Blue Like Elvis (22 page)

I rolled my eyes. “Give me a break.”

He stopped, snapped the sunglasses off his face, then folded
his arms tightly across his chest. Something along his jaw line pulsed. “What
exactly do you want from me, Shelby? I care about Jimmy. I think he’s got a
problem. After all, I am a doctor, and I’ve treated junkies before. I just want
to help. Why does that make me the bad guy here?”

I stared at him, so angry I was shaking. “That’s just it,
Doctor
Thompson. I don’t want
anything
from you. I never have and I never
will. And for your information, my brother is not a junkie!”

I stormed off, rushing into the hospital while trying to bite
back the fury that was consuming me. Of all the ridiculous, absurd things I’d
ever heard . . . To think I had fallen for someone so . . .
so self-righteous and pompous. Give a guy a stethoscope and he thinks he’s some
kind of god with all the answers.

By the time I rounded the corner near our office, I could
hardly breathe. I took a sharp right and dove into the nearest public restroom.
I slammed the stall door and kicked the toilet lid down so I could sit on it.
It took a good five minutes before I caught my breath enough to think straight.
And when I did, all I could think of was what a fool I’d been to think a grown-up
Tucker Thompson was any different from that fat little kid that used to hang
around our house and drive me out of my mind.

With my jaw clenched tight and my heart pounding, I thanked
God for helping me see Tucker for what he really was before it was too late . . .

Before I fell in love with him.

C
hapter 32

Before I left the hospital that afternoon, I called Tucker’s
house hoping to reach my brother. He answered on the fourth ring.

“Hi, baby sister! I was figuring I’d hear from you. Tucker
tell you I popped in on him last night?”

He sounded fine. Perfectly fine.

“He did. But I’m jealous you didn’t come stay with me. What’s
he got that I don’t?” It wasn’t easy to keep the conversation light, but I knew
I had to.

“Well, for starters, I know where he lives. Imagine my
surprise when I knocked on the door of your townhouse and some dude answered
your door.”

“Oh, Jimmy! I’m so sorry! Didn’t Mom and Dad tell you I’d
moved?”

“Huh? Oh. Well, no. I haven’t been home in weeks. It was
great and all when I first got back, but then I got really restless. They
wanted me to enroll for classes at Samford or apply somewhere else, but I
needed some time. And some space, I guess. Decided to get on the road and chill
out for a while.”

“Well, that makes sense. You’ve probably got a little culture
shock going on,” I added, trying to test the waters. “I think a road trip or
two is just what you need.”

“Yeah, it’s been good. I don’t really have a plan or
anything. I just get in the car and drive.”

“Well, I’m glad you’re here. But come stay at my place.”

“You got an extra bedroom?”

“No, but you can sleep on the couch. It’s nice and big and
really comfortable.”

“Why would I want to sleep on your couch when Tucker has a
guest room? I’ve got my own room, my own bed, my own bathroom . . .
Besides, he’ll be gone a lot. Guy works like a horse. I’ll just stay here. But
you’re welcome to come see me.”

Not gonna happen. I’m not about to step foot in Tucker
Thompson’s house ever again.

“No, I’d rather cook for you tonight. I’ll give you my
address and you can meet me at my place.”

“What’s for dinner?”

Men and their stomachs.
Apparently it’s true what they
say. But for now, at least I had a chance to see what was going on with my
brother—IF anything was going on—without having Tucker’s hyper-suspicious
presence.

An hour later, I welcomed Jimmy into my house.

“Hey, big guy! Come on in.”

He wrapped me in a hug and I inhaled, trying to discern the
trace of any alcohol. I didn’t catch the slightest hint. Nothing. I smiled.

“Whoa, this is nice, Moonpie.”

“Jimmy, please don’t call me that.”

“What?” He took a seat on the sofa. “Oh, that. I forgot. You’re
the big grown up now. Can’t tolerate the silly nicknames anymore. Right?”

“Something like that.” He had it partially right. He didn’t
need to know I was also avoiding all reminders of Tucker Thompson I could
possibly manage. “I’d just rather not hear it any more. What can I get you? The
lasagna will be ready in a couple of minutes. Would you like some tea? A Coke?”
I held my breath.

“Coke sounds great. Lots of ice. I’ll never understand why
other countries never give you ice. It’s barbaric. So where’s Chiquita, your
feisty little roommate? Or do you live here alone?”

“Sandra’s working the late shift tonight.” I stepped into the
kitchen to get his drink. “They’ve just started having us work the ICU, ER, and
surgical waiting rooms, so we have to have someone there around the clock. She’s
thrilled about it. Loves all the action that happens in the ER after hours.” I
handed him the iced glass of Coke and took a seat across from him. “Me? I’d
prefer to keep my day shift, but we’ll see.”

“You like working at the hospital?”

“I love it. We’ve had a lot of stuff going on, some conflicts—that
sort of thing. But overall, I love it. I enjoy helping my patients and meeting
new people all the time. Which reminds me, Elvis is staying with us again.”

“Again?”

“Well, he’s a bit of a regular, I guess you’d say. He’s
apparently got a lot of health issues and checks in now and then to get checked
out.”

