she had to worry about.
She walked into the hall and saw Ted sitting in a chair. He
was on his phone.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Checking on you."
Katy smiled and sat down next to him.
"I'm fine," she assured him.
"I understand her Grandma will be here this
afternoon," Ted said nodding at Shelby's room.
"That's what the police said."
"Come to dinner with me tonight, please?"
"Look, Ted..."
"Dinner! That's all I'm asking. You need a night out,
don't you? Come on Katy."
She sighed and looked into Ted's pleading eyes. If he was
thirty she'd be surprised. She wasn't old enough to be his mother, but it was
still weird . But it's just dinner.
"If her grandma gets here, I'll go to dinner with you,"
she sighed.
Ted grinned and jumped from his chair. “Where shall I pick
you up?"
"I'll meet you," she said, willing to risk dinner
but not anything more.
"Okay," he compromised. "Seven o'clock at
Fuddruckers."
Yeah, probably not even thirty, she grinned.
*****
Shelby slept most of the day, but Katy stayed by her side.
The nursing supervisor had been very accommodating by allowing her the time
off. She had told Katy it might be very therapeutic for her. So she spent the
day in Shelby's room talking to her and comforting her while she was awake and
coming to terms with her own memories while she slept. After lunch, Katy paced
the room. Shelby was once again asleep, so she called Mark.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi, how are you?"
"Good. Just wrapping up some loose ends so we can leave
on Monday."
Katy had forgotten about the trial that began on Tuesday.
She'd had more important things on her mind.
"Oh, right," she said.
"You okay?" Mark asked.
She sighed into the phone.
"Katy?"
"A girl was brought into the ER yesterday. It's pretty
horrible," she whispered and walked into the hallway. "Her mom's
boyfriend beat the shit out of her, Mark." A small sob escaped.
"Is she gonna be okay?"
"Physically, yeah, but she's been raped repeatedly over
the past several months and her mom did shit for her." Another sob
escaped.
"Are you okay?"
"I don’t know. I think so," she said.
"I'm glad you called me."
"Yeah, me too."
*****
Shelby's grandmother arrived, frantic to see her
granddaughter. She hadn't been in contact with her daughter for the past
several years and was desperate to see Shelby.
The reunion was sweet and Katy smiled knowing that Shelby
had someone who would take care of her from now on. She had given Shelby her
phone number and email and told her she could call anytime. In fact, Katy asked
if they could stay friends. Shelby smiled and said she'd like that and Katy
walked out of her hospital room feeling hope; hope for Shelby and hope for
herself.
*****
Katy wore a leather skirt and knee high boots with a
form-fitting pale pink sweater. She was over-dressed for Fuddruckers but her
few days in New York with Janie had her appreciating dressing for a dinner out.
Her emotions had been all over the place in the last twenty-four hours. She had
considered canceling the date but knew Ted would just keep asking until she
said yes. And perhaps it would be good to get out and not have to think about
anything for a while. Shelby had her Grandma by her side and Katy would just be
sitting at home alone.
Ted was waiting for her in the parking lot and gave her a
whistle of appreciation.
Definitely not thirty yet, Katy shook her head and
smiled.
As they stood in line waiting to order, Katy couldn’t help
but compare him to Mark. Ted was a nice guy. He was nice to look at. He met her
minimum height requirement of 5'10" and obviously worked out. He had a
tattoo on his bicep which Katy approved of. And Mark was all of those things
too, minus the tattoo, but he also had something else. And whatever it was, Ted
didn't have it. But dinner was enjoyable. Who wouldn't like a killer burger and
as many french fries as you could eat?
They mainly talked about Ted and his motorcycle, his
roommate, who would rival Hugh Grant's
She walked into the hall and saw Ted sitting in a chair. He
was on his phone.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Checking on you."
Katy smiled and sat down next to him.
"I'm fine," she assured him.
"I understand her Grandma will be here this
afternoon," Ted said nodding at Shelby's room.
"That's what the police said."
"Come to dinner with me tonight, please?"
"Look, Ted..."
"Dinner! That's all I'm asking. You need a night out,
don't you? Come on Katy."
She sighed and looked into Ted's pleading eyes. If he was
thirty she'd be surprised. She wasn't old enough to be his mother, but it was
still weird . But it's just dinner.
"If her grandma gets here, I'll go to dinner with you,"
she sighed.
Ted grinned and jumped from his chair. “Where shall I pick
you up?"
"I'll meet you," she said, willing to risk dinner
but not anything more.
"Okay," he compromised. "Seven o'clock at
Fuddruckers."
Yeah, probably not even thirty, she grinned.
*****
Shelby slept most of the day, but Katy stayed by her side.
The nursing supervisor had been very accommodating by allowing her the time
off. She had told Katy it might be very therapeutic for her. So she spent the
day in Shelby's room talking to her and comforting her while she was awake and
coming to terms with her own memories while she slept. After lunch, Katy paced
the room. Shelby was once again asleep, so she called Mark.
"Hey," he said.
"Hi, how are you?"
"Good. Just wrapping up some loose ends so we can leave
on Monday."
Katy had forgotten about the trial that began on Tuesday.
She'd had more important things on her mind.
"Oh, right," she said.
"You okay?" Mark asked.
She sighed into the phone.
"Katy?"
"A girl was brought into the ER yesterday. It's pretty
horrible," she whispered and walked into the hallway. "Her mom's
boyfriend beat the shit out of her, Mark." A small sob escaped.
"Is she gonna be okay?"
"Physically, yeah, but she's been raped repeatedly over
the past several months and her mom did shit for her." Another sob
escaped.
"Are you okay?"
"I don’t know. I think so," she said.
"I'm glad you called me."
"Yeah, me too."
*****
Shelby's grandmother arrived, frantic to see her
granddaughter. She hadn't been in contact with her daughter for the past
several years and was desperate to see Shelby.
The reunion was sweet and Katy smiled knowing that Shelby
had someone who would take care of her from now on. She had given Shelby her
phone number and email and told her she could call anytime. In fact, Katy asked
if they could stay friends. Shelby smiled and said she'd like that and Katy
walked out of her hospital room feeling hope; hope for Shelby and hope for
herself.
*****
Katy wore a leather skirt and knee high boots with a
form-fitting pale pink sweater. She was over-dressed for Fuddruckers but her
few days in New York with Janie had her appreciating dressing for a dinner out.
Her emotions had been all over the place in the last twenty-four hours. She had
considered canceling the date but knew Ted would just keep asking until she
said yes. And perhaps it would be good to get out and not have to think about
anything for a while. Shelby had her Grandma by her side and Katy would just be
sitting at home alone.
Ted was waiting for her in the parking lot and gave her a
whistle of appreciation.
Definitely not thirty yet, Katy shook her head and
smiled.
As they stood in line waiting to order, Katy couldn’t help
but compare him to Mark. Ted was a nice guy. He was nice to look at. He met her
minimum height requirement of 5'10" and obviously worked out. He had a
tattoo on his bicep which Katy approved of. And Mark was all of those things
too, minus the tattoo, but he also had something else. And whatever it was, Ted
didn't have it. But dinner was enjoyable. Who wouldn't like a killer burger and
as many french fries as you could eat?
They mainly talked about Ted and his motorcycle, his
roommate, who would rival Hugh Grant's
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