Brayden
Lou walked into the room, without even knocking. Although, I couldn't blame her as the door was technically open. She had her gray hair up in a bun today, with a few loose strands framing her round face. Her face was bare of any makeup, and she was dressed modestly. Fitted jeans and plain t-shirt somehow looked professional on her with her pearl necklace and matching earrings.
Once I see her, I push Damien away.
"Lou!" I greet happily, eagerly grabbing the bag of food.
She smiles at me before shaking her head at my earnestness to eat.
Opening the bag I quickly dig out an egg sandwich. My mouth instantly waters at the smell of slightly burned, and overly greased food. Over the crinkling of the bag, I hear Lou sigh at my enthusiasm in opening the bag.
"Did you eat today?" she asks in a concerned tone.
I look up at her and roll my eyes as I begin to stuff my mouth with the sandwich. My fingers and face get covered in grease as I devour the food.
"Define today," I mumble out through a full mouth, while simultaneously reaching for one of the paper coffee cups in her hand. She gives me a pointed look and purses her lips into a thin line, before pulling her hand out of my reach. I make a noise of distress as she doesn't let me have my coffee.
"We've talked about this Brayden, you can't just live on caffeine and expect to function properly," she berates. I don't meet her eyes, not liking the disappointment I can clearly see on her face.
"It's not my fault!" I say, quick to defend myself, "Evie ate my lunch yesterday, and during dinner, Charlie dropped his peanut butter sandwich on the floor and refused to eat it. I had offered to switch with him, but after I had handed him mine, Charlotte dropped her orange juice on the floor, soaking the food!"
I can see she wants to stay mad at me, but her bright eyes and the slight crinkle around her eyelids give away the laughter she's trying to hold in. With a resigned huff, she hands me my drink.
Taking the cup, I hear Damien clear his throat. He's standing off to the side slightly behind me, and for the first time all night, his gaze is not on me but on Lou.
"How do you know him?" Damien asks, in a gruff voice. His tone and tense muscles did nothing to hide his irritation at the woman.
Lou takes this time to look over at Damien with a cold expression.
Wait...is she glaring at him or is that my imagination?
"It's none of your concern whose company I keep. Let alone how we met," she responds with a huff.
My eyes widen at her brazen act of dismissal.
Did she just defy him? The guy who everyone seems to bow down to in this town.
I sip my coffee. My pace of eating has slowed, as my eyes widen at the scene in front of me. It was quite comical to watch. Lou is a small five-foot woman standing unintimidated in front of the giant that is Damien Radcliffe. The standoff in front of me is intense. Neither person is willing to back down, and the tension in the room rises as their eyes remain locked on each other.
I take another bite of my sandwich.
Lou is the first to break the staring contest, but it doesn't look as if she has submitted. Instead, she turns her full attention back to me.
"Any other dietary restrictions I need to know for tonight?" she asks, completely disregarding Damien's brooding from right behind her.
I think for a moment, "Well, in terms of diet, you already know I'm vegetarian, but the other kids aren't. Marcus is lactose intolerant though," I answer, trying to rack my brain for anything else.
Lou looks thoughtful, "Hmmm, if it's alright with you I think we'll just grill hotdogs and burgers. We can then throw on some veggie options for you and have a variety of sides."
I nod, "Sounds good to me. Want us to bring anything?"
Lou laughs, "I think bringing the kids will be enough of a handful for you."
I let out a grunt in agreement.
"What the fuck is going on here?! He's going over to your house for dinner?"
I flinch as Mr. Radcliffe's voice booms throughout the hospital room. He stands tall in front of Lou, but he isn't trembling or shaking in anger. No, he's stiff as a board. His frustration seemed to have hit a point beyond anger.
Lou simply lets out an annoyed sigh.
I dart my eyes between the two in anticipation.
O-my-god shit's about to get good.
Lou stiffly turns to Mr. Radcliffe, straightening her spine, "Damien..."
My eyes widen as she doesn't call him by his last name as everyone else in town seems to do.
That's it, Lou, show the arrogant ass his place!
"...as I said before, I do not have to tell you who I am social with. Frankly, I don't understand why you're so concerned," Lou replies, firmly.
I take another large gulp of my coffee.
Damien glowers over Lou. His form completely towered over her.
"I think you know why this concerns me, mother-"
I immediately spew my coffee out, only to immediately try and cover my mouth with my arm. I feel my sleeve become soaked with the hot, sticky liquid. Realizing what I'm doing, I try to stop myself, which causes me to begin choking. My lungs tighten down. I bring my fist to my chest and begin pounding on it to try and stock my hacking.
I feel a set of warm hands gently, yet firmly pat my back until finally, I begin to calm down. Looking up I notice Damien is softly rubbing my back and staring at me with concern. When I realize he's the one currently caressing my back, I quickly jump out of his hold.
Looking at Lou I don't know what to feel and my thoughts start spiraling. Has she been taking advantage of me this whole time? It was no secret that Damien had taken a special interest in me. Was she passing on everything I was telling her along to Damien for future blackmail? I'm sure my face shows the betrayal I feel inside, but I can't seem to harden my expression as I gaze at Lou.
"Brayden, I want to think for a moment," Lou gently coaxes me. I recognize the tone she is using with me as the one she uses when I'm on the verge of a panic attack sometimes in our sessions.
"Damien didn't know that we knew each other," she firmly says, while sending a glare to her son. Looking between the two now, it was easier to see the resemblance. While Damien's build, stature, and features were different from his mother's he had received all of her colorings.
"And for good reason," she continues, as a growl resonates throughout the small room.
"I can see it on your face what you think is happening and I can assure you with all positivity it is not," she sighs, in the rigid way she often does, "I have taken a legal oath in terms of maintaining confidentiality when an individual chooses to confide in me. An oath that I have never broken in over thirty years of my work."
Her eyes are soft, but her gaze is hard. She doesn't say anything else and instead chooses to let me mull over her words for a moment.
Lou's voice was firm and confident. She didn't show any signs of having this answer rehearsed or evidence that it was a quick lie. I would know, I've been taught to have a silver tongue myself and have the skills to spot someone trying to do a quick cover. I wasn't getting any of these red flags from Lou.
So, with my mind resolute, I nod at her letting her know that I believe her.
She gives me a smile, before cooling her expression once again and turning to Damien.
"Brayden's shift is over, he'll be going now," she tells him.
My eyes widen at her brazen behavior.
"Uh, Lou, Dr. Monroe told me I needed to stay..." but she doesn't let me finish as she holds one of her palms out to stop me from talking.
"Dr. Monroe works for Damien, so I'm sure that once he finds out that you were kept here after an already overlong shift..."
Damien's eyes turn to me looking concerned.
"...that before I came here you're eating your first proper meal in nearly two days..."
Damien moves closer to me with a slight whimper. I squint my eyes at him and warily watch his hand that seems to be twitching in my direction.
"...and that by staying late you now won't get any sleep today. He'll be more than inclined to release you from your shift," she finishes with a disappointed glare at Damien.
For some reason, the man looks ashamed. He reaches out to try and grab my arm as if to try to grab me in a comforting hug, but I quickly dart behind Lou. It may seem odd to find protection in the small woman, but she's the only person who I have ever seen stand up against the behemoth. Damien gives me one last sorrowful look before he drops his hand and glares at the floor.
"You're released to go," he says, barely audible, maybe with a hint of guilt.
I look at him oddly before cautiously side-stepping toward the door. Just as I walk through the opening I turn to Lou, "Bye, I'll see you tonight," I tell her before heading out.
Author's Note:
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