook his hand, smiling at his impeccable manners and his outfit. The button-down blue shirt, chinos held up by a brown belt, and the bucks on his feet were a perfect match to what Harry was wearing.
“Hello, Albert, I’m Desi, and it’s great to meet you.” He was a beautiful child with blond hair plastered down and combed to the side, giving him a mature appearance.
“Miss Desi, my friends call me Butch. Will you call me that?” He gazed at her with such earnestness she couldn’t help but smile and nod. “Great, but don’t do it in front of my mommy. She yells at Uncle Harry.”
“I promise I won’t.”
“It’s a deal,” Butch said, then spit in his hand and held it out to her.
“Did Uncle Harry teach you that too?” She glanced at Harry, who was looking at Butch adoringly.
“Yep, my Uncle Harry’s the best.”
“I think so too.” She put a lot less spit on her palm before shaking his hand and getting him to laugh.
Harry smiled at the exchange before placing the tray across her lap and handing her a napkin for her wet hand. They watched Butch go to the other side of the bed and try to climb up. The bed was too high for him, so Harry picked him up and helped him off with his shoes.
“You promise—no jumping. Miss Desi’s leg is hurt, so you need to be careful.”
“Okay, I’ll sit and have my coffee with Miss Desi. Granny Mona made me some to go with my cinnamony toast.” He picked up the glass that appeared to be more milk than anything.
“Mona spoons in some coffee,” Harry whispered when she leaned in to arrange the stuff on the tray and handed her a cup of coffee. “You guys going to be okay? I’m going down to talk to Butch’s mom, but if he gets rowdy, fling him out the window.”
“Uncle Harry,” Butch said, laughing.
“We’ll be okay, Uncle Harry.” She watched Harry walk away, trying not to think of who Butch’s mother was to Harry. She had no right, but she couldn’t stop the dread that Harry had found a way to heal what she’d done to her. And that healing came with a precious bonus named Butch.