The Outer Edge of Heaven (11 page)

Seeing a robe on the back of the bathroom door, she opted for it and dropped her clothes back into a wad on the tile. She put one arm into the robe and draping the other side over the sling, ran a hand through her wild curls and headed for the kitchen. The house seemed to be abandoned and the way she looked, she was glad for that as she poured a glass of orange juice and added bread to the toaster.

She was just reaching for the ibuprofen when she heard a sound and looked up to see Chase coming up the stairs from the basement. He still gave her his signature come on look and she rolled her eyes as she went to shake out the pills. He advanced into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Charlie. Heard you had some trouble, huh? Last night. You okay? You look absolutely edible when you wake up."

Charlie laughed half heartedly and shook her head as she glanced down at herself.
What an idiot.
"Chase, you are a complete dork sometimes. Do you think I could borrow some sweats and a t-shirt?"

"Sure. I'll bet you'll look hot in my clothes. It'll kind of turn me on the next time I wear them."

With the pills half way to her mouth, she stopped and stared at him in disgust. "You know what Chase, never mind. I'd truly rather just walk home in this robe than risk kind of turning you on. Keep your clothes." She took the juice and pills and turned back for the bedroom she'd been sleeping in.
What a double idiot
.

Luke appeared at the office door as she went to go past. He had a ridiculous grin on his face and she knew he'd heard their exchange. She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Please tell me you're not going to say I look edible."

"What and risk being called a complete dork? Actually, you look thrashed. Would you like something stronger than Ibuprofen?"

"Do I have to smoke it?"

He laughed right out loud. "Go back into the kitchen and get your toast and I'll see if I can get Ahnold to go back to pumping himself up in the weight room. Then I'll find you some of Dad's sweats. Even with Tyree gone, you headed across the yard in a nightgown is probably asking for trouble. You do look kind of edible."

She gave him the look. "Stow it, Luke."

He laughed at her again while he was bringing her the little pharmacy bottle of pain pills, and then said to Chase, "I don't get the impression she's in the mood for romance, Chase. You'll have to try later when she's loopy again. Go back downstairs and leave her alone." Chase looked from one to the other of them and then headed back down the stairwell.

She took the pills and said, "Thanks. I think thanks. Now he'll probably be watching to see if I really get looped. Why did you tell him that?"

Luke leaned against the counter and watched her. "I’ll be looking out for you. He knows it. But he left, didn't he? And you have to admit, they do make you pretty snockered."

"Snockered?" She rolled her eyes again and laughed. "You're both nuts. They do not make me snockered."

"Whatever you say, my edible friend. Only don't be around him when they take effect because I'm here to tell you, you're a bit out of your head on them."

"A bit out of my head only sounds marginally better than snockered. Did I do something questionable last night? Why are you hassling me?" She took a bite of her toast.

"You mean you don't remember making a pass at the doctor?"

"Funny Luke. You've been living with Fo too long. I've never made a pass in my life."

"Oh, really? I'm going to remind you you said that if a certain Dr. Greg Nichols calls you today." He didn't look like he was joking and she studied him, wondering what she'd done when she was snockered.

"Um, I didn't even have the pain pills when I was around any doctors did I?"

He shook his head, "No, but they'd given you morphine. It made you just a touch amorous." He grinned again. "You didn't really get all that snockered until we were back here and I gave you some in the night."

She continued to watch him, beginning to get worried. Amorous sounded terrible. Finally, she said, "You can't hold things I did when I was snockered against me. I can't be held responsible when I'm a bit out of my head."

When all he did was laugh and leave to head toward his dad's room, she began to get a lot more worried.

He came back in with the borrowed clothes and then leaned on the counter again and said, "Did you understand any of what Dr. Nichols told us last night? About your shoulder?"

She became slightly paranoid when she couldn't for the life of her even remember this Dr. Nichols; let alone what he'd said or what she’d done. "It's all a bit hazy. Could you remind me?"

