Somewhere in His Arms (14 page)

             
Lucy took a long draught of her ginger ale before answering. “I’ve been working, believe it or not.”

             
“Really?” Diane asked in disbelief.  “Where?”

             
“I was taking care of some guy who broke his leg,” she told her as she finished off the rest of her grilled cheese. “It was for a couple of weeks near Point Reyes.”

             
“What was he like?” Diane leaned forward ready for some juicy gossip. “Was he cute?”

             
“
He
was young and he
was
hideous!” Lucy said, laughing. “He was as mean as a rattlesnake and that was why I had to leave in a hurry.”

             
Diane sat back, nonplussed. “What does Rudy have to say about all this?” she gestured toward Lucy’s stomach. “I’m guessing he’s mad as hell.”

             
Lucy busied herself with cleaning up her area before answering. “Rudy doesn’t need to know and I’d like to keep it that way, so please don’t tell anyone.”

             
“What...?” Diane’s eyes were wide saucers before recovering slightly. “Yeah, sure...whatever you want. But he’s got a right to know doesn’t he?”

             
Lucy shrugged carelessly. “I’ll tell him when the time is right,” she said as they chucked their garbage into the wastebasket. “He’s got enough on his plate with that murder trial coming up.”

             
“I guess so,” Diane didn’t sound convinced. They walked back to the elevators arm in arm. “Where are you parked? I’ll walk you back.”

             
“My car died,” Lucy informed her as they waited amongst the throngs of returning staff. “I had to take the bus.”

             
“The bus...!” Diane’s horrified gaze set Lucy off into hysterical giggles.

             
“It wasn’t so bad, really!”

             
They got off on the third floor and Diane walked with her through the entrance. “Let me call you a cab.”

             
“No,” Lucy declined gently. “Rudy won’t be back till late, and I’ve got just enough for the bus.”

             
Diane checked her watch and groaned. “I’d give you a lift, but I’m on in ten.”

             
“It’s okay,” Lucy smiled. “You can walk me halfway to the stop if you really want to be a good friend,” she wheedled.

             
“Sure,” Diane grumbled reluctantly, wondering if she should call Eddie to get his ass down here and give Lucy a lift. “I could call Ed,” she offered as they trudged up the hill.

             
“And interrupt that poor man’s favorite pastime? I wouldn’t dream of it! How is he anyway?”

             
“Grumpy as hell and hoping he’ll get that contract.”

             
They continued the slow climb up to the bus stop slowly getting winded. “Whose idea was to put that hill there?” Diane wheezed and gripped her side.

             
“P-Probably an escapee from that movie
Hostel
,” Lucy gasped and collapsed onto the bench. “Or someone who hates public transportation!”

             
Diane sat down with her to catch her breath. “You sure you’re gonna be okay?” she asked, taking out a Kleenex and wiping Lucy’s brow.

             
“We’ll be just fine,” Lucy reassured her, patting her belly lightly. “You’re going to be late,” she motioned toward Diane’s watch.

             
“Yeah?” Diane rose and straightened her scrubs. “How do I look?” she asked as she smoothed her dark brown hair away from her face.

             
Like a superstar!” Lucy grinned. “Thanks for everything, Diane,” she told her as they hugged goodbye.

             
“Sure,” Diane smiled back and proceeded to return the way she came. “You call me!” she shouted as she disappeared down the hill.

             
“I will!” Lucy shouted back, and took out the water she didn’t finish and had a warm sip. Checking her watch again, she saw she was in for thirty-minute wait, so she took out her phone and played tic-tac-toe. She was so engrossed in the little game she didn’t notice a familiar car pass by.

             
“Lucy!”
came a voice.

             
Frowning, she looked up but didn’t see anyone so she went back to the game. She grew frustrated and chose another, wishing she’d downloaded something a little more challenging than checkers. “Lucy!” the voice called again.

             
She glanced around but still didn’t see anybody and grumbled under her breath that now that she was knocked up, she was going to start hearing voices too. “Lucy!”

             
“Who
is
that?” Lucy nearly gave herself whiplash as her head whipped around trying to figure out who the hell was calling her name.

             
She checked her watch for the umpteenth time. Good! The bus was only five minutes away. Hopefully it would get here before she was murdered in cold blood by some escaped lunatic from the psych ward. Lucy glanced around fearfully and laughed at herself. Now she was imagining things because she thought she saw Dean’s car drive past. “Lucy!”

             
Lucy’s head turned slowly at the voice that was now getting closer
. Oh Hell No!
Her eyes widened in horror as Dean’s ‘96 black Impala whizzed by. This could
not
be happening! She thought of marching back to the hospital, but the bus was only two minutes away. Hopefully, if she threw the hood of her sweatshirt over her head he wouldn’t recognize her.

             
No such luck! She groaned inwardly as the Impala cruised to a stop in front of her. For a brief moment, they locked eyes until Lucy decided he really was a piece of shit and she shouldn’t waste one more moment of her life on him. She went back to her phone as if she hadn’t seen him and continued with a fierce game of pinball. “Lucy,” he said again, and plunked himself beside her.