“Or cleaned out, from what I hear.”

I just looked at him while trying to choose my words
carefully. “There’s a lot of rumors about him, that’s for sure. But I’ve never
heard anything to substantiate it.”

“Don’t be naïve, Sis. Everybody knows he’s doing all kinds of
stuff.”

I looked him in the eye. “Define ‘stuff.’”

He laughed. “I have no clue. I just see the headlines, hear
things. Is he really as fat as those pictures show?”

“How would I know?”

“You said he’s at Baptist right now. Can’t you go up and see
him if you want to?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. I told him about the whole
botched attempt to sneak up on Sixteen with Donnie. He got a big kick out of my
misadventure. Jimmy didn’t know Donnie, but he’d heard me talk about him
before.

Over dinner we talked a mile a minute. I kept checking his
eyes, looking for those pinpoints Tucker alleged he’d seen, but saw only my
brother’s beautiful brown eyes. I could still see the fatigue in them, for
sure, but nothing out of the ordinary. He shared some of his experiences over
in Vietnam and in the Philippines, but only when I asked. I could tell he
really didn’t want to talk about it, so I didn’t push.

Later, we watched some television and made fun of the actors
like we always used to do, adding snide dialogue to the script. I was careful
to observe Jimmy without him knowing it. No shaking hands. No twitching. No munchies.

He was clean.

“What are you smiling at?” Jimmy asked, tapping my foot with
his. “You’ve got a really weird grin on your face.”

I debated whether or not I should say anything, then decided
I had no reason not to.

“I wasn’t going to tell you, but Tucker and I had a big fight
this morning.”

“About what?”

“You.”

“Me? Why on earth would you all fight about me?”

I couldn’t help analyzing the way he responded, which was
complete innocence, of course. Then I chided myself for doing so. “He told me
you were plastered at his house last night.”

“What?”

“Can you believe it? I mean, c’mon, Jimmy. I realize you may
have a drink now and then. And that’s your business. You’re an adult. You can
do whatever you like. But he said you walked in carrying two six-packs, and you
were already smashed before you stepped foot in his house.”

Jimmy leaned his head back and rubbed his face. “What a pal.
You think you know someone but you never really do. I can’t believe he’d lie to
you like that.”

“And that’s not all. He said you were obviously ‘on’
something. He thinks you’re on some kind of drug. Jimmy, I wanted to smack him
upside that handsome face of his. I was so mad! And I still am!”

He stared hard at me, shaking his head. “That’s out of line.
I can’t believe he . . . that takes some nerve, dishing up a
bunch of lies to you like that. I ought’a go over there and—”

“No, don’t. I don’t want you to say a word about it.”

“Why not? He can’t get away with it, Sis. I don’t know why he’d
say something like that to you, but I’m not about to just sit back and let him—”

I sat up and grabbed his hands. “Do not say a word to him.
Let’s just let it play out. See what he’s up to. You’ve done nothing wrong, so
for now just let it go. Let’s see what other kind of lies he may come up with.
Then we can confront him together. Rub his nose in it.”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Promise me, Jimmy. This is so out of character
for Tucker—or so I thought. There’s got to be some reason he’s done this. Let’s
just give it a little time and see what happens.”

Around 9:30, Jimmy took off. He assured me he’d be in town
for a while, so I just gave him a quick hug and sent him on his way.

As I closed the door behind him, I let out a long and noisy
sigh of relief.

Yes, I was relieved. If Jimmy was some slobbering alcoholic,
I would have known it. If he was doing drugs, I would have been able to tell. And
after confronting him with Tucker’s lies, he would have told me. We may not
have always gotten along, especially when we were kids, but I never knew him to
lie to me. He would have come clean if there was something going on. I just
knew it.

Still, something kept nagging at my soul.

For the life of me I couldn’t figure out why Tucker would
have made up such a thing about his life-long friend. What was the point? What
possible motive could he have for doing something so vile?

I had a feeling we would find out. One way or another.

C
hapter 33

Rachel and little Cooper checked out on Friday morning. I
would miss seeing them every day, but I knew Rachel was anxious to get home and
settled again.

Sarah Beth announced that Elvis had also been released. To
hear her, you would have thought he’d sought out her permission before leaving
the hospital, but I’m sure that’s not quite how it happened. I was disappointed
I hadn’t been able to cross paths with the King, but there was always next
time. And from what I’d been told, there was always a “next time” with Elvis.

Tucker called a few times at first, leaving messages asking
me to call him. But I never returned his calls. Fortunately, I hadn’t run into
him at the hospital, but I knew it was just a matter of time. Mrs. Baker had
put me down to work the ER waiting room both Saturday and Sunday. It would be
my first time doing so. I’d worked the ICU and surgical waiting rooms, but not
the ER. I hated the idea of working the weekend, but at least it was first
shift. In by seven, out by three. Better than all night long. Still, I knew
Tucker often worked weekends, so that had me a bit on edge.