He grinned, but didn't tease her anymore. "You're shoulder was dislocated. They call it separated. It's highly painful, but should heal fine. The splint for a week or so and then therapy and you should be good as new. But as soon as it doesn't hurt so badly you need to be moving it. Apparently if you don't start using it after about a week, it will begin to lose mobility permanently. He said it should start to feel better within a few days but those first days are going to be bad. Sorry."

"But no surgery or torn tendons or any of that ugly stuff?"

"No. Which is good. He said shoulders can be tricky, but you were in great condition." He grinned again. "Or maybe what he said was that you had a great figure. Maybe I'm getting it all mixed up."

She swept up her crumbs and picked up her dishes. " Just so you know. I'm planning to be mad at you when I feel better about teasing me when I'm snockered. That's not very fair."

"Who said I was teasing?" He looked at her with a deadpan face for a second and then smiled and headed back into the office and said over his shoulder, "Madge took the kids to a museum for the afternoon, in case you are wondering. For the time being we’re not going to expect you unless we see you, so you can take your time until you feel up to small people. I'll be here in the office all day if you need anything." She heard him chuckle as she went back to the bedroom to change.

Glad Tyree was gone and she could walk straight home, she headed back to her little house. Lindie was in her parents’ garden as she went by and she hugged Charlie and told her how sorry she was for what had happened as she went by. When Charlie got back to her cabin, she dressed in her own comfortable jams and lay back down. Her shoulder was ridiculously sore and she was grateful for the medicine, even if it did make her snockered. As she fell asleep, she thought again about Luke teasing her. She hoped she hadn’t truly done something questionable last night.

****

She was fighting the bad dreams, trying to wake up again, and needing more pain medicine when Fo knocked on her door and let himself into her house with a steaming plate of dinner. Dragging herself up, she put on a robe and walked out of her bedroom to greet him. She knew she must look a sight when he laughed and said, “Man, Chuck, you looked wasted! You look like you’ve been partying for days.” He gave her another grin and added, “It’s too bad Dr. Nichols can’t see you now. He said hi, by the way.”

Wondering again what had happened at the hospital; she shook out a pill and tossed it back with a glass of milk as she eyed the plate he was carrying. He handed it to her and held her chair for her at her table before going back to the drawer and bringing her silverware. As she began to eat, she admitted to him, “It’s no surprise I look wasted. I keep having these nasty flashback nightmares about Tyree. It must be the medicine. If I didn’t need it so badly, I’d go without just to be able to sleep decently.”

He pulled out a chair across from her and sat down. “Give it some time and hopefully it’ll get better. I was talking to my mom and she told me to tell you hi and to take really good care of you.” He paused for a minute and then continued soberly, “She said something like this could be a big deal emotionally, Charlie. How are you? Honestly?”

She tried to shrug her one good shoulder and act nonchalant about it, but the tears welled up in her eyes unbidden and she had to be more honest with him. “It shook me up so much more than I thought it would.” She started to wipe at her tears with her hand and he got up and handed her a napkin. “Sorry.” She wiped her eyes and was embarrassed as the tears continued to fall as she tried to eat. Finally, she whispered, “I was so scared, Fo. He was so strong. I couldn’t get away from him. That’s the most vulnerable feeling you can ever imagine. It was awful.”

He stood up and came over to stand beside her and rub her good shoulder as they heard a knock at her screen door. Luke poked his head in and was just about to say something when he saw her tears and quietly came inside and approached the table. He didn’t say anything, just looked from one to the other of them. After a minute Charlie tried to smile through her tears and Fo said, “I’m glad you’re here, Luke.” Fo glanced down at Charlie and squeezed her shoulder again. “If I go out tonight, would you watch over her for me? It might be best if she had some company.” He looked down at Charlie and asked, “Should I break my date? Do you need me to stay here with you tonight?”

Shaking her head, she tried to shut off her tears and smile. “Heavens no! Once you’ve finally asked someone out, I’m not going to be the one to break it! I’m fine. Maybe a little emotional. Go have fun. When do we get to meet this girl?”

