One Step Ahead

New Normal

      "Nah, I don't think that would be a real good idea. If we do that, she might feel like we're ganging up on her. So what I'm thinking is that maybe when I go pick Cody up from school, you can sort of broach the subject, and see what happens. Then if she won't talk to you, I'll give it a try later on."

      Before Ashley could reply, a voice came from behind him, saying, "Good morning, gentlemen. Ms. Malveaux has been taken to her room, so you can see her whenever you like."

      They both turned to look, and saw a petite woman with pale-blonde hair, wearing a set of brilliant-pink scrubs, standing near Ashley's chair. Wiley quickly stood up, holding his drink in one hand, and asked, "Are we allowed to take these with?"

      "Oh, absolutely!" she replied, as she moved Ashley's crutches from their position against the wall, and offered them to him. "Here you go, Mr. Purdy. Now be careful standing up, people spill things on the floor in here all day long, so it could be either slippery or sticky. And I doubt that you want to end up back in your chair because your shoe got stuck on somebody's spilled Pepsi."

      As he reached for the crutches, it occurred to him that the woman looked rather familiar, so he queried, "Excuse me, but have we met?"

      She favored him with a brilliant smile, and said, "I'm Nora Sanger, Garrett's wife, and yes, actually we have. Since it was rather chaotic that evening, I suppose it's understandable that you might not remember clearly, but I'm the one who helped to remove the glass and splinters you accumulated when the restaurant was bombed. And I have to tell you, Mr. Purdy, you managed to deliver some of the most creative cursing I've heard in my entire career."

      He flushed as he levered himself from the seat, and mumbled, "Yeah, I apologize for that, but in my defense, that stuff you were soaking me with felt like somebody had dumped a nest of bees over me. And call me Ashley, or just Ash, okay?"

      "Completely understandable, Ash. Now if you two will follow me, I'll show you to Ms. Malveaux's room."

      Wiley scooped up Ashley's drink, and they fell in behind Nora Sanger, following her to a bank of elevators. She pressed a button, and as they waited for the doors to open, she told them, "Now, just so you're aware, we'll most likely have to interrupt your visit for a bit sometime in the next hour or two. I'll be helping one of the other nurses take your friend to the physical therapy department, where they have the facilities to allow us to give her something a bit more thorough than just a sponge bath in bed. It shouldn't take long, so you can just remain in the room until she gets back, if you like."

      They nodded their understanding, and stepped into the elevator, riding it up to the fifth floor, where she led them down a lengthy hallway until they reached a door marked with the number "533". Pushing the door open just enough to stick her head into the room, she said, "Hello, Ms. Malveaux, have they made you comfortable? There are a couple of gentlemen here to see you, should I let them in?"

      "Well, I'm pretty sure I don't know any gentlemen," they heard Briar retort. "But if their names are Ash and Wiley, then hell yes, they can come in!"

      The blonde nurse opened the door, stepping into the room and holding it to let them enter. Wiley, who could move faster, had reached the bed before Ashley had fully cleared the doorway, and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Hey there, hon. You didn't have any problems with the chopper trip, did you?"

      "Nope, it was all good. And did you notice that there's not as many gizmos now? They decided I don't have to keep my leg up in the air anymore, and my kidneys have healed up enough that they took the damn bag out yesterday."