Before I left on Friday, Sandra showed me the ropes about our
responsibilities in the ER. She told me we helped inform visitors of their patient’s
progress, primarily just letting them know where their friends and loved ones
were. The medical information would come from the nurses and doctors, of
course.

“Sometimes it’s crazy busy and sometimes you don’t have
anything to do. I always bring a book just in case. You just have to stay at
the desk here and be available. There’s a little sign here in the drawer that
you put on the desk when you take a break or go to lunch. Same as in ICU.”

“That’s it?”

“Oh, I almost forgot. We’re also responsible for keeping the
coffee bar stocked and fresh.”

“I think I can handle that. Same as ICU and surgery waiting
rooms?”

“Exactly the same.” She unlocked a cabinet beneath the bar
and showed me where all the supplies were kept, then showed me where to get the
water.

“You wouldn’t believe how nasty all this was before we
started helping out down here. I was on duty the first night and those urns
were disgusting. Took me a couple of hours to clean them adequately and make
this place shine again.”

“All this from the girl who once—”

“Shelby, don’t make me hurt you,” she warned with a smile.

“I’m kidding. You’ve obviously worked a miracle on the whole
room. I’ve never seen it look so clean and cheery.”

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Just needed a little TLC, that’s all.
The rest of the staff never has the time to keep it up. You’ll like it here.
The time goes fast when it’s busy. Plus, you get lots of opportunity to help
people when they’re really scared and anxious.”

“Oh, so I can finally use all that magnificent training we’ve
had from Chaplain Perkins?”

“Most definitely. Just don’t kill them with boredom. They’ve
got enough to worry about.”

“Okay, is that it?”

“That’s it. Let’s go. It’s quitting time, girlfriend!”

It had been a rough week, so I decided to stay in Friday
night. Sandra was going to see
Star Wars
with a bunch of the girls, but
I wasn’t in the mood. I was hoping Jimmy might come over. I didn’t have any way
to reach him without calling Tucker’s house and wasn’t about to take that risk.
Jimmy had stopped by the hospital that morning, and we’d had coffee together
during my break. He told me he’d played it cool with Tucker, basically avoiding
him when he could.

I finally gave up waiting to hear from him and took a hot
bath. I decided to just go to bed early and read. I’d just started a new book
called
The Thorn Birds
and couldn’t put it down. It was after midnight
when I turned out the light.

Saturday, my first morning working in the ER, went well
though I stayed busy. An early morning accident on I-40 brought in a handful of
worried family members. An altercation between parents at a Little League
practice game sent half a dozen wounded adults in around eleven. And a string
of other patients appeared from time to time, just enough to keep things
hopping. I still didn’t like the idea of working on a weekend, but I’d
survived. Around 2:30, I started a fresh pot of coffee and gave the area a
quick clean up. Rebecca would be in soon for the evening shift.

I’d finished my chores and sat down to wait for Rebecca when
Trevor showed up.

“Will wonders never cease? A hostess? Working weekends?”

“Very funny, Dr. Knight.”

“How are you, Shelby? Haven’t seen much of you lately,” he
said, pulling up a chair.

“I could say the same for you, but thanks for asking. I’m
good. How about you? Saved any brains lately?”

“Every day, m’lady. Every day. I’m glad you all are helping
out down here. That’s a nice touch.”

“What can I say? We’re here to help.”

“Any word on those two knuckleheads who tried to blow up the
campsite last weekend?”

“Haven’t heard,” I said, realizing I hadn’t bothered to find
out.

“Ol’ Tuck and I had a good time driving those boys in. We
started discussing their injuries—using lots of medical jargon just to scare
them. By the time we got them here, I think they were convinced they’d never
come out alive.” He laughed hard. “Oh, I wish you could have been there. It was
a beautiful thing to behold, weaving those two geniuses into our wicked spell.
Didn’t Tucker tell you about it?”

I blinked a couple of times and tried on a fake smile. “No,
but we really haven’t had a chance to talk much lately. He’s been working a
lot. You know how that goes.”

“Please. Since we got back from that sad excuse for a camping
trip, I haven’t had a minute to myself.” He sat forward in his chair, resting
his elbows on his knees. “Shelby, I wanted to ask you something. Is our Sandra
seeing anybody?”

“Sandra? Well, let’s see. What day is it?”

His eyebrows took a northern hike. “Seriously? She dates that
much?”

“I’m kidding, Trevor. She goes out a lot, but she’s not
seeing anyone steadily, if that’s what you mean.”

“So who’s this guy Pedro? Bobby was telling me something that
first night at the bonfire. He said Pedro was her ‘beloved’ and he was really
mean. Someone I should be worried about?”

I laughed so hard, imagining all the bull Bobby must have
shoved Trevor’s way. “Oh Trevor, I don’t think you need to worry about Pedro.
But I’d rather let her tell you about him.”

“So you think she’d go out with me?”

“I think she’d love to go out with you. Give her a call.”

He smiled like a school boy. “I think I will.” He stood up,
putting his chair back where he got it. “Thanks, Shelby. And who knows, maybe
we can double with you and Tucker sometime.” He winked and disappeared down the
hall.

Yeahhh. Like
that’s
gonna happen . . .