He was watching her like a hawk and then finally seemed to decide she would indeed, be okay. “Soon. I definitely need your opinion. I’m just waiting long enough that she doesn’t assume you and I are an item the way everyone else does.” He put a hand on her head and ruffled her wild, tousled curls. “Take care of yourself. Call me if you need to.” He looked up and met Luke’s eyes. “Take care of her for me, Luke. She’s my main life organizer. I can’t be having her out of commission.”

Luke smiled down at her. “I’ll babysit her for you. Go on your date. But I want to meet your girl too.”

“Forget it, dude. She wouldn’t even look at me again. You stay here and babysit and keep your distance.” With that, he walked out the door and let it cheerfully slam behind him. Luke pulled out the same chair Fo had been sitting in and sat down.

For a second or two he only watched her and she self-consciously wiped at her eyes again with the napkin. “Sorry. I’m not sure where these tears are coming from. How has your day gone? Did you get a nap after your short night?”

He shook his head. “Not yet, but I’m working on it. How’s the shoulder? Are you staying ahead of the pain?”

“Yes and no, I take the pills and then fall asleep and then don’t wake up until it’s bad again, but I’m okay. Have you already eaten? Do you want to share mine?”

“I ate.” He paused again and then said quietly, “Madge thinks we need to get you some counseling after last night. What do you think? She said this might be a big thing to deal with psychologically. Do you want me to find you someone?”

At his question, the tears filled her eyes again and she covered them with her napkin and took several deep breaths. “Sorry.” After a minute or two, she shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. “I think I’m okay. If I can just get a handle on the pesky nightmares. Or maybe they’re daymares, when I’m napping. Which is it?” He didn’t answer her lame attempt to joke. He was still watching her and she had to softly admit the same thing to him she had said to Fo, “He was so strong I didn’t think I could get away and…I was scared.” After another uncomfortable minute he got up and came to stand beside her just as Fo had done.

He put a hand on her shoulder and gently asked, “Would it help to talk about it? Or would it help to completely try to get your mind off of it?”

“Get my mind off of it. Definitely. Let’s change the subject. Tell me what went on around here today.”

For the next few minutes he told her about the little ones reaction to the museum and how they had taken care of the piggies without her and even how Tuckett had been the model of a perfect teenager all day and she finally honestly smiled. Having the pain pill start to take effect helped her heart almost as much as his conversation did.

When he went back to his chair and sat down again, she asked, “Do you think we could watch a movie? I’m too looped to do much, but I’m sick of sleeping. Are you still working or are you done for the night?”

“I’m done. I’ll feed the little pig late, but other than that I’m through. Sure, we could watch something. What are you in the mood for?”

“You pick. Just nothing rated R. Something that will keep me from thinking.”

“I don’t watch Rs. Are you thinking action, comedy or chick flick?”

She yawned and got up to rinse her plate. “Surprise me. Can we watch in the bunkhouse?”

“Absolutely. Bring your pillow and we’ll find you a blankie.”

****

When Fo showed up at eleven thirty, he had to smile at the two of them there on the cowhide couch. Their movie was still rolling, but both of them were dead to the world. Luke was leaning against the end of the couch and she was snuggled over against his chest with her feet curled up beside her and her pillow had fallen to the floor in front of them. Fo sat down in the recliner and watched the last part of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, wondering if his best friend hadn’t finally found her prince charming. Luke was strong enough to deal with her all powerful family and keep her from getting squished by them quite nicely. Still, knowing her, she would be hesitant to acknowledge she’d found him.

As the credits began to roll, he woke the two of them up and as he looked at her tired eyes, he said, “I’ve been thinking about you tonight, Chuck. Would you like a blessing? Would that help you?”

She sighed and nodded her head gratefully. “I would love that. Would you guys mind?”

Luke gave her a gentle, tired smile. “Anything for you, Charlie.”

****

All the next day she lay around trying to fight either the pain or the snockeredness. By the following day she was absolutely stir crazy and showed up in the Langston’s kitchen bright and early, determined to do her best to pull her weight. Luke watched her quietly as he told her good morning and she wondered for a minute if he was going to send her back to bed. He must have understood that she needed to be up and going because he only took the platter she was carrying one handed and set it on the table without commenting.