City Mouse

Chapter 15: Getting Intimate

The doctor wanted to keep both Leo and Mouse until the sixth for observation, but Mouse managed to convince them to release her on the fifth. And when Dr. Bayer came to give the okay around noon, he took another look at Leo, and said that, as long as his breathing continued to look good, he might even let Leo go home that night.

Next, Mouse had to battle with Henry, first to keep him from calling her family in Virginia, then to keep from accompanying her home. Most of the conversation happened in fierce whispers, while Leo slept in the next bed.

"Henry, please," she begged. "I'm fine. If you call, Carol and Mike will insist on taking the train up here, and Carol will be all hysterical and running around, saying that her baby is dying--"

"Are you parents names really Carol and Mike?" Henry asked with a laugh. "As in The Brady Bunch?"

"Oh my god, yes, and if you make any jokes, I will punch you in the face, so help me," Mouse responded from the bed. "Believe me, I've heard them all.

"Anyway, I'm fine, except for this sore throat, there's no need to tell them anything," she insisted.

"And your sprained wrist and ankle, and the bonk on your head," Henry continued, looking at her.

Mouse waved his words away. "I feel good, really, they don't need to know. Please?"

Henry sighed. "Okay, but only because you saved my baby's life, and were so cool when I basically accused you of negligence," he said.

He looked contrite, and took a deep breath, but Mouse cut him off.

"No, that's okay too," she said, nodding for emphasis. "You were out of your mind with worry, why wouldn't you believe that Leo was with me? He was supposed to be. I never should've agreed to leave him with her, never."

"I like to think I would've realized the truth as soon as I had a chance to think about it," Henry agreed. "I could never, under normal circumstances, believe you'd let harm come to Leo, you know?" Henry leaned over and grasped her hand, blue eyes regretful.

"Exactly," Mouse replied. "So don't beat yourself up about it."

But Henry continued to shake his head. "When I saw you two from inside the lounge, and you just vaulted over the railing and into the water, and she just--stood there--"

"I'm actually surprised you didn't jump in, too," Mouse said with a small smile.

"Oh, I tried," Henry said, rubbing Mouse's knuckles, which were scraped. "A couple of people had to hold me back. It was obvious by then that you were going to reach him first, and that you knew what you were doing, that I'd be no help in the water, you know?" He smiled ruefully. "I think I punched one of the men who was restraining me.

"God, what a mess," he murmured, and Mouse could hear how his voice thickened as tears threatened. "I'm so, so thankful you were there, Mouse, you don't know--" and he broke off, wiping his eyes. Then he picked up her hand and kissed the damaged knuckles. "Thank you for saving my son," he said simply.

"I love him," Mouse said, looking out the window. "I couldn't have done anything else."

They sat in silence for a couple of minutes, until a volunteer came with discharge papers for her to sign.

"Great," Henry said, smiling at the woman. "Let's get you home, okay?" he said to Mouse.

"I can get home on my own," Mouse said firmly. "You need to stay here with your son."

"What?" Henry was horrified. "Do you think I'm just going to load you into a cab and send you home alone?" He waved toward Leo's bed. "They gave him something so he could sleep, he won't even know I'm gone. I'll get you home and settled, then I'll come back and pick him up. It's settled," he finished firmly.