             
“Go away,” she muttered, and slid away from him.

             
“Please, Lucy---” he began in that simpering voice of his and making her wonder what in the hell had she been drinking when she decided it would be a good idea to spend the rest of her life with this spineless jellyfish. “Let me explain---”

             
“There’s nothing to explain,” Lucy said quietly, wishing her stomach would choose this moment to discard her lunch onto his designer dress slacks. “Your penis fell into her vagina. It’s a simple fact of science.” She tossed him a withering glare, wondering how many times he’d gotten Vivian off in the weeks since that awful night. “Now, piss off.”

             
“Lucy, I---” he seemed at a loss for words. Lucy wouldn’t look at him.

             
“Go on,” she urged coldly, still playing pinball. “Don’t let me stop you.”

             
He swore viciously as he snatched the phone out of her hand. “Give me that,” she said calmly, wondering how long it would be before she started screaming.

             
“Not until you listen,” his said shakily. “Where the hell have you
been?
I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

             
“Have you?”

             
“God! I’ve been so worried!”

             
“Really....” she said slowly.

             
“Yes, really!” he said impatiently, his eyes taking in every detail of her pale face. “Why won’t you look at me?” he demanded.

             
Lucy made a show of looking at her watch, the sky, and her sneakers, before finally training her impassive gaze on him. He was still as handsome as ever in the familiar uniform of shirt and tie. She wondered how much Vivian was spending on designer duds for her new man. “Nice shirt,” she commented dryly.

             
He glanced down and winced. “It wasn’t my fault!” he blurted lamely.

             
“Is that so?”

             
“Lucy,” he pleaded helplessly. “Help me here! I don’t know what to say.”

             
“Give me my phone and I’ll help you,” she offered, and glanced again at her watch.

             
He handed it over reluctantly. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you quit.”              She stood and shrugged her slender shoulders. “I wanted to say goodbye to Diane.”

             
“Goodbye?” he frowned in confusion. “I thought---”

             
“Goodbye is goodbye to a friend,” she explained patiently as if speaking to a child. “She understands what an asshole you are.”

             
Dean winced again. “I deserve that,” he said softly. “It’s partly your fault you know,” the words flew out of his mouth before he could stop them, and he had to watch as Lucy paled even more and staggered back as if he’d struck her.

             
“You really are a gutless wonder!” she choked back in outrage and slung her bag over her shoulder. “You deserve each other!’

             
“I didn’t mean that!” he amended and started after her. “Lucy, please let me explain!”

             
To her relief the bus finally came choking down the hill and came to a sputtering stop. Lucy quickly clambered aboard, nearly tripping at the top step and sat up front in case she had a fainting spell. Dean tried to follow but was stopped by the bus driver who was in the throes of a nasty headache, as he hadn’t eaten lunch. He slammed the doors in Dean’s face and sped off with him running alongside it like a madman, demanding to be let on. “What’s with him?” he asked no one in particular.

             
“Don’t you know?” she said bitterly. “He’s one of those patients who thinks he’s a doctor!”

             
“It figures they let all the nuts out of the nut patch!” the bus driver grunted before accelerating and leaving Dean in a noxious cloud of exhaust.

             
Lucy leaned her head back and vowed never to utter Dean’s name again as long as she lived.

Chapter Ten

Lucy stood in front of the
mirror and regarded her reflection critically. She turned from side to side before swearing in disgust and yanked the pillow she’d stuffed under her blouse and tossed it on the floor.

             
“Don’t look at me like that,” she scolded the witness who sat watching her as he cleaned his tail. “It seemed like a good idea at the time,” she sighed and flopped onto the bed and stroked Moe’s sleek black fur. “You’re a good boy,” she cooed softly. “What do you think I should do?”

             
Rudy’s cat yawned with detached interest and nuzzled her face instead. Lucy lay back and grunted as he climbed onto her chest and peered at her with lazy green eyes. “Don’t mind me,” she said dryly, and tried to discern some ancient wisdom in those translucent depths. “Maybe you’ll tell me later...” she mumbled as she drifted off to sleep.

             
“Can I buy you a drink?” the man offered as he plunked himself onto the stool beside her.

             
“You look like you could use one,” he leered at her and she felt her skin crawl. For some reason all her instincts were warning her off him.

             
“No, thank you,” she declined politely.

             
“Bitch!” the man growled and slinked off to a corner of the bar where he huddled with his companion.

             
She shuddered slightly and decided she needed to use the restroom. ‘I’ll be back,” she told the bartender and stood up on wobbly legs. She gripped the edge of the bar and tried to steady herself. She’d had too much to drink. She’d had one brandy and several rum and cokes. She never indulged.
Never.
But somehow seeing one’s fiancée wrapped around your stepmother was enough to make anyone throw caution to the wind and get completely ripped.